Shane stood frozen at the entrance of the blood donation room. The nurse's panicked cry hit him like a thunderbolt. He rushed inside, and his gaze locked onto Valerie's pale face.

That once-radiant face was now void of color, and she looked as lifeless as a cold statue.

The needle was still in her arm, but the blood had stopped flowing. The monitor displayed a glaring flatline.

"Valerie... is dead?" Shane muttered as if struggling to comprehend what lay before him.

He wasn't fond of Valerie. In fact, he harbored a deep resentment for her. But at this moment, an inexplicable mix of emotions swelled within him.

Shane knew about her betrayal. He believed she was nothing more than a fickle, disloyal woman. But over the years, he had seen it all—the love, the resentment, and the struggle Fabian could never shake off. No one understood it better than he did.

And now, just like that, Vale

Shane immediately dialed the number for the sky burial reservation. As expected, Valerie had indeed booked it two weeks ago.

An unsettling feeling crept into his chest. He realized that Valerie had too many secrets. Perhaps she wasn't as vicious as she had always seemed.

He gathered his thoughts and went to meet with the sky burial organizers.

Upon learning that the process was highly intricate and required traveling to Eleyburn, Shane fell into deep contemplation.

Sky burial was Valerie's final wish, after all. If he didn't go along, there was a risk that news of her death might spread.

After much deliberation, he hurried to the hospital. He was ready to request a leave of absence from Fabian.

At the hospital, he found Sasha awake. She was nestled against Fabian's chest like a child.

"Fab, once I'm discharged, I want to try that new Solmarian restaurant. Will you take me there?" 

Three days before the wedding, Valerie had paid all the fees for the sky burial.

On the same day, the news of Fabian and Sasha's upcoming wedding hit the headlines.

Their wedding would be held by the sea, and all the city's wealthy elite were expected to attend. Celebrities even posted on Twitter to congratulate them. The trending list was filled with hashtags about their union.

Two days before the wedding, Valerie booked her flight to Eleyburn.

That day, to celebrate in advance, Fabian spent tens of millions of dollars on a grand fireworks display throughout the city.

Under the dazzling display, everyone congratulated him and Sasha, wishing them a lifetime of love and happiness.

The day before the wedding, Valerie packed a suitcase and set it on fire. She burned everything inside.

The suitcase contained gifts Fabian had given her, all their memories, and the most cherished items she kept from her time in prison.

But now, she was on the brink of death, so these things held no meaning anymore.

The man she once loved would walk down the aisle with the woman he adored.

She thought to herself that Fabian would be happy. He and Sasha would have children and live a sweet, peaceful life together, just as he and Valerie had once promised each other when they were together.

The flames danced before Valerie, and the memories of their love were reduced to ashes.

That night, at the restaurant, Sasha noticed Fabian's absent-minded demeanor and felt a growing sense of unease.

"Fab, are you still thinking about Valerie?"

Fabian snapped back to reality and took her hand before replying gently, "No. Sasha, I've totally moved on from her. Don't worry. I'll only love you. You're the most important person in my life now."

Only then did Sasha finally smile and nod in satisfaction.

After dinner, they planned to head home and prepare for the wedding the next day. But as they were leaving, a chandelier suddenly fell and struck Sasha on the head.

Blood poured from her wound, and she immediately fell unconscious.

Fabian's face paled. He rushed to her side and drove her to the hospital, where she was immediately taken into emergency surgery.

The doctor informed him that she was bleeding heavily and needed an immediate blood transfusion. Unfortunately, the RH-negative blood in the hospital's blood bank was in short supply. They needed someone with the same blood type as Sasha to donate.

Panicked, Fabian ordered his assistant, Shane Duncan, to organize a citywide search for a matching donor.

Shane searched urgently and finally found a name who was a match in the blood bank—Valerie Hartman.

He hurried to inform Fabian. "Mr. Porter, there's only one person with a matching blood type for Ms. Donaldson, but she's—"

Before Shane could finish, Fabian interrupted by saying, "I don't care who it is. I need to save Sasha. Get that person here and drain her blood, no matter the cost. Understood?"

Shane didn't argue and immediately arranged for Valerie to be brought to the hospital.

At that moment, Valerie was holding her ticket and preparing to head to the airport. Suddenly, she was taken to the hospital and forced into the blood donation room.

Confused, she struggled violently. The nurses couldn't draw her blood, so they called Shane to intervene.

When Shane saw Valerie, his face was full of disdain.

Having worked for Fabian for many years, he knew everything about Valerie and felt nothing but contempt for her.

"Ms. Hartman, we brought you here at Mr. Porter's request. Ms. Donaldson has had a serious accident and is bleeding heavily. Your blood type is the only match.

"Mr. Porter said that he wouldn't hesitate to drain your blood as long as Ms. Donaldson can be saved. Our people are everywhere. I suggest you stop struggling. Besides, don't you owe Mr. Porter your life?"

As the words hit her, Valerie froze. The struggle drained out of her.

Yes, she owed Fabian her life.

And whether she donated blood or not, she was going to die eventually. It was just a matter of when.

With that, she stopped resisting.

As the needle pierced her vein, Valerie watched as her blood slowly drained away. Her face gradually turned pale as well.

400ml.

600ml.

800ml.

1000ml.

As more blood was drawn, the sound of alarms from the machines grew louder in her ears, and her vision began to blur.

Valerie weakly closed her eyes. She felt her life slip away with each drop of blood.

"Fabian, it's truly goodbye this time," she thought.

The beeping grew louder and then flatlined into a steady line.

Seeing that, the nurse screamed in shock. She quickly pulled the needle out and rushed out of the room.

"Her blood has been drained! S-She has no pulse!"

Shane stood frozen at the entrance of the blood donation room. The nurse's panicked cry hit him like a thunderbolt. He rushed inside, and his gaze locked onto Valerie's pale face.

That once-radiant face was now void of color, and she looked as lifeless as a cold statue.

The needle was still in her arm, but the blood had stopped flowing. The monitor displayed a glaring flatline.

"Valerie... is dead?" Shane muttered as if struggling to comprehend what lay before him.

He wasn't fond of Valerie. In fact, he harbored a deep resentment for her. But at this moment, an inexplicable mix of emotions swelled within him.

Shane knew about her betrayal. He believed she was nothing more than a fickle, disloyal woman. But over the years, he had seen it all—the love, the resentment, and the struggle Fabian could never shake off. No one understood it better than he did.

And now, just like that, Valerie was gone. How would Fabian react if he found out?

Shane's mind reeled, but instinct took over. 

Chapter 8