He Let Our Daughter Die, I Became A Tycoon's Bride

"Contact the blood bank! Tell them we need every unit of AB-negative blood they have, right now!" Emergency room doors flew open as a pale, shaken doctor rushed into the corridor. "The patient is bleeding out. We have to start the transfusion immediately!"

Nurses hurried in different directions the moment they heard him.

"Doctor!" Bethany Palmer dragged herself toward him, barely able to move her injured legs through the pain. "My daughter is in there. Is she going to survive?"

"Your daughter has lost a dangerous amount of blood, and we could lose her at any moment." Then he noticed the terrible gash in Bethany's leg and saw that it went all the way to the bone. "You need treatment too. Where's your husband?"

Bethany's phone had grown warm in her tight grip after dozens of calls that had gone unanswered. Despair settled over her again as she replied, "He won't pick up."

The terrible accident had happened only an hour ago while Bethany and her daughter, Charlotte Stewart, were heading home from kindergarten.

Their driver had died instantly in the front seat, while Bethany and her daughter suffered severe injuries in the back.

Her husband, Brian Stewart, was the one person she desperately needed, yet he could not be reached during the worst crisis of their lives.

"Take a breath. We still have a good chance of saving her." The doctor spoke more gently after seeing how frightened she was. "AB-negative blood is rare, but the blood bank received a large shipment a few days ago, so we have more than enough. We've also called several of the best medical specialists in Slenale to help with the operation. Once your daughter receives the blood and those doctors get here, she should pull through."

Bethany finally managed to breathe a little easier.

She caught hold of the doctor's hand, and her voice shook as she pleaded, "Thank you. Please do whatever it takes to save her. My husband will make sure everyone who helps her is generously rewarded. He is Stewart Group's..."

"We've got a serious problem!" A nurse came hurrying back, struggling to catch her breath. "The blood bank says Brian Stewart took their entire supply of AB-negative blood. His secretary has anemia and started feeling dizzy, so he ordered them to send all of it to her."

The news struck Bethany so hard that she could barely think.

She had called Brian more than thirty times since the accident, and he had ignored every single call.

Somehow, he had still found the time to take all the blood that could save their daughter and give it to a secretary who was merely dizzy from anemia.

"Call Mr. Stewart again," the doctor ordered. "Tell him a child's life is at risk and we need that blood returned immediately."

The nurse shook her head and replied, "I already spoke to him. He said his secretary's life mattered just as much."

"Keep calling until he listens." Under his breath, the doctor muttered a curse before asking, "What about the specialists? How soon can they get here?"

The nurse went quiet before admitting, "They aren't coming. Mr. Stewart's people stopped them and redirected them to his secretary."

The hallway blurred around Bethany as darkness crept into the edges of her vision.

She braced herself against the wall and fought to remain standing. Her hands trembled while she found the number for Brian's secretary, Lexie White, and called her.

Lexie answered in her usual gentle voice. "Bethany? What's the matter?"

Brian's voice carried clearly through the phone from somewhere near her. "Lexie is still feeling faint. If we give the blood back now and her condition gets worse, what are we supposed to do?"

Bethany's grip tightened around the phone as she fought to control her anger. "Let me speak to Brian. Right now."

Lexie's voice took on a wounded edge as if she was startled. "Brian, I kept telling you to answer Bethany's calls, but you refused. Now she's taking her anger out on me."

Brian came on the line a moment later, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "What the hell is wrong with you, Bethany? Lexie isn't well, and I'm responsible for her as her boss. Are you really so jealous that I can't even take care of her for a few hours?"

Bethany bit her lip so hard that it hurt, and her voice broke as she answered, "Charlotte and I were in a car accident. She's bleeding badly, and we're at the hospital right now. She needs AB-negative blood and a team of critical care specialists immediately. Send back the blood and the doctors. If she doesn't receive that transfusion soon, she will die!"

The line went silent for several seconds. When Brian finally responded, every word carried disbelief and disgust. "You've gone too far this time, Bethany. You're actually lying about Charlotte being close to death because you want me to leave Lexie? What kind of mother uses her own daughter that way just because she's jealous?"

He ended the call before she could say another word.

Her next call would not go through at all.

Bethany could feel herself running out of hope, but she refused to give up. She searched for the numbers of Brian's assistants and closest friends, then called each of them and begged them to make him listen.

Instead of helping her, they answered with nothing but scorn.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stewart, but Mr. Stewart specifically told us not to pass along any of your messages."

