A Father's Betrayal: The Marrow

The car wound its way along the mountain road, surrounded by lush greenery, and I couldn't help but relax.

In front of the luxurious mansion, staff were already waiting at the entrance.

"Long time no see, Julian."

Not long after getting out of the car, Adrian called out to the man approaching from a distance.

I followed his gaze.

The man had a sharp, composed face, his dark eyes deep and unreadable. Even in casual sportswear, he carried an unmistakable air of quiet luxury.

Julian Lane was Adrian's childhood friend—and the owner of this hot spring resort. He had gone abroad for further studies in his youth and had only recently returned.

So this was, in fact, my first time meeting him.

"Must've been ten years. Adrian, you finally brought your family here. Make yourselves at home."

Julian stepped forward. After a brief exchange with Adrian, he gave me a polite nod.

As he lifted his gaze, he gave me a brief once-over, a trace of amusement flickering in his eyes.

Even though he had been abroad all these years, there was little about home that he didn't know.

Julian had often heard that his best friend's wife was nothing remarkable. Seeing me now, he seemed to think I was, at best, an "eye candy."

I led Nina into the mansion, and she was instantly captivated by the room filled with plush toys.

"Nina, do you like it? I had people set this up just for you. That giant one over there? It's a limited edition."

Adrian was good at this—at coaxing children. Nina spent the entire day happily playing under his attention.

When I grew tired from working on design drafts, I glanced out the window and saw Nina smiling—and I couldn't help but waver.

If he could always treat her like this… maybe continuing like this wouldn't be impossible.

That night, after putting Nina to sleep, Adrian ran into me as I stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe.

The moment our eyes met, desire darkened his gaze.

I tried to pull away, but Adrian had already pinned me against the dining table, his kiss coming down hard and urgent.

"Nora." His voice was low and rough. "It's your ovulation period today, isn't it? Let's not waste the chance."

Ever since I saw his feelings for what they truly were, I no longer wanted anything intimate with him.

As for a second child, I wanted to tell him we could consider IVF instead—but I couldn't break free.

Sophia's ringtone rang out. On the third time, Adrian finally answered.

"Adrian, Mia is having a severe rejection reaction after the surgery. They're trying to save her now… I'm so scared." Her voice trembled with sobs as she continued, "Do you think Mia just isn't meant to survive? You went through so much to arrange that bone marrow, and now she still might…"

Adrian hung up and turned to leave immediately.

As he passed Nina's room, he paused for a moment and glanced at me.

After a brief hesitation, he left anyway.

I stood frozen in place, suddenly realizing just how utterly foolish I had been.

So the so-called "priority" of bone marrow allocation had all along been based on how much Adrian cared.

Outside, the rain began to fall harder—just like the collapse inside my chest.

"Mom, my nose is bleeding… it won't stop."

Nina ran over, clutching her nose, her cool little hand wrapping tightly around my fingers.

My heart lurched. I scooped her up at once, trying every way I knew to stop the bleeding—but nothing worked.

Bright red blood kept dripping down from beneath her nose onto the floor, her little face turning ashen.

"Mom… am I going to die?"

"No, you won't. You're going to stay with me, always." I wiped the blood from her cheeks while frantically calling the doctor.

The heavy rain had disrupted the network. The signal was terrible.

After several attempts, I finally got through to Adrian.

But the call lasted only a second before it was coldly cut off.

"Where did Dad go? Why is he gone again? Did I do something wrong today… something he didn't like?"

Her voice trembled with tears. I pulled her close. "Be good, Nina. Go wait in Mommy's room. I'm going to find a car—I'll be right back. We're going to the hospital!"

I didn't care about anything else. After settling her down, I grabbed an umbrella and ran out.

The wind flipped my umbrella inside out, drenching me in seconds.

There were barely any cars on the road, and not a single one stopped for me. I couldn't even tell anymore whether the wetness on my face was rain or tears.

At last, an SUV burst through the storm and came to a stop in front of me.

The window rolled down—it was Julian.

I rushed forward, gripping the window, forcing my trembling voice steady despite the cold.

"Julian, my daughter's leukemia has flared up—she won't stop bleeding. Can you take her to the hospital? I'm begging you."

Julian immediately understood—Adrian had abandoned them again.

Even he found his friend's behavior irresponsible. How had this woman endured a marriage like that?

Julian glanced at me, said nothing, and got out of the car, heading straight toward the mansion.

Gratitude filled me, my attention fixed entirely on Nina. I didn't notice that when Julian picked her up, his eyes briefly fell on the design drafts on the table—surprise and admiration flashing through his gaze.

Only after watching my daughter being rushed into the emergency room did the tight knot in my chest loosen, just a little.

A figure approached from beside me, and a coat was draped over my shoulders.

I looked up in surprise at Julian. He averted his gaze and said quietly, "Don't catch a cold."

Only then did I realize how my soaked clothes clung tightly to my body, outlining every curve. My face flushed as I quickly pulled the coat closer and murmured my thanks.

"What are you doing?"

A low voice sounded from behind us.

Julian and I turned at the same time, only to meet the eyes of Sophia and Adrian standing not far away.