Far Apart, Safe at Last

During a snow-mountain expedition, an avalanche buried me alive. By the time they dug me out, the cold had already drained every last trace of warmth and life from my body.

Julian Crowe dug through the snow with his bare hands for ten straight hours. His fingers were torn and bleeding by the time he finally pulled me out. Then he chartered a private jet and rushed me to the most elite private hospital for emergency treatment.

Inside the thermal recovery chamber, a faint thread of consciousness returned to me. Through the haze, I heard Julian arguing with the doctor.

"Weren't we supposed to amputate just to save her life? Why are you draining all of her hematopoietic stem cells too?"

"Mr. Crowe, you're personally destroying her last chance of survival!"

Julian's voice, usually so controlled, carried a chilling cruelty.

"Letting her live safely and comfortably until today is already the greatest mercy I've ever shown her. The only woman who will grow old with me is Serena Vale. And the only thing that can save Serena is her life. She owes Serena that much, and now it's time to repay it."

So the promise to live and die together had only been my own foolish fantasy.

Julian had married me, Stella Hart, for one reason only. To turn me into a walking blood bank for his precious mistress.

If that was the truth, then I would give them exactly what they wanted.

......

"You're awake? Then hurry up and sign this agreement."

Julian tossed a stack of documents straight onto my face.

With great effort, my eyes slowly shifted toward the papers.

The document was titled "Voluntary Lifetime Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Organ Donation Agreement."

Under the recipient section, two clear words were written—Serena Vale.

My lips trembled as I tried to speak.

"Why..."

A flash of disgust crossed Julian's eyes as he cut me off without mercy.

"There is no why. Serena's leukemia has gotten worse. In the entire donor registry, only your stem cells match hers. I dug your life out of that avalanche. Using it now to save Serena is only fair."

I stared at him, my heart suddenly clenching so hard it became difficult to breathe.

"But I'm your wife! We swore on that mountain peak that we would stay together through life and death!"

Julian let out a cold laugh, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

"Wife? Stella, are you taking this fantasy a little too seriously? If your blood type hadn't been a perfect match for Serena's, do you really think I would have married someone as ordinary as you? Every bit of kindness I've shown you these past three years was just to maintain the stem cells in your body. And now it's time for you to repay the favor."

Every word sliced into my heart like a slow execution.

So the expensive tonics he forced me to drink every day were meant to enrich