My Wife Longed for My Foster Brother Chapter 04

My Wife Longed for My Foster Brother Chapter 04 Blood and Goodbye
I spent a week in the hospital.
Cassandra never visited me once. She called twice.
The first call was to make sure I kept quiet around our parents. “Derek is young and hotheaded. He acted on impulse. Don’t go running your mouth in front of Mom and Dad.”
The second call was about my resignation. “HR told me you’re going through the resignation process. I told you before—stop using these childish tricks to get my attention.”
I said, “Mm. Won’t happen again.”
After tomorrow, I wouldn’t be appearing in front of her ever again.
There was a pause on the other end. Her voice softened, just barely. “Let’s go see a movie tonight.”
In three years of marriage, we had never once gone on a proper date. Now that I didn’t care anymore, she was finally throwing me a scrap of affection, like a reward.
I showed up at the theater entrance. She wasn’t alone.
She and Derek were holding hands—fingers intertwined—and only let go when they saw me coming.
“Derek wanted to apologize for what happened the other day, so I brought him along,” she said.
Derek looked at me and smirked. There wasn’t a trace of apology in his eyes.
Expressionless, I nodded and turned to walk inside.
The lights dimmed. Cassandra leaned over in her seat and whispered, “Do your injuries still hurt?”
I tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Nothing that’ll kill me.”
She bit her lip, like she wanted to say something else. She didn’t.
A few minutes into the movie, a blinding flash tore through the dark, followed by a deafening roar.
“Explosion!”
People around us jumped to their feet in panic and stampeded toward the exits.
Cassandra grabbed my hand and Derek’s and pulled us both out of our seats. Another explosion shook the building. Half a pillar came crashing down from above—straight at Derek.
In that split second, I was shoved forward. I took the impact meant for him.
The pillar crushed my entire body.
Derek’s foot was the only thing that got hit. I was completely pinned beneath the weight of the concrete.
I forced my head up through the pain and saw Cassandra standing over me, tears on her face.
“I’m sorry—I—”
Another explosion from a nearby screening room drowned out her words. The crowd screamed again.
“August, wait for me! I’ll get Derek somewhere safe—and then I’ll come back for you, I promise!”
She gritted her teeth and, without looking back, followed the fleeing crowd out with Derek in tow. His foot was injured, but he was walking.
My hand stayed suspended in the air, reaching for her—and then the shattered ceiling came crashing down on top of me.
The rescue team found me and carried me out on a stretcher.
Half-conscious, I heard Cassandra crying nearby.
A bitter smile crept across my face. So I was dying, and only now was she finally willing to shed a single tear for me.
Then I heard her voice, frantic through the tears: “Use my husband’s blood. He has the same blood type as Derek!”
“Miss Vance, your husband is in worse condition than Mr. Sterling. We only just stabilized him after massive blood loss. Drawing more now could kill him.”
“He’s not going to die, is he? So what’s a little blood?”
“But—”
“Enough. Just do what I said. He owes Derek this—this is his chance to make up for it.”
“Take extra, in case Derek needs more. When it’s done, I’ll make it up to August properly.”
The needle slid into my vein. I kept my eyes closed, and tears slipped silently down my face.
I passed out before they even finished drawing the blood.
When I opened my eyes again, Cassandra wasn’t there.
Her assistant brought me a bowl of cold red bean porridge. “Mrs. Sterling made it herself,” she said.
Three years of marriage. She had never once cooked for me. Now, after draining my blood for Derek—this was my reward.
I waited until the assistant left the room. Then I picked up the bowl and dumped the entire thing into the trash.
I pulled the IV out of my hand and called the people the Sterling family had sent to pick me up.
“Ten minutes. Downstairs at the hospital entrance.”
Then I opened my chat with Summer Blake. Her most recent message was a confession she’d sent me on my birthday this year. I had never replied.
I broke my silence for the first time. I’m coming back to Kingsport. Let’s get married.
On my way downstairs, I passed a VIP room. Through the glass door, I saw Cassandra sitting at Derek’s bedside. She was spooning porridge into his mouth—feeding him, gently, carefully.
She must have sensed someone watching. She turned toward the door—but I had already walked away.
At the airport, I blocked her number on every platform. I pulled out my SIM card and dropped it in the trash. I walked straight to the gate and never looked back.
At the exact same moment, Cassandra pushed open the door to my hospital room.
“August, I came to thank you—”
But all she saw was an empty bed.
And on the nightstand, a single piece of paper.
The divorce agreement.
Already signed. Already dated. Already done.