Longing Beneath the Ashes

Laura walked out of the hospital and immediately began handling the necessary arrangements.

She hired a lawyer and started gathering evidence of Benjamin’s affair with his sister-in-law.

If she couldn’t have his love, she’d damn well take his money.

Love—what a hollow word. Over the past ten years, Laura had lost everything.

Once, she had been the vibrant, dazzling Laura. From a prominent family, with striking looks, she’d been pursued by nearly every eligible young man in their circle.

But after marrying Benjamin, she’d dimmed her own light, discarding her very self.

Benjamin preferred a vegetarian diet and avoided alcohol.

So Laura honed her cooking skills, preparing every dish for him by hand, and never touched a drop of liquor herself.

Benjamin favored quiet intimacy and detested noise.

So Laura cut ties with her friends, packed away her red dresses, and wore only muted colors, season after season.

The irony was almost laughable now. All his talk of shunning worldly drama had just been a cover for the scandal he was already wrapped up in.

“Laura,” she whispered to herself, “you were such a fool.”

After completing the initial paperwork, Laura returned to the hospital. As she approached Benjamin’s room, voices drifted into the hallway.

“Benjamin,” a woman’s voice murmured, “do you think your wife will be angry if she finds out the blood she donated was for me? She looked so pale afterwards.”

“You’re frail, and your blood types matched. It made sense. Besides, I only had the doctor mention it to you to help replenish your own blood.”

Hearing the conversation from outside the door, Laura felt a wave of dizziness. Peering through the window, she saw them kissing—and quickly pulled out her phone to record it.

“Benjamin,” she thought, her stomach twisting, “I truly underestimated you.”

So she was just a mobile blood bank to them?

Laura opened the door and stood quietly, watching.

Seeing her calm expression, Benjamin spoke with a hint of panic. “Ms. Laura… Laura. There was some blood left in the bag. Jessica stayed up all night taking care of me and wasn’t feeling well, so I had the doctor give her a transfusion.”

Laura couldn’t hold back a soft, derisive snort.

The excuses Benjamin had made for Jessica over the past two days outnumbered all the words he’d spoken to her in a week.

Tears welling in her eyes, Jessica suddenly yanked hard on her IV line, causing her own blood to flow back into the tube. “If your wife isn’t willing, I won’t take it. Benjamin’s just recovered from a major illness. Please don’t fight over me.”

A storm cloud passed over Benjamin’s features. He called for the doctor, the air around him crackling with menace.

The doctor came and swiftly tended to Jessica’s hand. As he turned to leave, Benjamin stopped him.

“Jessica has lost more blood. Please take Ms. Laura to donate another 800cc.”

Hearing this, the doctor paused, replying hesitantly, “Ms. Laura is already somewhat anemic. She donated 1000cc after Mr. Benjamin’s… accident. Donating more could be very hard on her system.”

Benjamin hesitated, about to speak, when Jessica suddenly let out a pained moan from the bed.

“Benjamin, my head is spinning. You know what your brother put me through when he was alive. You looked the other way then, but now I’ve lost so much blood… I feel like I’m going to faint.”

Filled with pity, Benjamin drew Jessica into his arms and gently stroked her hair. “Jessica needs blood now. Ms. Laura, you should take responsibility for this.”

Jessica’s rosy complexion and terrible acting were so absurd Laura nearly laughed out loud. Faced with Benjamin’s accusation, she found it utterly ridiculous—yet an involuntary pang shot through her heart.

“Blood donation requires my consent, doesn’t it? Or does Mr. Benjamin intend to force me?”

Benjamin’s expression turned cold. He hated defiance. In his memory, Laura had always been docile and obedient.

Even though he’d only wanted a wife to conceal the secret in his heart, his standards for that wife had been exacting.

He liked women who adored him, so he’d chosen Laura, whose family background and looks were a perfect match.

He hated the appreciative glances other men gave Laura, so he told her he disliked red dresses. From then on, she wore only plain colors.

He hated Laura interacting with others, so he told her he disliked outsiders disturbing them. From then on, she spent most of her time at home, washing his clothes and cooking his meals.

Now, hearing her defiance, his anger flared.

“In my family’s hospital, I do as I please. You are both my… responsibility.” He almost said ‘my women.’ “I have to be fair. Jessica suffered because of you. You will make it right.”

Benjamin’s words chilled Laura’s heart to ice. She tried to run, but the arriving doctor and nurses held her down.

The needle plunged mercilessly into her vein, and her lifeblood flowed out.

When it was removed, Laura’s face and lips were devoid of all color. She lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.

The last shred of feeling she held for Benjamin drained away with that bag of blood.

Laura woke in a hospital bed, opening her eyes to Benjamin’s cold, stern face.

“You’re awake? You and Jessica were both at fault here. A minor domestic dispute. I’ve mostly recovered. I’ll take you to the auction, get you a gift.”