"Mr. Stewart said you need to stop using your daughter to feed your jealousy. He wants you to calm down and think about what you've done."

"Bethany, Lexie isn't trying to take your place. Why would you drag your child into this just to pressure Brian?"

Each passing minute made the situation feel even more hopeless.

Bethany kept her eyes fixed on the emergency room doors as she sat there with no tears left. Her daughter was only six years old. The little girl had barely begun to live, yet a delay in treatment after the accident might now take her life.

"Every specialist in Slenale answers to Mr. Stewart, and he controls the blood supply as well." The doctor looked down at Bethany after she sank to the floor, and sympathy showed in his face. "Your only chance now is to ask Leacrest for help. It's the nearest city, but regular transport would take five hours to bring the blood here. Your daughter doesn't have that much time."

Leacrest?

Bethany stood up as soon as she heard the city's name. "Wait. There may still be someone who can help us."

Her hands shook as she opened her blocked contacts, found the number she needed, and pressed the call button. "You told me once that you would give me anything I asked for if I agreed to marry you. Is that promise still good?"

"It is," the man answered in a calm, deep voice.

Bethany shut her eyes and forced herself to speak. "My daughter was badly hurt in a car accident, and she might not survive. The hospital needs AB-negative blood and several critical care specialists..."

"Does the hospital have a helipad on the roof?" the man interrupted before she could finish, his voice firm and certain. "I'll have the blood and the medical team there within an hour."

As soon as the call ended, Bethany's knees buckled. She collapsed onto the floor again and stared blankly at the closed emergency room doors.

The person she'd called was Trevor Harding. He'd once been one of her father's closest friends, even though he was only a few years older than her.

Memories of her father's final moments returned. He had held her hand tightly and warned her that Brian could never be trusted. The only way he could die without worrying about her was if she married Trevor.

Bethany had been too consumed by love to listen. She rejected her father's arrangement and even called Trevor herself to make her feelings clear.

"Get that idea out of your head, Trevor. I'm already with the man I love, and I'll never marry you. Not now or ever!"

Her words hadn't angered Trevor. He had only laughed and told her that she could turn to him if she ever needed help. His assistance came with one condition. She had to marry him, and he wouldn't care if she'd been married once.

Bethany had thought he'd lost his mind. After responding angrily, she had ended the call.

At the time, she had believed Brian would always be beside her and she'd never need Trevor's help.

But now, the man she'd rejected so harshly was Charlotte's only chance.

Forty minutes later, a helicopter bearing the Harding family insignia touched down on the hospital's rooftop helipad.

Neal Sterling, Trevor's personal butler, rushed from the aircraft with the blood cooler in his hands. Five medical staff followed him straight into the emergency room.

The rescue continued as each minute dragged painfully by. Every second left Bethany's heart twisting with fear.

An hour passed before the emergency room doors finally opened.

Bethany rushed toward the doctor and grabbed his arm. "Is my daughter saved?"

"I'm sorry." The doctor shook his head with a remorseful expression. "Getting the blood and medical specialists here from Leacrest in such a short time was already a miracle. But... they arrived too late."

Bethany stumbled backward as a loud ringing drowned out everything around her.

"If someone hadn't forcibly redirected the blood and specialists from Slenale, her condition wouldn't have become this critical..." The doctor sighed helplessly and held Bethany's gaze. "Ma'am, you should say goodbye while you still can."

Bethany passed through the emergency room doors without fully understanding how she'd moved.

Charlotte's small body rested on the bed. Even with the ventilator, her stomach strained with every weak breath.

All color had disappeared from her face, and unshed tears glistened in her eyes as she looked at Bethany.

"Mommy..." Charlotte glanced past her toward the empty doorway. Her voice was barely loud enough to hear. "Didn't Daddy come?"

Bethany's nose stung, and tears burned behind her eyes.

She held Charlotte's tiny hand tighter and struggled to keep her voice steady. "He has a lot of work..."

"He's with Lexie again, isn't he?" Charlotte looked up at Bethany with a seriousness no six-year-old should have carried. Her voice faded to a whisper. "Mommy, I know I'm going to die. Daddy doesn't love either of us. I don't want him to be my daddy anymore. Will you promise me something?"

Sobs kept Bethany from answering. Tears ran freely down her face as she nodded again and again.

