A Heart That Will Never Warm

With Matthew away, Meghan couldn't be bothered to keep up the act, smugness written all over her face. "Why should I give the blood to your daughter? Are you blind? My son is injured!"

Danielle's voice cracked with a sob. "He only has a scraped knee, but my daughter has a coagulation disorder. If she doesn't get a transfusion soon, she could die!"

A doctor outside overheard the commotion and stepped in, his voice hesitant. "What's going on? If there's enough blood, could you spare some for this lady's child?"

Danielle snapped her head up to look at the doctor as if he were her last hope, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "I'm begging you. My daughter needs RH-negative blood immediately. If we wait any longer—"

Meghan cut her off with a scoff and rolled her eyes. "Doctor, my husband is the major shareholder of this hospital. You're aware of that, aren't you?

"He personally ordered that all RH-negative blood in this hospital be reserved for my son. Are you trying to lose your job?"

Those words pushed Danielle over the edge. She lunged forward and snatched the bag of crimson blood right off the IV stand.

Meghan shrieked and stomped her feet. "How dare you try to take the blood meant for my son? Security! Call security now! This crazy woman is trying to rob my son of his life-saving blood!"

Security rushed in and instantly seized Danielle's arms.

Meghan puffed up like a peacock. She lunged forward to snatch back the blood bag and shouted at the guards, "This bitch tried to steal my son's life-saving blood! Get her out of here immediately!"

As they dragged Danielle from the hospital room, a burning rage surged through her chest. "There was clearly enough blood in this hospital. She just refused to share it! I'm calling Matthew right now!"

The hospital's director, Carl Trevino, was alerted to the commotion. When he arrived, he overheard her words and frowned immediately. "Wait. Which one of you is Mrs. Gardner?"

The next second, Meghan thrust her phone in front of Carl's face, displaying a digital marriage certificate. "Take a good look! I'm the one legally married to Mr. Gardner! Taylor is his legitimate son!"

She shot a venomous glance at Danielle from the corner of her eye. "That daughter of hers is nothing but an illegitimate child."

As soon as she finished speaking, the patients walking by in the hallway gathered around, their judgmental whispers stinging like needles.

"Good grief, is the mistress really that brazen? How dare she take the blood meant for the wife's son?"

"The child of a woman like that is better off dead!"

Danielle's heart ached with grief. Thinking of Olivia's pale face in the emergency room, her legs buckled, and she dropped to her knees before Meghan. "I'm begging you… Please save my daughter…"

The surrounding chatter ceased abruptly as every eye fixed on the absurd scene.

Meghan didn't even blink as she casually dialed Matthew's number. The moment the call connected, her voice carried a hint of feigned hurt.

"Matt, please come save Taylor. Ms. Bradford hates me so much that she's trying to take the blood reserved for him. She's trying to kill us!"

Danielle broke free from the guards and screamed into the phone. "Matthew, Olivia is bleeding! She has a coagulation disorder and needs a transfusion now! Tell the hospital to give us some blood, or she'll die!"

There was a brief silence on the other end before Matthew spoke with suppressed irritation. "Danielle, I authorized that blood for Taylor. He needs it now. Stop making a scene and causing trouble."

Danielle screamed at the top of her lungs, "Olivia is just a month old! She'll only need a tiny amount of blood! Taylor only has a scratch, but Olivia is fighting for her life in the emergency room!

"I'm asking you one last time. Your daughter's life is on the line. Will you give her the blood or not?"

Only static buzzed through the phone.

After a long pause, Matthew's voice finally drifted back slowly, tinged with suspicion. "How could a newborn have a coagulation disorder? Danielle, would you really curse your own daughter just to get your way?"

Tears streamed down Danielle's face. "Matthew! Your own child is dying! Do you not understand me?"

Carl suddenly leaned toward the phone, his voice dripping with flattery. "Mr. Gardner, should we remove this woman? She seems mentally unstable and keeps insisting she's your wife."

There was another pause on Matthew's end, and when he finally spoke, his voice was as cold as ice. "My wife is Meghan Landry. She is currently tending to our son, Taylor. I… don't have a daughter."

The crowd seemed relieved, their gazes turning even more contemptuous toward Danielle.

Meghan let out a cold laugh and hurled the bag of RH-negative blood onto the floor in front of Danielle. "That illegitimate child of yours isn't worthy of this blood."

She ground her heel into the red puddle, speaking with venom in every word. "I'd rather pour it out to water the flowers than give it to you."

At that moment, Danielle felt her heart shatter, and even breathing became painful. The VIP room door slammed shut with a heavy thud, sealing Meghan and Taylor away from the chaos outside.

Danielle stumbled back to Olivia's hospital room and cradled her cold body, tears falling onto her pale face. As despair slowly overwhelmed her, her phone screen lit up.

Meghan had posted on social media again. In one photo, she smiled brightly while holding Taylor. The other was a screenshot of a money transfer from Matthew with a note saying, "I love you. Take good care of Taylor."

As Danielle stared at the photos, her blood ran cold while Olivia's breathing grew shallow in her arms.

Just then, a crisp male voice came from the doorway. "Hello. I have RH-negative blood. I can provide a transfusion for your daughter."