Masuk~ Ivy ~The guest house was quiet. A small clock on the mantelpiece made a steady ticking sound that filled the living room. I sat on the soft cream-colored sofa, wrapping a thick green blanket tightly around my shoulders. The air smelled of clean linen and fresh wood, completely different from the cold, heavy scent of Vance Manor. My body still ached when I moved too fast, but the doctors had stopped the bleeding. I was alive.A gentle knock rattled the front door."Ivy? It is Ethan. May I come in?""Yes," I called out, pulling the blanket up to my chin.The door opened, and Ethan stepped into the room. He was wearing his gray medical scrubs, and his dark hair was slightly messy, as if he had been running his fingers through it. In his right hand, he carried a slim silver tablet. His sharp jawline was tight, and his blue-gray eyes looked heavy with a serious expression.He walked over to the sofa but did not sit right next to me. He kept a respectful distance, sitting on the wooden c
~ Ivy ~The white hospital room was too quiet. For five days, the machines had beeped and the plastic tubes had dripped clear liquids into my arms. My body did not hurt as much anymore. The doctors said my blood pressure was normal and the bleeding had stopped. But inside my chest, everything still felt completely empty, like a house after all the furniture is taken away.I sat on the edge of the mattress, my legs hanging down. I wore a pair of gray sweatpants and a wide white t-shirt that Nurse Clara had found for me. My sneakers were tied tight. I was ready to leave, but my hands were freezing.The door opened with a soft click. Dr. Ethan Knight walked into the room. He was not wearing his green medical scrubs today. He wore a simple dark blue sweater and dark trousers, making him look less like a doctor and more like a regular person. His blue-gray eyes looked straight at me, calm and steady."The discharge papers are all signed, Ivy," Ethan said, his voice low and gentle. "You are
~ Ivy ~The first thing I felt was a slow, heavy throb behind my eyes. It felt like a dull metal hammer hitting the inside of my skull over and over. Then came the smell. It was sharp and clean, like bleach and cold plastic.I blinked. The light above me was too bright, making my eyes water. I tried to lift my right arm to block the glare, but something pulled tight against the back of my hand. A small plastic tube was taped to my skin, and a clear liquid was dripping down from a tall metal pole.Beep. Beep. Beep.A machine next to the bed made a steady, mechanical sound. My heart gave a sudden, violent jump.Ashbourne General.The memory hit me like a splash of freezing water. The cold marble floor of the gala. The dark red blood staining my navy dress. The doctor telling me my baby was gone. Then Julian. His heavy hand squeezing my throat, his breath smelling of wine, his voice telling me I was a fat fool."No," I whispered. My throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper.Panic clu
~ Ethan ~"Get another bag of O-negative blood hooked up to her line right now!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the loud, frantic beeps of the heart monitor.The emergency room was a blur of blue scrubs and silver metal trays. Two nurses rushed around the metal bed, their sneakers squeaking against the clean white floor. One of them squeezed a plastic bag of blood, forcing the dark red liquid down the clear tube and into Ivy’s arm."Her body temperature is still way too low, Dr. Knight," Nurse Clara said. She quickly pulled two more heavy electric warming blankets over Ivy’s shivering frame. "She is shaking so hard the chest stickers keep falling off.""Keep the blankets on high," I said. I grabbed a small flashlight and shined the bright beam into Ivy’s eyes. Her pupils were slow to move. She looked completely hollow, like an empty house with the lights turned off. "We need to get her warm from the inside out. Hang another bag of heated saline fluids.""Right away, Doctor," Clar
~ Ethan Knight ~My hands gripped the steering wheel of my SUV. The clock on the dashboard read 12:14 a.m. My eyes felt heavy and dry after spending fourteen hours straight inside the operating room at Knight Medical. I had just fixed a bad blood leak inside a young mother's brain. It was hard work, but she was going to live.The road leading through Blackstone Heights was completely dark and empty. The tall trees on both sides looked like giant black shadows under the night sky. I liked the quiet of the night. It gave me time to think about my patients and the heavy responsibility of taking over my father’s medical company.Suddenly, my high beams caught a flash of bright white on the asphalt up ahead. It looked like paper scattering in the wind.Then, I saw the shape.A body was lying flat on the freezing road."Stop the car!" I shouted to my driver, Marcus.The tires let out a loud screech as Marcus slammed on the brakes. The SUV jerked to a hard stop just a few feet away from the
~ Ivy ~The asphalt was freezing against my cheek. I could feel the sharp little rocks of the road digging into my skin, but I could not move my head to pull away. My body felt like a bag of heavy stones. Every breath I took felt small and shallow, barely reaching my chest.A few feet away, the white sheets of my divorce papers made a soft, scratching sound as the wind dragged them across the dirt. You came with nothing, so you leave with nothing, the guard had said. Julian’s final words through the intercom still buzzed inside my ears, louder than the wind. I do not care if you have to sleep on the street. I closed my eyes. The cold road seemed to fade away, and my mind drifted backward, slipping into old memories that felt just as dark and cold as the night. I was eight years old, standing in the bright hallway of my childhood home. The floor was covered in a thick, soft rug that never hurt my feet. Through the open door of the master bedroom, I watched my mother, Victoria, zip up







