Married My Soul Mate

Before I could react, Bailey yanked my arm so hard that it felt like it might pop out of the socket.

He said, "Since you have the same blood type as Lucy, you should donate your blood to help with her anemia. Saves me the trouble of ordering blood. You had a part in her losing the baby the last time, so you have to donate."

I had a part? He had ordered Lucy to be beaten half to death to please me. Somehow, that was my fault, too?

While he was pulling me, my already weak body lost balance. I hit the cold, hard tile floor with a loud thud, my casted arm slamming right into it.

"Ah!"

The pain was so sharp it ripped the breath right out of me, and my tears spilled before I could stop them. I curled up on the floor, unable to move for what felt like forever.

"What game are you playing now?"

Bailey's eyes flickered when he saw me crying—half-worried, half-annoyed.

He gave a cold laugh. "Faking it to get my attention, huh? You think I'd fall for that again?"

His assistant finally spoke up, voice low. "Mr. Knight, I think Ms. Palmer's injury is real. Before you left, you accidentally pushed her down the stairs."

Bailey froze, something like guilt flashing across his face. But just as quickly, his tone shifted back to blame.

"I admit I was wrong to cheat. But Lucy has been through a lot, and she's pregnant. If you hadn't kept going after her, would this have happened?"

"Bailey," I said, forcing myself to meet his eyes through the pain. I gave him a bitter smile. "The wedding's off."

The air went dead still as Bailey's face twisted in disbelief.

That was when a soft voice floated from the doorway.

Lucy stepped out slowly, one hand on her stomach. She looked at me on the floor and gasped with a hand over her mouth, as if she'd just walked in on some terrible scene.

"Cynthia, what…"

She glanced at Bailey, then at me, before lowering her head and speaking in a small, trembling voice, "Are you two fighting because of me? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… I just… I lost my baby back then, and I was so heartbroken that I didn't want to live anymore, so Bailey…"

Her performance was Oscar-worthy, and my stomach churned just watching it.

The second she mentioned the baby, Bailey's expression softened. He stepped forward, shielding her protectively with one arm, patting her back.

Then he turned to me, his voice rising in anger. "Why are you so stubborn? If it weren't for trying to calm you down, I wouldn't have hurt her!

"Lucy lost her baby once, and she lost her will to live. I fought so hard to pull her back from that edge, and now you've pushed her there again. If she died right now, it would be on you. You'd be a murderer!

"This is life and death. Your blood type matches hers. This is our chance to make things right. Once she's stable, I'll marry you."

Before I could respond, he hauled me off the floor and shoved me toward the doctor to draw blood.

The cold needle pierced my skin. Even that tiny movement hurt so much that I couldn't even flinch. I just sat there, numb, watching my blood slide through the tube into the bag.

Lucy rested her hand on her slightly rounded belly, eyes glittering with the pride of someone who'd just won.

When it was over, I was so weak that I couldn't even stand.

Lucy came over holding a cup of steaming water, all smiles as she helped steady me. "Thank you for saving my baby. Here, drink something warm."

She tilted the cup toward me. Then, with a bend of her wrist, the boiling water poured straight onto my chest.