"Divorce Daddy." Charlotte's clear eyes remained fixed on her. "I hate that he buys Lexie all those bags. I hate that he never picks me up from school. And I hate that he slapped me... Mommy, please find someone who brings you flowers, waits for you after work, and never hurts you."

Bethany went still as more tears spilled from her eyes. "I will," she answered. "I promise."

"Great..." A weak smile appeared on Charlotte's face as she gave Bethany's hand one final squeeze. "Mommy... all I want is for you to be happy..."

Her fingers loosened. Her hand slipped from Bethany's grasp and dropped onto the sheet.

"Charlotte!"

Bethany's broken cries filled the emergency room and continued long after her daughter was gone.

Three hours later, a crematorium employee placed a small urn in Bethany's hands.

A trace of warmth still clung to it.

She pressed the urn against her chest, but no tears came. She had none left.

When Bethany walked out of the crematorium, Neal came toward her. He placed a small wreath on the urn before offering her a phone with an active call. "Mr. Harding wants to speak with you."

Bethany accepted it and spoke through her raw throat. "Hello?"

Trevor kept his voice gentle, almost as though speaking louder might break her. "I'm sorry. In the end, I couldn't save her."

A bitter smile pulled at Bethany's mouth. "You don't need to apologize. Your people came as fast as they could."

The fault belonged to her own foolishness. If she'd recognized Brian's true nature sooner and stopped believing he would help them, perhaps Charlotte could've been saved.

A broken sound caught in her throat. "Thank you. Charlotte didn't make it, but... I'll still honor my promise. I'll marry you. I only need a little time..."

Trevor remained silent for a moment before replying quietly, "I helped because a six-year-old girl needed saving. Your promise had nothing to do with it. If marrying me isn't what you want, don't force yourself."

"No one is forcing me." Bethany closed her eyes. "You remembered what you promised years ago and gave me everything you could when I needed help. I won't go back on my word."

Another pause followed. When Trevor spoke again, his voice sounded rougher. "I'm in Preumia to inspect a diamond mine, and I won't return for two weeks. Use that time to handle your daughter's funeral and end your current marriage. If you still feel the same when I come back, I'll give you the grand wedding you deserve."

Once Bethany ended the call, Neal approached with a deferential bow. "I have carried out Mr. Harding's orders and secured a burial site for your daughter at Slenale's finest cemetery."

Bethany pulled the little urn closer to her chest. Her throat felt raw as she murmured, "I want her laid to rest in Leacrest."

Since she had already made up her mind to become Trevor's wife, she expected Leacrest to be her home eventually. She could not bear the thought of leaving Charlotte buried somewhere so distant.

Neal gave a small nod. "Understood. I'll arrange everything."

His gaze settled on her again before he asked, "Before we leave for Leacrest, would you like to go and collect some of your daughter's belongings?"

Bethany pressed the urn against herself and gave a quiet nod.

Not long afterward, Bethany emerged from the house she had once shared with Brian. A suitcase rolled behind her while she still held Charlotte's ashes. At that exact moment, Brian's car came to a stop outside the house.

Brian climbed out, rounded the vehicle, and opened the passenger door. He carefully helped Lexie onto her feet. "Slowly."

"Bethany?" Lexie had barely stepped onto the driveway when she noticed the suitcase beside Bethany. "Are you leaving?"

Her eyes widened in apparent disbelief. The surprise on her face soon crumbled into unmistakable distress.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth before turning toward Brian, tears gathering in her eyes. "Brian, I told you... You really don't need to worry about me this much. This is all my fault..."

She lowered her gaze and wiped the corners of her eyes. "I never should have come to you just because I was feeling awful during my period. Because of me, Bethany lied about Charlotte dying. And now she's leaving right when you're bringing me home."

For a fleeting moment, Brian felt a pang of remorse when he saw Bethany standing there with her luggage. He wondered if he had been too harsh.

Then Lexie's words wiped that feeling away. Bethany had to be putting on an act. Charlotte had always been the center of her life. If anything had truly happened to the girl, how could Bethany return to pack a suitcase? And how convenient that she had chosen to make her dramatic exit precisely when he was arriving with Lexie.

A vicious smile slowly curled across Brian's mouth. "Bethany."

His gaze hardened with disdain. "You refused to give up acting back then, remember? You were determined to pursue that career until Charlotte came along and made you settle down. What happened now? Did you suddenly get the itch to perform again? You're even putting on a show right in front of me this time. Have you become addicted to playing these little roles?"

