A Debt of Blood

Eulalia was dead on her feet as she trudged up the stairs. Fumbling for her keys, she turned the lock and as the door creaked open, her foggy brain suddenly snapped to attention. Something was off.

She could hear someone on the phone through the door.

Percival Dunraven was back.

Should she tell she's been diagnosed with stomach cancer? Would he give a damn?

As Eulalia was wrestling with these thoughts, she found herself already inside the apartment. And there he was, Percival, looking like thunder, glaring at her.

"Where the hell have you been? Look at how many times I called you!" he barked.

Out gallivanting? Well, if getting blood tests and a stomach exam at the hospital counts as gallivanting, then sure. After all, she was practically knocking on death's door.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Percival didn't even notice, too busy giving her the stink eye for not picking up his calls.

Eulalia pulled out her dead phone from her bag and waved it. "Battery's dead," she said.

She had two phones - one for work, and the other just in case Percival called. But her stomach had been giving her hell, and she'd forgotten to charge it.

"What's the emergency?" she asked, already knowing who had him so wound up.

Before she could finish her thought, Percival grabbed her hand and started dragging her out. "Evadne's hurt. She's lost a lot of blood. You're coming with me to the hospital."

Just as she thought. His panic was all for Evadne Wilder.

Her heart ached.

Evadne had a severe blood clotting disorder and a rare blood type. And guess who was a match? Eulalia Clearwater.

She was soaked to the bone from the rain, her hair clinging to her back like seaweed. Her lips were blue, her hands icy cold. Percival didn't notice any of it. He was in such a rush that he practically threw her into the backseat of his car.

As he drove, his gaze flicked to the rearview mirror and he caught sight of Eulalia's pale face.

"Why the hell do you look like a ghost?" he grumbled.

...So he finally noticed.

Eulalia gave a bitter smile. Her throat felt like it was clogged with bile. She rolled down the window, watching the rain pour outside. She was freezing, her breath misting in the cold air, her eyelashes quivering.

Percival shot her a cold glance. Seeing her silent, he grew restless.

Something was off about Eulalia today.

But then he thought, why should he care? Evadne was his priority. He floored the gas pedal.

At the hospital, Percival dragged Eulalia out of the car. She could barely keep her footing as he yanked her along.

He pulled her into the blood draw room and coldly ordered a nurse, "Take her blood. No need to check, just hurry."

Eulalia's lips curled in bitterness. He trusted her blood more than he trusted her. Wasn't he worried her cancer cells might get into Evadne?

She hesitated, then spoke up, "Percival, I'm not feeling well. Can we not do this today?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously. He grabbed her chin and hissed, "What right do you have to refuse? We signed a contract four years ago. It's all there in black and white. Do your damn job, Eulalia."

Yeah, that contract. Four years ago, she agreed to donate blood to Evadne in case of an emergency. It was all spelled out.

This was the deal she signed up for. Even if she was knocking on death's door, she had to give blood for Evadne.

It was her debt to Percival.

That year, Evadne was in a car accident. She was losing blood fast and needed a rare blood type - RH negative.

When Percival begged her for help, Eulalia, in a moment of madness, made a deal: "Marry me, and I'll save Evadne."

She could still remember the shock in his eyes, followed by disgust.

That was the moment everything changed. She had kicked him when he was down, forced his hand.

Percival was born into the prestigious Dunraven family, used to being treated like royalty. He had never been forced into anything. But he signed the contract without hesitation, and Eulalia knew she had lost.

Seeing him go to such lengths for Evadne tore her apart. But she consoled herself, thinking maybe over time, he'd grow to care for her too.

But karma's a bitch. Eulalia never thought it would bite her this hard, this fast.

Now she had a terminal illness. Served her right!

As the needle pierced her skin and her blood was drawn, the pain was unbearable, even worse than the stomach exam. She turned even paler.

The nurse, who had never seen such a frail woman, looked at her pale wrist and whispered, "Can you handle this?"

Dizzy, Eulalia shook her head and croaked, "Just do it. I'll be fine."

After drawing 600cc of blood, the nurse didn't dare to take more. Eulalia's hand was ice cold, not the temperature of a living person.

As she slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing she heard was Percival asking the nurse, "Is that enough? If not, keep drawing."

How had he become so heartless over the years?