Chapter 4

Heather arrived at Esme's ward at 9:00 am. She gently pushed the door, and the first thing that came into view was rows of blood-drawing needles and even more blood bags than there had been the day before. These were all prepared for her. Her gaze shifted to the side. Esme looked like a princess on the hospital bed, surrounded by doctors and nurses. She was beaming while acting coyly toward Devon. That innocent, delicate face was so convincing. Heather curled her lips in mockery. Who would've thought that beneath that "kind" face, Esme had drained her blood and fed her organs to dogs? It was honestly funny how she had wanted to save a monster like her in her previous life. Esme sensed her gaze. Her eyes flashed with malice before she plastered a kind smile on her face. "You're here, Heather." Devon glanced at Heather from the corner of his eye. His long, narrow eyes immediately became cold. "What took you so long?" "What, was I supposed to show up early to attend your funeral?" Heather mused. Ignoring him, her meaningful gaze landed on Esme. "You look well." Esme froze for a split second when their eyes met. Heather, the idiot, seemed a little off. No, that was impossible. Heather was so stupid. Esme couldn't wait to watch this idiot have her blood drawn. The very next second, she clutched her forehead and collapsed weakly against Devon's shoulder. "My head hurts so much, Dev!" "I'm here. You'll be fine." Right before Heather's eyes, Devon held her and soothed her. Then, he turned around and ordered coldly, "Hurry up and draw her blood, Dr. Cooper!" Seven or eight medical personnel subtly surrounded Heather. Ryan Cooper looked at her stoically. "Please cooperate with us, Mrs. Harlan." "Don't you dare!" Heather frowned. Her voice was quiet, yet the weight behind it made the medical staff stop in their tracks. "Pin her down!" Devon ordered apathetically without sparing Heather a glance. Heather glanced at Ryan with a poker face. "Are you sure she received my blood yesterday?" Ryan, who was eager to restrain her, hurriedly responded, "Of course." Heather sneered, "Is that so? Then, why isn't she dead yet?" "Heather Lovegood!" Devon thought she was cursing Esme. His gaze darkened, as if he wanted to tear her apart on the spot. Ignoring his heated gaze, she pulled out two lab reports and hurled them at his face. "I'm type A, and she's Rh-negative. If you force a transfusion between two incompatible blood types, she'll die! "Are you an idiot, Devon? How can you not know something this basic?" As soon as her words fell, Devon caught the reports. He leafed through them and realized the test had been done that very morning at the hospital he owned. So, there was no way they were fabricated. In that case… He lifted his gaze and studied Esme. Her expression stiffened for a moment, and she hurriedly explained, "It… it was Dr. Cooper who told me Heather's blood could save me." Ryan went rigid. after meeting Esme's warning glare, he lowered his head and stammered, "I-I may have overlooked it and read the report wrong…" Heather sneered inwardly. Realization dawned on her—Esme had bought off the doctor and pinned the blame on him. Did she really think it would end there? "Oh no!" Heather's forehead creased. "Does that mean you received my blood yesterday? An incompatibility reaction could cause shock and loss of consciousness!" Esme froze for a moment and instantly caught on. "Right. I have to pass out!" she surmised. "I feel lightheaded, Dev…" Clutching her forehead, she collapsed beautifully into Devon's arms in a heartbeat. Devon immediately caught her and called out, "Essie!" Concern was written all over his face. "Hurry up and lay her flat!" he ordered. Heather rushed ahead of Ryan and pulled out a silver needle. Before she could do anything, her hand was struck away by Devon, and the back of her hand turned bright red in an instant. "What do you think you're doing?" When she looked up, she noticed Devon was shielding Esme protectively. His cold gaze bore into her. "I'm going to save her, obviously!" Heather mocked him. "What, do you want that quack who can't even distinguish blood types to treat her? I'm the daughter of Carolyn Lovegood, the miracle doctor!" Devon calmed down when he heard Carolyn's name. He reluctantly loosened his grip, though his voice remained cold as he warned, "Don't play games with me, Heather!" Oh, she fully intended to. Esme should get a taste of what it felt like to be drained of blood. Heather pulled out the longest, thickest silver needle from her bag and, without the slightest hesitation, she pinned Esme's hand down and pierced all five of her fingers in quick succession. In the blink of an eye, blood gushed out. "What the hell are you doing?" Devon wanted to stop her. Heather shot him a cold look. "Haven't you heard of bloodletting in traditional medicine? Move. I'm trying to save her!" Right after saying that, she used even more force on Esme's other hand. Blood poured out freely. Heather turned to the nurses. "Why are you just standing there? Come and help me!" Her tone brooked no refusal. The nurses hurriedly grabbed needles and blood tubes. Blood was drawn from all ten of Esme's fingers in no time. Heather stared at Esme, who was still pretending to be unconscious, with a blank expression. In her previous life, Esme had forced Heather to donate her blood and her kidney. Each time had hurt to the bone. Heather had risked her life to save Esme, only to realize it had been nothing more than a cruel game. Her kindness and her life had been trampled on. Every finger was connected to the heart. "I'm giving all that pain back to you today, Esme!" she brooded. Esme endured until the color drained from her face, and she broke out in a cold sweat. In the end, she couldn't take it anymore. Her face twisted as she snapped her eyes open and let out a bloodcurdling scream. Esme looked like a vengeful ghost. The nurses instantly stumbled backward. They had no idea Esme could look so terrifying. Esme could no longer care about anything else. Fear filled her face as she broke free from Heather's grasp and clung tightly to Devon before bursting into tears. "Save me, Dev! She's trying to kill me!" She was RH-negative. If this continued, she really would die. Heather was trying to murder her. "What nonsense are you spouting? I was clearly trying to save you!" Heather argued before meeting Devon's doubtful gaze head-on. "My method helped her regain consciousness. If you want her to get better, we need to drain the remaining blood." Devon scrutinized her intently, searching for any crack in her expression. Heather lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze without the slightest hint of guilt. After a few seconds, he averted his gaze and gently pulled Esme out of his arms. "Essie, bear with it a little longer…" "No!" Esme refused outright. She had only wanted to torment Heather. Why should she endanger her own life? "We're running out of time." Heather raised her hand to insert another needle into Esme's wrist. Esme hurriedly buried herself in Devon's arms and screamed, "Don't draw my blood! I never received her blood at all!" The moment those words left her mouth, the room fell silent. Heather curled her lips into a derisive smile. At last, Esme revealed her true colors. "So… you knew you couldn't receive my blood, and you did this on purpose?" The nurses, who were kept in the dark, were shell-shocked. Wasn't that murder? They had no idea that Esme was such a vicious woman. "So, this is the innocent and kind Esme you were talking about, Devon." Heather slowly put away the silver needle and cast him a mocking gaze. "Do you realize that drawing nearly a quart of blood from an adult can kill them? This is premeditated murder!"