Brief Was the Love

Lilian didn't know how long she had been unconscious for. By the time she woke up, it was already dark outside.

Eugene's irritated voice carried through the door. "Your condition is stable now, Aurelie. You don't require immediate surgery. Besides, Lilian's in no condition to donate blood to you, and the hospital blood bank doesn't have enough…"

Aurelie looked aggrievedly at Eugene and said in a choked voice, "I'm about to go to college. Who's going to take care of me once I leave your side? If I don't go through with the surgery as soon as possible, what happens if I faint from anemia again?"

She carefully held Eugene's hand and continued, "You're a doctor, aren't you? Even if something happens to Lilian, she'll definitely be fine with you by her side, unlike me…"

Eugene pursed his lips and stared hesitantly at Aurelie. Finally, he nodded. "Alright."

Lilian sobbed in grief at his answer. Eugene had chosen Aurelie yet again.

Although she already knew things would end up like this, it still hurt terribly to hear it with her own ears.

Eugene had never once chosen her throughout both lifetimes.

Lilian slept very uneasily that night. She happened to wake up just as Eugene came in, but she didn't open her eyes.

He stood beside her bed and reached out to tug the blankets over her.

"We've found the cause of Aurelie's anemia," he said, voice tight with tension. "I'll be performing the surgery the day after tomorrow, so you have to get better as soon as possible.

"Aurelie's going to need a lot of blood the day after tomorrow, but I've heard from the staff at the blood bank that they don't have enough. I'll ask Mom to make you some iron-rich foods tomorrow. They're good for replenishing blood.

"Help me repay Aurelie by saving her life just this once, and I'll definitely take good care of you in the future."

Lilian clenched her fists in scorn.

Take good care of her? When had he ever done that?

Eugene had already been treating her as a cursed maid before Aurelie came into the picture. And after Aurelie arrived, he begged Lilian to save her and give her regular blood donations.

Over the course of three years, Lilian had suffered several miscarriages due to blood deficiency from donating blood to Aurelie.

Her mother-in-law, Olivia Ellsworth, ridiculed her for being unable to successfully carry a child to term. She had even forced her to do household chores before she could even recover from her miscarriages.

Around that same period, Eugene was by Aurelie's side, personally cooking meals for her.

…

Early the next morning, Eugene walked into the hospital room with a lunchbox. "I asked Mom to make you some beef stew. She just delivered it this morning, so eat it while it's still hot."

As Lilian gazed at the lunchbox in Eugene's hands, she recalled his words from last night and suddenly felt her stomach heave. Without warning, she vomited bile all over him.

He frowned and stared at her, then put a hand to her forehead in concern. He sighed in relief when he realized she didn't have a fever.

"Is your stomach feeling unwell?" he asked.

Lilian shook her head and lay back on the hospital bed, refusing to respond.

Seeing this, Eugene sighed. "Get up earlier tomorrow morning. I'll help you perform a comprehensive checkup."

The corners of Lilian's mouth twitched up in a faint, mocking smile. He was lying.

He didn't even dare tell her the truth, afraid she would secretly run away. He was scared that Aurelie would die on the operating table without her "blood bag" around.

She lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with worry. She didn't know if Linus still remembered their agreement from years back.

That afternoon, Lilian suddenly heard a knock on the door.

When she looked up and saw a man in a military uniform standing there, all the tension finally left her body.

"General Gurwick instructed me to come, Ms. Sherwood. He told me to support you unconditionally, no matter what you want to do."