Chapter 7
“That’s enough!” Vanessa cried, pulling at Maxwell’s arm. “Max, let’s go!”
Only then did Maxwell finally stopped, roughly grabbing Vanessa’s hand and heading for the exit. Jordan silently followed, her heart frozen solid.
In the car, Maxwell’s rage still hadn’t subsided. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, the speedometer climbing steadily. “Max… slow down…” Vanessa’s face paled as she clutched her seatbelt tightly.
Maxwell snapped back to reality and immediately hit the brake-
SCREECH!
2
The brakes suddenly failed. The car skidded violently and crashed into a roadside barrier.
BANG!
The impact knocked Jordan momentarily unconscious.
Amid the piercing wail of ambulance sirens, all three were rushed to the hospital.
ordan’s injuries were minor, so after being bandaged, she sat on a bench in the hallway. Her forehead wound was still bleeding, but she couldn’t feel the pain.
SLAP!
A vicious blow landed on her face. Her mother grabbed her collar, face contorted with rage. “How could you let this happen to Vanessa?! If anything happens to her, I’ll never let you live it down!”
ordan numbly endured her mother’s abuse, not even bothering to defend herself.
Suddenly, the emergency room doors burst open, and a doctor rushed out. “The patient’s kidney is ruptured. We need an mmediate transplant!”
‘Use hers!” Her father yanked Jordan forward. “She’s her sister-it’s her duty!”
The bitese quickly checked and shook her head. “Blood type incompatible. She can’t donate.”
do it.”
The deep voice came from behind. Maxwell, face deathly pale, emerged from another room, the bandage on his forehead already soaked with blood.
“Colonel Stone! Your current condition makes donation impossible!” the nurse exclaimed.
Maxwell’s gaze was unwavering. “Don’t worry about me. Just make sure she lives.”
Jordan watched as he was wheeled into the operating room and found herself smiling bitterly.
He truly loved her, didn’t he?
Loved her enough to give his own life.
She rose unsteadily and walked away.
In the following days, while everyone was preoccupied at the hospital, Jordan washed dishes at a local restaurant during the day and worked night shifts at a textile factory.
The harsh detergent left her hands raw and blistered, but she didn’t care.
People in the housing complex gossiped about Vanessa’s successful surgery and Maxwell’s heroic sacrifice.
Jordan ignored it all, silently counting her earnings.
Finally, she had enough for tuition and living expenses.
The day Vanessa was discharged, the house was decorated as if welcoming royalty.
“Max, why don’t you stay with us?” Vanessa affectionately looped her arm through his, eyes sparkling. “You saved my life, so I should take care of you now.”
She looked up with a sweet smile. “Besides, we’ll be family soon enough. No one will gossip if we live together.”
Maxwell’s gaze lingered on Vanessa’s face for a few seconds, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Alright.”
Jordan stood in the kitchen doorway watching this exchange, but her heart no longer felt the sting of pain.
After lunch, Vanessa announced she would change Maxwell’s bandages. “I’ll just go buy some gauze. I’ll be right back.”
Half an hour later, the front door burst open.
‘Help… somebody help me!”
Vanessa stumbled in, her hair disheveled, collar torn open, and angry red marks on her fair face.
‘Vanessa!” Maxwell leapt to his feet, rushing over to pull her into his arms. “What happened?”
Vanessa broke into loud sobs, her trembling finger pointing at Jordan. “Jordan hired men to assault me… They said they would ruin me… If I hadn’t run fast enough, I wouldn’t have made it back…”
