Chapter 4

"Skylar!" Harper grabbed me as soon as she arrived at the office, her palms cold. "You're trending."

She handed me her phone.

A post. Over three thousand shares.

The title: "My sister can save me, but she refused."

The profile picture was a blurry hospital photo. The text was long.

The gist was—she had severe aplastic anemia, and her entire family was a mismatch. She finally found the only perfect donor in a vast sea of people and gathered all her courage to meet them. The other person refused.

The post didn't mention my name. But it listed the city, the industry, and the specific building and district where my company was located.

The comments section was flooded.

"It's just a bone marrow donation that can save a life, how can she refuse?"

"It might not be illegal, but what about her conscience?"

"This kind of person should be dragged through the mud online."

I handed the phone back to Harper.

"What do we do?" she whispered. "HR has already inquired. Asking if you're the person in the post."

"It's me."

"Skylar—"

"Don't panic yet. Help me find something out. This post was made yesterday at 11:47 PM. Can you trace the IP address?"

"I'll try."

At ten o'clock that morning, my supervisor called me into his office.

"Skylar, the company is facing a lot of public pressure right now. Clients have seen it too."

He pushed up his glasses. "Can you take a leave of absence for now? Come back after things have settled down."

"How long?"

"It depends."

I didn't argue. Arguing was useless.

The post was precise down to the floor number. Anyone who could do that either had been to the company or had an insider.

While packing my things, my phone rang. It was Victoria.

"Skylar, you saw the online situation, right?" There was a prickle of smugness in her voice. "I think that girl has a point—"

"Did you help her post it?"

"Not me. But running away like this isn't a solution."

"How much money did you take, exactly?"

"Skylar!"

I gripped the phone, my knuckles white.

"How much did the Victor family give you? Name your price."

She fell silent for three seconds. Then her voice dropped, as if she finally gave up pretending.

"Five hundred thousand. They gave me five hundred thousand upfront. Said they'd give another five hundred thousand once it was done."

A million.

My bone marrow was worth a million. She probably got the same price in my last life. Only, I died then without ever knowing.

"Skylar, just do me a favor—"

"You're not my mom."

I hung up.

At noon, the office door was pushed open. Two people in white coats stood at the entrance.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Skylar? We're the medical check-up agency that partners with your company, here for the annual employee check-ups today."

My supervisor stood behind them, nodding at me. "Since you haven't left yet, you might as well get your check-up done."

I looked at their faces. I'd been to the company's partnered check-up agency twice before, and I'd never seen these two.

"There's no check-up scheduled for today."

"It's a last-minute addition." The man in the white coat smiled. "Just a blood draw, it'll be quick."

Blood draw. One of the ways to confirm HLA matching is a blood test.

"I’m not doing it."

"Miss Skylar—"

"I said no."

I picked up my bag and started to walk out. The man moved half a step, blocking the doorway.

"It’ll take three minutes." He already had a blood collection tube and tourniquet in his hand.

Harper’s voice came from outside. "Which medical agency are you from? Show me your ID badge."

"This colleague—"

"Are you going to show me? If not, I'm calling 911."

A commotion erupted outside the door. I squeezed past the man, Harper grabbed my arm, and we both rushed into the elevator.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I saw Ethan’s figure in the lobby.

He leaned by the reception desk, hands in his pockets. Seeing my gaze, he subtly tilted his head.

A slight curve of his lips. Not an apology, but a silent "you can't escape."

Harper shoved me into her car. She drove for ten minutes before stopping in an underground parking garage.

"Those two people's ID numbers were fake. I already called the check-up company, and they said there were no plans scheduled for today."

She handed me a bottle of water. I twisted it open and drank half.

"Skylar, what exactly is going on? Tell me everything, from the beginning."

I looked at her.

There weren't many people left in this world I trusted. In my last life, I didn't even have a single friend.

"You'll be scared if I tell you."

"Just tell me."

I recounted everything. Except for the part about being reborn.

Harper listened, silent for a long time.

"He used your stepmother as an insider to get your genetic data. After confirming the match, he looked for you for two years. Now his sister can't wait any longer, and he's even faking medical check-ups, trying to forcibly take your blood."

"Yeah."

"That's a crime."

"I know."

"Then why aren't you calling the police right now?"

I looked out at the dark parking garage.

Call the police. I had in my last life too. The police came, he pulled out our marriage certificate and called it a domestic dispute. Victoria stood next to him, nodding along. No one spoke up for me.

"Let's wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for him to think I'm truly at my wit's end."

Harper stared at me for a long time.

"Skylar, are you playing chess?"

"Something like that."

"Then what do you need?"

"Someone to set up cameras for me."