So, Who's the Prey Now

When I woke up again, two nurses were speaking in hushed voices by the bedside.

“What do we do? She’s lost too much blood! I remember she used to donate here regularly shouldn’t she get priority access?” one nurse frantically flipped through the records. “That’s strange… the system says she donated 1200cc over the past six months, but it’s all recorded under Gina Higgins’ name…”

“Stop checking,” the older nurse quickly grabbed her hand, her voice barely above a whisper. “Mr. Olson gave direct orders that her blood donations were to be registered under Ms. Higgins.”

My fingers trembled beneath the blanket.

So that’s it. Every drop of blood I gave, every sacrifice I made, had been turned into one of Gina’s “good deeds.” Jimmy… do you really love her that much?

I suddenly remembered that rainy night half a year ago Jimmy curled up on my old couch, burning with fever, his face as pale as paper.

“I’m going to donate some blood,” I said without hesitation, rolling up my sleeve. “I heard blood donors get priority access and it can reduce the medical fees too.”

Jimmy, pale and weak, grabbed my hand, his eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn’t quite understand. “Nessie…”

Looking back now, it’s almost laughable how utterly pathetic I was.

I even sold the first and only piece of expensive jewelry I ever owned, the last gift my mother left me just to buy him nutritional supplements to help him recover. And he crushed my love beneath his feet, without a second thought.

In the end, the hospital did bring in blood for me. I stared blankly as the bright red liquid flowed into my veins. By the time I fully regained consciousness, the pillow beneath me was soaked through.

Jimmy walked in with a fruit basket in hand, his expression gentle.

“Nessie, the guy who attacked you paid compensation. You don’t have to worry about the medical bills.” He sat by my bedside, carefully tucking the blanket around me.

What a joke. They were all in it together.

I forced a smile but said nothing. During my hospital stay, he barely left my side feeding me, giving me water, even helping me clean up. But inside, I felt nothing. Not even a ripple of feelings I used to have whenever he was around.

***

On the morning of my discharge, the sunlight was unusually bright. Jimmy had even put on a white dress shirt for once, looking clean and polished. He stood by the window, speaking quietly into his phone but I still caught one word: [“video.”]

After hanging up, he gave me a complicated look but quickly slipped back into his usual gentle tone. “Nessie, I’ve got something to take care of today. See you tonight on the cruise.”

I smiled and replied to him obediently, "Okay, see you soon.”

Goodbye, Jimmy.

***

I went home, grabbed my luggage and headed straight to the airport by taxi.

While waiting to board, I scrolled through my phone aimlessly until a trending topic suddenly filled the screen: [“Luminaris University Student’s Private Video Leaked!”]

He posted it after all. Whatever shred of feeling I had left for him vanished completely.

I turned off my phone and deactivated the number.