The Man She Let Die

If Eden had known her brother had died because of her, I bet she wouldn't have said such cruel things to me.

I looked at the waiver she held out. When I spoke, my throat felt dry.

"I don't have the right to sign that. You should at least look first. See who the patient actually was."

Harvey's name was on the paper, in black and white.

However, Eden's attention was fixed entirely on Curtis. She didn't even bother to lower her gaze.

Her temper flared.

"You're just trying to threaten me into marrying you! Why should I look at it? If my signature mattered, would I be here begging you?"

"It matters," I said.

Something seemed to click for her. She stood up and gave a short, mocking laugh before taking the pen.

"You're impressive. Using Curtis's waiver to force me into marrying you. Fine. I'll sign."

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to let her. I reached out and stopped her hand.

"Eden, you'll regret this."

She stared at me with pure disgust.

"The thing I regret most is saving you eight years ago."

That look was painfully familiar.

Back then, my mother was driven to jump from a building by my father's mistress. My father later kicked me out of the house.

Fifteen-year-old Eden had lunged at him like a feral cub, scratching at his face without a second thought.

She spat blood onto the ground as she hissed at him, "You ruined your own family for your mistress! You don't deserve to be a dad. You don't even deserve to be human!"

Under the sunset, she reached out to me.

"Don't be scared. From now on, I'll be your family."

And now, the one she shielded with her body had become another man.

Her figure slowly overlapped with the image of my violent father. The last bit of warmth in my chest went out.

I knew it was over.

I slowly released the pen, my voice so calm that it was frightening.

"Before you sign, go take a look in the operating room. See if I really made a big deal out of nothing."

Eden gave me a puzzled look. She was about to step forward when Curtis let out a muffled groan behind her.

She spun around and saw how pale he was.

"Ms. May… You should go inside," he said softly. "Mr. Stone just wants to spend more time with you. I'm fine."

He forced a weak smile.

"Back when I was helping out on ranch land, I got bitten by wild dogs, too. I just rinsed it with water and kept going."

He suddenly waved his hands in a panic.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't equating Mr. Stone to a dog…"

Eden's eyes instantly filled with sympathy.

She turned on me, her voice sharp.

"So this is your plan? Stage a scene in the ER, make it look tragic, and hope I'll feel guilty? Guilt isn't love. I don't care what you went through in there. I care about the outcome. Look at you! You're standing here just fine. You're even in the mood to drag Curtis through the mud."

She pulled Curtis into her arms and signed the waiver in one clean motion.

"Don't be scared."

She shoved the document into Curtis's hands, her favoritism completely undisguised.

"Whatever you do, I'll support you."

She took Curtis by the hand. As they passed me, her gaze flicked over my phone screen, still lit.

It showed my final chat with Harvey.

She paused, then sneered, "I just agreed to marry you, and you already ran to my brother to back you up?"

Before I could answer, she spoke again, her tone almost charitable, "Fine. Since Harvey's so fond of you, I'll go through with it. I'll marry you. You've been trailing after me for years. I'll give you the title and ceremony you so desperately want."

I looked straight at her and said evenly, "No, Eden. We're done."

She raised a brow, as if she had heard a joke. "Whatever."

Then she walked away, holding Curtis's hand, without a second glance.

I was left alone in the hospital to handle Harvey's aftermath. The mortician I had scheduled still hadn't arrived.

Then, my phone rang.

It was Eden.

"Didn't you say you wanted to break up? It's barely been a minute, and you're already scheduling a makeup artist for engagement photos? A grown man getting his face done just for a wedding? You must really care about me."

I hadn't even processed her words yet when she continued to speak.

"Don't bother waiting. The makeup artist you booked? Curtis borrowed them. You were just playing the frail patient, and now you're worrying about how you look. That's pathetic! Curtis isn't like you. You destroyed the last thing he cherished in this world, and he's still worried about you."