Traces in Snow When Strangers Meet Again

"A last-minute order just came in, Ivy. I'll be right back," Julian said as he hurriedly got up. He could barely hide the panic in his voice.

Seeing through his poorly made up lies, Ivy calmly nodded. "Okay."

Later that night, just as she had fallen asleep, the door to the ward was suddenly thrown open. Sophia stormed in with several bodyguards and yanked off Ivy's blanket. "Get up! Something has happened to Julian!"

Still weak and injured, Ivy could barely react before she was violently dragged out of bed. She stumbled all the way to the emergency room and saw Julian lying on the operating table with a pale, lifeless face.

"He took a stab for me and now needs blood. Only yours is a match," Sophia said. Her eyes were red, but her voice was tinged with triumph.

Before Ivy could respond, a bodyguard had pinned down her arm and plunged a needle into her vein.

One pint… Two pints… Three pints…

The more her face paled, the more her vision started to blur.

"You can't draw anymore! She'll go into shock!" a nurse anxiously cried out as she tried to stop them.

Sophia sneered, "Keep going. Her life is cheap anyway, and her blood's the only thing that's valuable. Give her some money, and she'll get over it." She gave Ivy's ghostly face a look of utter disdain.

Ivy tried to resist, but she didn't even have the strength to speak. By the fifth pint, her world turned black, and she passed out.

By the time she woke up, she found herself lying outside the emergency room. The chill from the cold floor seeped through her skin as her body ached and throbbed terribly.

Sophia stood over her, holding a stack of cash. "There's a few hundred thousand dollars here. Consider it payment for your blood. Take it and get lost."

With a flick of her wrist, the bodyguards tossed the cash onto Ivy. Banknotes fluttered down like snow, covering her pale face.

"I don't need money, and I don't want your filthy cash either," Ivy said, using the last of her strength to shove Sophia away. Then, she dragged herself up and staggered back to the ward.

Behind her came Sophia's cold sneer. "Let's see if you can still act this tough when Julian dumps you."

Ivy didn't look back. Julian would never dump her because this time, she would be the one to leave him.

…

On the day she was discharged, Ivy wheeled her suitcase past Julian's ward. She paused as she overheard a conversation from behind the half-closed door.

"Why would you give me blood? You're terrified of needles." Julian's voice was hoarse.

"Julian, I just wanted to make up for the mistakes I made back then…"

Ivy froze. That was her blood, and she was nearly drained dry after donating it, and now, Sophia was taking the credit for it.

In the ward, Sophia's voice trembled with emotion as she continued, "I was young and wilful when I ran off with that poor painter. I just wanted something new and exciting… But after all these years of suffering, I've finally realized who truly cares for me and who I should've loved all along…"

She reached for Julian's hand, but he subtly pulled away.

Her expression faltered, and tears began to stream down her face as she said, "Do you remember? When I scraped myself as a kid, you carried me past three blocks to the hospital. When I had a fever, you stayed up all night changing my towels. When I wanted that limited edition necklace, you flew to Florraine just to get it…"

Julian clenched his jaw tight and said nothing.

"I know you're dating that poor bumpkin just to piss me off and punish me for choosing a worthless man over you. But I know I've made a mistake, and everyone makes mistakes, don't they? Haven't I tried hard enough to make things right?" She sobbed, sitting by the bed.

Ivy noticed Julian's fingers were trembling.

"Julian, just forgive me one last time… Give me another chance, and let's date again…"

Silence spread through the ward. After a long moment, Julian pulled his hand away and replied in a cold voice, "No."

He paused and added, "I'm joining the Bennett's family suitor gala in a few days."

Sophia paled. "No! You can't! If you go, you'll definitely be chosen!"

"That's none of your business."

She stiffened before bursting into laughter through the tears. "You're right. It has nothing to do with me, and I can't stop you. But if you leave me, what's the point of continuing to live? I might as well die now!"

With that, she flung herself toward the window with half her body hanging outside.

"Sophia! Are you insane!" Julian flew out of bed and scrambled forward to grab her.

"Then answer me! Do you want to date me or not!" she screamed hysterically, her body teetering over the edge.