Chapter 5

Gigi had given Catherine blood more times than she could count. But she never expected that nobody was willing to use Catherine's blood to save her when she was staring death in the face. She figured she had seen enough to stop caring. No matter how her family hurt her, it wouldn't get to her anymore. But at that moment, their cruel words still hit her like a ton of bricks. The pain was so intense that it knocked her out cold. She didn't wake up until three days later. This time, she felt more drained than ever before. The first person Gigi saw when she opened her eyes was Rylan. He looked like he had been sitting by her bed for a long time, with a hint of exhaustion on his face. When he saw she was awake, the icy expression on his face eased ever so slightly. "You're finally up, Gigi. Are you in any pain? Do you feel hungry? The doctor said you lost a lot of blood and need to rest. Just tell me whatever you feel like eating, I'll get it." Watching him fuss over her like this, she found it hard to believe he was the same cold, heartless man who stopped Catherine from giving her blood. If she hadn't heard it with her own ears, she might have been moved to tears by how gentle and caring he was. After Rylan left, Gigi asked the nurse who was administering her an IV drip, "Who gave the blood that saved me?" The nurse sighed and paused for a moment before replying, "Your family was really something. We tried everything, but they still refused to let your sister give blood. "Thankfully, we had your blood type in our records. We managed to reach a doctor who was off that day. It turns out he also has Rh-null blood. He rushed back and donated blood just in time to save you." After saying that, the nurse looked at her with a puzzled look. "Are you adopted into the family? Is the man just now your brother-in-law?" Gigi froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. She didn't stop until a single tear slipped down her cheek. She spent her days in the hospital without a single visit from Donovan and Meredith. Only Rylan stayed and looked after her. She realized this was how he ensured she would stay loyal and obedient, so she would continue to be Catherine's walking blood supply without protest. At the hospital, his mind was clearly elsewhere. He was either taking calls in the hallway or staring at his screen with a smile. Gigi knew it was Catherine on the other end of the phone. Rylan only ever smiled like that when it was her. … On the day she was discharged, he showed up as promised to take her home. But just as they stood outside the hospital, he picked up a call, and his expression changed drastically. He was usually hard to read, but right now, anger was written all over his face. He tightly gripped his phone until his fingers turned pale, like he was barely holding himself together. Rylan muttered, "Something urgent came up at work, Gigi. Can you grab a ride home on your own?" Gigi calmly nodded, thoughtfully telling him to handle the company stuff first and not to worry about her. He got in the car, looking like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She watched the car vanish from sight and smirked. She knew what had set him off, and she also knew where he was rushing off to. Just a moment ago, Catherine posted a selfie on her Instagram with a ridiculously good-looking guy. The caption read, "A cute guy asked for my number. Should I say yes?" Catherine had always known how to make men fall head over heels for her. Gigi used to get jealous over stuff like this, but she had grown past that. At this point, she had her own things to take care of. She put her phone away and headed straight to the police station.