Chapter 4

"O-negative?" Liam's voice on the phone faltered for a split second, his anger momentarily overshadowed by concern for Jessica. "That's... rare. The hospital called me, they're struggling to find enough."

Then, suspicion returned. "How do you know her blood type? Why are you so involved?"

"It doesn't matter how I know," I said, already hailing a cab outside the Walker mansion. "Just meet me at City Hospital. She needs help."

He was silent for a moment, then, "Fine. But if you had anything to do with this, Maya..."

His threat hung in the air.

I hung up, my hand shaking. His immediate assumption of my guilt, it still stung. But there was no time for that. Jessica needed blood.

At the hospital, chaos reigned. Liam was already there, pacing in the waiting room, his face pale and drawn.

He saw me and his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you. I'm O-negative," I said, walking past him towards the nurses' station.

A nurse looked up, relieved. "You're Maya Roberts? We need you urgently."

They prepped me quickly. The needle slid into my arm. I watched my blood flow into the bag, dark red, life for Jessica.

Liam stood in the doorway, watching, his expression unreadable. Suspicion, confusion, maybe a flicker of something else.

When the first bag was full, the doctor looked concerned. "She's lost a lot of blood. One unit might not be enough, and we're still searching for other donors."

"Take another," I said immediately.

"Maya, no," Liam said, stepping forward. "You can't."

The doctor hesitated. "It's against protocol to take two units so quickly. It could be dangerous for you."

"She needs it," I insisted, looking at the doctor. "Please. I'm strong."

Liam looked at me, a strange light in his eyes. He was still focused on Jessica, but he saw what I was doing. He opened his mouth to protest again, but I cut him off.

"Just do it."

The second bag filled more slowly. I felt myself growing weaker, a dizzy lightness in my head.

The room started to tilt.

Liam was saying something, his voice sounding distant.

I pushed myself to stay conscious, focusing on the bag filling with my blood. For Jessica. For Liam's peace of mind.

Finally, it was done.

As the nurse removed the needle, darkness swarmed the edges of my vision.

I heard Liam call my name, a sharp, alarmed sound, just before I collapsed.

I woke up in a hospital bed, a different room. Sunlight streamed through the window.

My arm ached where the needles had been. I felt drained, utterly empty.

I was alone.

The sacrifice was made. Jessica would live. Liam's third regret, erased.

But what about me? My own dreams, my music conservatory. In this timeline, I had announced I was leaving for it. But the physical toll of the blood donation... I wasn't sure I could even travel.

My mission was to ensure *their* happiness, not my own. That was the price.

The door opened. Liam walked in.

He looked tired, but the frantic worry was gone from his eyes.

"Jessica's stable," he said, his voice quiet. "The doctors said your blood saved her life. Thank you."

It was a simple thank you, but it felt heavy.

"I still don't understand why you did it, Maya," he continued, his brow furrowed. "After everything... after what you said to my parents. Why would you risk yourself for Jessica?"

He still thought I hated Jessica, that my actions were some elaborate, incomprehensible game.

His misunderstanding was a familiar weight.

"It doesn't matter why, Liam," I said, my voice weak. "She's alive. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. That's what I wanted."

He looked at me then, really looked at me. "The way you collapsed... it scared me."

A beat of silence.

"My parents told me about the scholarship," he said. "The music conservatory. Is that true?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Maybe... maybe we could talk about things," he offered, hesitantly. "After you're better. Maybe this whole marriage thing... maybe we rushed it."

He was trying, in his own way, to offer an olive branch, to understand. But it was too late for that. My path was set. The Chronos Device was already pulling at me, the 36 hours nearly up.

I had to cut the ties completely.

"There's nothing to talk about, Liam," I said, my voice gaining a little strength. "I did what I had to do. You have your life back. Go live it."

His face fell. He didn't understand my detachment.

"But Maya," he started, stepping closer. "I don't understand. Why are you pushing me away now? After what you just did?"

He reached for my hand.

I pulled it back.

"Don't, Liam."

"I just want to understand," he insisted, his voice pleading now. "You save Jessica, you tell my parents you're leaving me for music... none of it makes sense. What do you want?"

"I want you to be happy," I said simply. "And I want to be free."

My time was almost up. I could feel a strange lightness, a pulling sensation. The room seemed to waver.

He saw the change in me. "Maya? Are you okay? You look... pale again."

I had to make the break clean. No lingering doubts for him.