The mockery on his face struck Bethany harder than any insult could have.

This was the man she had once been willing to sacrifice everything for. She had fought tooth and nail to marry him, even going against her father's final request.

Lexie had been part of his life for only two years, yet he spoiled her without hesitation and accepted every story she told him as truth.

Meanwhile, she had spent so many years standing beside him. She had cared for him day after day, given birth to his daughter, and surrendered all the money his father had left her so he could expand his company. In return, this was what remained of everything she had sacrificed.

"Brian." Bethany slowly raised her eyes. Her lips were parched, and her voice came out rough and broken. "I never lied to you. Charlotte is really dead."

She had already forced herself to accept the unbearable truth, but speaking it aloud reopened the wound. Her voice shook beneath the weight of her grief.

However, Brian saw none of it. To him, every tremor in her voice was simply another carefully rehearsed part of her act.

His brow furrowed, fury burning through his stare. "That's enough, Bethany! How many times are you going to do this? Charlotte is a human being, not some weapon you can use whenever you're jealous."

"Bethany..." Lexie quickly inserted herself into the conversation, her lips trembling as her eyes filled with tears. "If you don't like Brian taking care of me, you can just tell me. Why do you have to keep saying Charlotte is dead? You can't use something so cruel to control him simply because he cares about his family and loves Charlotte. He's already exhausted from working himself to the bone for you..."

A trace of tenderness appeared in Brian's expression. Lexie was always considerate of him. She worried about his exhaustion and understood how hard he worked. Bethany had never been like that. All she seemed capable of was jealousy and resentment, never once stopping to think about how drained he was.

"Forget it. Maybe I should go," Lexie sobbed. "Bethany, please stop saying such awful things about Charlotte because of me. I'm only anemic. It'll only make me feel terrible."

"This has nothing to do with you!" Brian took Lexie's hand, his expression turning cold as he stared at Bethany. "She's the one who can't control her jealousy."

Bethany's gaze dropped to their intertwined fingers. She shut her eyes. There was nothing left to explain. No matter what she said, neither of them would believe her.

Without another word, she turned around and headed toward the road, pulling her suitcase along behind her.

"Bethany!" Lexie hurried after her and seized the suitcase handle from behind.

"Let go." Bethany's voice was frigid as she turned a warning stare on her.

"No!" Lexie stepped into her way, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Please don't leave. And don't argue with Brian anymore, alright? Can't you understand him a little? He works so hard every day."

Then her attention fell upon the pink jar Bethany had been guarding against her chest.

Something calculating flashed through her eyes. Before Bethany could react, she suddenly reached out and tried to seize it.

Bethany recoiled instantly, anger flashing across her face. "Don't touch that!"

Lexie turned toward Brian and cried, "Brian, look at the jar she's protecting. It must mean so much to her. Help me take it from her! If we use it to calm her down, maybe she'll finally stop threatening to leave."

Brian had already lost whatever patience he had left for Bethany. Yet watching Lexie desperately try to repair their relationship stirred something inside him.

He stepped forward and said coldly, "Give it to Lexie."

He seized one side of the jar and forcefully pulled against Bethany's grip.

"Don't touch me!" Bethany screamed.

Her resistance meant little against his superior strength. Her legs were still recovering from the injuries she had suffered in the accident, leaving her unable to fight him properly.

With one hard tug, Brian ripped the jar from her arms and handed it to Lexie. "Here."

Lexie accepted it, unable to conceal the smug satisfaction spreading across her face. She glanced at Bethany. "What exactly is inside this jar that you're so desperate to protect?"

She lifted the lid. The instant she saw what was inside, her expression contorted. "Ugh! That's disgusting!"

"No!" Bethany's cry erupted from deep within her chest. But there was nothing she could do.

The jar slipped from Lexie's grasp and slammed onto the pavement.

A cloud of pale gray dust burst from inside, then scattered across the ground as the evening breeze swept through it.

Bethany's strength deserted her. She dropped heavily onto her knees, staring at the remains scattered across the pavement.

"Charlotte... Charlotte..."

Her hands shook violently as she bent down and desperately gathered at the ashes, now mingled with dirt and tiny pieces of gravel. She scooped up what she could, but the fragile powder still sifted between her trembling fingers.

Her face crumpled as she raised her tear-filled eyes toward Brian. The words came out strangled, almost impossible to hear. "Brian, those are your daughter's ashes."