Chapter 162:

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Kelly’s POV

Pierce was holding my hand as we waited outside the operating room. His parents were with us. Phoebe was crying uncontrollably in her father’s arms, while Emily was trying her best to comfort Mrs. Anderson.

I couldn’t move. At first, I thought Snow was fine, but when the medic told us it was serious, my heart almost stopped beating. We had just arrived at the hospital, and she was immediately rushed into surgery. The cut on her head was deep and long. Ana said she had hit the corner of the pool.

I wanted to scream, to cry, to blame someone, but I couldn’t. I knew I was partly at fault. I should have woken up earlier, should have checked on her sooner.

The door to the operating room suddenly swung open, and the doctor emerged. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him, unable to speak. It was Pierce who asked the question I couldn’t form.

“Doctor, how’s our daughter?”

The doctor pulled down his surgical mask and faced us. “She lost too much blood, Mr. Anderson. She needs a blood transfusion. The issue is we’re out of stock of her blood type. It’s rare.”

My lips trembled. Rare. My blood type isn’t rare, but that meant Pierce would need to donate. He would learn the truth now, but at that moment, his anger didn’t matter to me. All I cared about was my daughter surviving this.

Ł@ŧëşŧ ÇĦ@þŦèŕş íń 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑠.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“W-What’s her blood type, doctor?” Pierce asked, his voice shaky. “I’m AB negative.”

“Then you match your daughter’s blood type, Mr. Anderson. I’ll inform the nurse to prepare for the transfusion. Excuse me.”

Silence fell over us after the doctor left. Pierce’s eyes locked onto mine, filled with shock, confusion, pain, and disappointment. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. I was scared.

“K-Kelly…” His voice broke. “Say something.”

I looked down, swallowing hard. I didn’t know what to say.

The nurse came in shortly after and asked Pierce to come with her. He left without saying another word, his fists clenched in anger. I knew it was my fault. I had kept my heart guarded for too long, hiding the truth from him. I should have told him myself, not let the circumstances force the truth out.

I felt weak, my knees threatening to give way. If it hadn’t been for Emily, walking over to me and wrapping her arms around me, I would have collapsed onto the floor.

“Kelly…”

I wiped away the single tear that escaped and stood up straighter. I sniffed and swallowed again.

Just then, my phone beeped. I glanced down at the message from an unknown but familiar number. How is she?

My forehead creased. He knows? Is he still watching us?

I gritted my teeth and quickly shoved my phone back into my bag.

“She’ll be okay,” Emily whispered. “Don’t think about anything else. Focus on your daughter. She needs you.”

I didn’t care about anything else. My daughter was the most important person in my life right now, but I couldn’t help but feel the pain of slowly losing Pierce again—this time, it was my fault.

The blood transfusion went well. The doctor transferred Snow to the Intensive Care Unit and she would be moved to a private room once she regained consciousness.

I still hadn’t spoken to Pierce. He wasn’t speaking to me either. He wouldn’t even look in my direction. I could tell it hurt him so much that he couldn’t even bring himself to face me.

“Kelly, you should eat more,” Mrs. Anderson said gently, sitting beside me, watching me pick at my food. But when I stopped, she spoke again, her voice tinged with concern.

I smiled bitterly. “I’m full, Mrs. Anderson.”

Her soft eyes stared at me as she shook her head. “Don’t punish yourself, please. We understand why you hid it. We hurt you. It was just a way to protect yourself.”

I looked away, my eyes landing on Pierce. He was inside the ICU, staring at our daughter. Tears pooled in the corner of my eyes. I understood his anger, just as he had once understood mine.

Mrs. Anderson rested her head on my shoulder, comforting me. “Time will heal wounds. Let him think for a while. He loves you, Kelly. He’ll eventually understand your reasons.”

I didn’t know. Kind people are terrifying when they’re angry. You wouldn’t realize they were drifting away until it was too late, and that’s what I feared most.

The loud ringing of my phone broke the moment. I had fallen asleep on the bench outside the ICU.

Rubbing my eyes, I answered the phone without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

[“Where the hell are you, Kelly? You’re the leader of a company! How could you neglect your job?”]

I gritted my teeth. “My daughter is in the ICU, and you want me to attend a damn meeting?”

[“Well, that’s your job, Kelly! Can’t you leave someone to look after your daughter? Why are you compromising your position for—”]

“For what?” I interrupted. “Don’t you talk about my daughter like that! Just to remind you, Uncle Connor, you no longer have the power to order anyone around—especially me. I am the CEO of that company, and I will do whatever I want. If I have to neglect the business for my daughter, I will. I can sacrifice anything and everything for her.”

[“So, you’re just going to let the company fall, huh? You stole it from me to ruin it?”]

I laughed bitterly. “Worry about yourself, not the position I’m neglecting. Maybe you should worry about the skeletons in your closet because it’s not safe there anymore. It’s all been exposed, and I will chase it down until the day I die.”

“You’re a b*tch, Kelly! I knew you only wanted to destroy our family. I should’ve buried you alive when I had the chance!”

Here’s the revised version of your sentence:

“I’ll bring you down with me, Connor. But before that, I will make you kneel in front of my mother’s grave and beg for forgiveness. You and your wife won’t escape the consequences of your sins.”

This version maintains the original meaning while improving clarity and flow. Let me know if you’d like any further adjustments!

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