Chapter 3

Marcus went rigid. He raised his hand and struck me across the face.

But compared to the boot he had pressed down onto my knee, this was almost gentle.

"I will not allow it. You are the true daughter of this family. Who would dare let you die?"

Silas panicked too. He stepped forward and pressed me back down onto the bed.

"Vivian, stop this. I know you are in pain, but just recover properly. From now on, I will treat you better. I promise."

I looked at the plea in his eyes and found it completely absurd.

Where was all this before?

I closed my eyes and stopped looking at them.

I let Silas pull the covers back over me, let him bring the cup to my lips — but I refused to open my mouth no matter what.

While we were at an impasse, the door opened again. Alaric and Isabella came in together.

Isabella was dressed in white, her face pale, occasionally coughing softly. She looked fragile and unwell.

Julian immediately stood and went to her. "Isabella, you are barely recovered. Why did you come? Sit down, rest."

Isabella shook her head. Her gaze moved to me, full of guilt.

"This is all my fault. If I had not said what I said that day, Vivian would not have had to suffer like this."

"I have not been able to settle, so I prepared something and came to bring it myself. It is the least I can do."

As she spoke, she took the cup from Silas and sat down at the edge of my bed.

"Vivian, stop being angry with yourself. Rest and recover properly. Everything in the Voss family was always meant to be yours. I have never wanted to take anything from you."

These words sounded like a concession.

In reality, every line implied that I was petty and narrow-minded, making a life-or-death spectacle over nothing.

Before she could bring the cup anywhere near my lips, I knocked it away.

The cup hit the marble floor and shattered. The liquid splashed across Isabella, and her wrist reddened immediately.

Isabella cried out, her eyes filling as if on cue, threatening to spill over.

"Vivian, how could you do this? I only wanted to help you."

She bit her lip with the look of someone who had been deeply, unjustly wronged.

"Vivian! Have you gone mad!"

Julian erupted. He pulled Isabella behind him and stared at me with barely contained fury.

Silas rushed to check Isabella's wrist, his face taut with worry. "How bad is it? Did the heat reach you?"

"Vivian, you have gone too far. After everything Isabella has done for you, you still cannot let it go."

Marcus pressed his brow together, disappointment filling his eyes.

Alaric moved to Isabella's side, took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed at the liquid on her, then cast a cold glance in my direction.

"Vivian, Isabella came here in good faith. Even if you cannot appreciate it, you had no right to hurt her."

All of them crowded around Isabella, attentive and concerned, with no thought spared for me — the one who had just had her bone marrow forcibly extracted.