Chapter 4

At the hospital, the atmosphere was frantic.

Izzy had been rushed into emergency surgery.

Ethan, Liam, and Noah paced the waiting room like caged animals.

The doctor emerged, his face grim.

"The tracheotomy stabilized her breathing, but the allergic reaction caused severe organ distress. Her kidneys are failing. She needs an immediate transplant."

A collective gasp from the trio.

"Test us," Ethan said instantly, his voice raw. "All of us. One of us has to be a match."

Liam and Noah nodded in fierce agreement. "Now."

They were tested.

Ethan was a match.

Without a moment's hesitation, he signed the consent forms.

"Do it," he told the surgeons. "Take whatever you need."

He was prepped for surgery. No fear, only grim determination.

As they wheeled Ethan into the operating room, another crisis erupted.

"We need blood!" a nurse shouted from the OR. "Type O negative, massive transfusion protocol!"

Izzy was bleeding out on the table.

"I'm O negative," Liam said, stepping forward.

"Me too," Noah added, right beside him.

"We can only take one unit from each of you safely," the nurse warned.

"Take it all," Liam said, his voice hard. "As much as she needs. We'll sign whatever waivers."

"Just save her," Noah echoed, his eyes blazing.

They were hooked up, their blood flowing into the lines that would sustain Izzy.

They didn't flinch, didn't hesitate, even as the nurses cautioned them about the risks of donating so much.

I watched this entire, unbelievable drama unfold from a shadowed corner of the waiting room.

I had followed them, drawn by a morbid curiosity, a need to see how far their devotion would truly go.

The flashing lights of medical equipment, the urgent calls of doctors and nurses, the smell of antiseptic.

It was a scene of desperate, life-altering decisions.

And at the center of it all, Isabella Rossi.

A profound understanding settled over me, cold and clear.

I could never compete with this.

No sane person could.

Their love for her, if it could be called love, was a consuming fire, an obsession that demanded ultimate sacrifice.

And they gave it willingly.

My past lives, my pain, my unfulfilled desires – they all seemed distant, almost insignificant in the face of this raw, terrifying display.

I was truly, irrevocably, an outsider.

And for the first time, I felt a sense of relief.

I didn't want to be part of this madness.

I reaffirmed my decision. I would withdraw. I would choose Julian.

The surgery was long.

Finally, the lead surgeon emerged, looking exhausted but relieved.

"The transplant was successful. Miss Rossi is stable for now. But Mr. Astor... and Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Sterling... they're all in serious condition. Mr. Astor from the nephrectomy, the other two from excessive blood loss. They pushed themselves to the limit."

He looked directly at me, mistaking me for a concerned family member. "Are you Miss Rossi's sister?"

"No," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "I have no relationship with any of them."

I paused. "I will inform their families of their condition. That is all the practical assistance I can offer."

I made the calls. The Astor, Caldwell, and Sterling matriarchs and patriarchs descended upon the hospital, a storm of wealth and fury and dawning horror.

I slipped away before they arrived, overhearing snippets of nurses' gossip.

"Can you believe it? All three of them, practically giving their lives for that girl."

"She must be someone incredibly special."

"And that other young woman, the Vanderbilt heiress? She just stood there, cold as ice. Didn't even go in to see them."

Their words followed me out.

I found myself agreeing with their assessment of me. Cold as ice.

Good.

Ice didn't break as easily as a heart.

I would not marry any of them. Not now, not ever.

I returned home. My parents were waiting, their faces etched with concern.

"Ava, what happened? We heard there was an incident..."

I downplayed my own minor injury, the twisted ankle now a dull ache.

"Izzy Rossi had a medical emergency. Ethan, Liam, and Noah were... involved in helping her. They are all currently hospitalized but stable."

I offered no further details.

My mother sighed. "That girl is a magnet for trouble."

My father nodded grimly. "And those boys are fools for her."

Then, my mother' s expression softened. She held out a velvet box.

"The Mercers responded. Julian is... agreeable. Eager, even. They sent this."

Inside was a stunning diamond necklace, modern and elegant. Not an old-world heirloom, but something new, brilliant.

A symbol of my new path.

"The engagement is set," Father confirmed. "The announcement will be made next week. The wedding, shortly after."

"The Astor, Caldwell, and Sterling families have been calling," Mother added, a hint of disapproval in her voice. "Trying to understand your... sudden decision to look outside their circle. We told them it was your choice to make, and that you would speak to the boys when they recovered."

I nodded. Let them wonder. Let them recover.

I had my own preparations to make.

I spent the next few days researching Julian Mercer in earnest. His business dealings, his few public appearances, his philanthropic efforts.

He was an enigma, intensely private, fiercely intelligent.

I also prepared gifts for his family, a gesture of goodwill.

A few days later, I returned home from a fitting for my engagement announcement dress to find them waiting in the main drawing-room.

Ethan, Liam, and Noah.

Paler, thinner, but undeniably present.

They had brought gifts. Mountains of them, piled on the tables.

"Ava," Ethan began, his voice still weak but firm. He looked directly at me, his eyes holding a new, unsettling intensity. "We need to talk."

Liam and Noah flanked him, their expressions equally serious.

"Our families insisted we apologize for... the public nature of our... concern for Izzy," Ethan continued, the words sounding rehearsed. "And for any distress it caused you."

It wasn't a real apology. It was a family-mandated statement.

And even then, they subtly blamed me for Izzy' s latest "condition" by implying my actions had stressed her.

"We understand you might be angry," Liam chimed in, his usual recklessness tempered by a strange solemnity. "Direct your anger at us, Ava. Not at Izzy. She' s been through enough."

Protecting Izzy. Still. Always.

"She' s innocent in all of this," Noah added, his voice soft but insistent.

I realized their true motivation for this visit. It wasn't about apologizing to me. It was about managing me, ensuring I didn't cause trouble for Izzy or their families.

I felt a profound weariness.

"There's nothing to discuss," I said, my voice flat. "I'm tired. Please leave."

I turned to go.

As I moved, the new diamond necklace Julian had sent, which I had decided to wear, slipped from the V of my dress, catching the light.

Ethan' s eyes, sharp despite his recent ordeal, fixed on it.

"What is that?" he asked, his voice suddenly tight.

Liam and Noah leaned forward, their gazes zeroing in on the unfamiliar diamonds.

Their shock was palpable.

"Ava," Liam breathed, "whose is that?"