When My Daughter Bled Out

My daughter was dying. Kneeling on the floor, I grabbed the hem of my husband Brandon’s pants. He looked down at me with cold detachment, his arms wrapped protectively around his first love. "She's just bleeding a little. Vanessa has a heart condition, and Bella is terrified. Their situation is far more urgent." Later, he blocked every single chance my baby had to survive, letting her slip away into cold stillness. I signed the divorce papers with a smile and vanished. Three years later, he tore the entire city apart looking for me, finally cornering me outside my newly opened art gallery with bloodshot eyes. "Vivi, I was wrong... Our daughter..." I rested my hand casually on my new boyfriend's arm and cut him off. "Mr. Hayes." "That child died the very second you chose to save someone else." It happened on the day of the dance competition Brandon’s company was hosting. The stage collapsed. Holding my blood-soaked daughter in my arms, I begged Brandon to take us to the hospital. Instead, he walked right past me. He leaned down to help Vanessa, who only had a minor scratch, and scooped up her crying daughter. "Vivi, you know Vanessa has a heart condition. Bella is terrified, too. If she has an episode before we get to the ER, it could be fatal." I felt the warm blood pooling from my daughter. Terrified, my voice trembled violently. "Nina is bleeding so much! Look at her, please! Your own daughter is badly hurt!" Brandon cast a brief glance toward her. He hesitated for a second before frowning. "The company’s medical response team is on their way. Nina’s injuries are probably superficial. Stay with her. I'm taking Vanessa to the hospital." He wrapped his arm around Vanessa and her daughter and walked away. The strength instantly drained from my body. Nina was deathly pale. Holding her tightly, I was terrified to make a wrong move. "Please, Jason, help me get Nina to the hospital!" Jason, Brandon's chief assistant, stared down at me blankly. "Ma'am, Mr. Hayes gave strict orders. We have to handle this quietly to avoid any negative press. The others aren't hurt badly, and Miss Nina just has a little blood. There's no need to cause a scene at the hospital." "No need to cause a scene?" My hands shook uncontrollably. "Can't you see she's covered in blood? She's unconscious! She is Brandon's child! If anything happens to her, can any of you take the blame?" Jason glanced down at Nina, then turned away to calmly instruct the staff to evacuate and reassure the other contestants. I forced myself to pull it together. Gently laying Nina down, I scrambled on all fours to find my phone. The second I dialed 911, Jason snatched the phone right out of my hand. "Ma'am, Mr. Hayes said no ambulances." Tears streamed down my face. With blood-covered hands, I grabbed his pants. "Give it back! Nina is completely unresponsive! I'm begging you, just look at her! Brandon won't fire you—she's his daughter!" Jason hesitated for a split second, but his refusal remained cold. "I apologize, ma'am. I'll tell the medical team to hurry." I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I don't want a medical team! I want my daughter in an emergency room! Please, someone call an ambulance!" A few staff members heard my screams and rushed over. Seeing Nina's condition, some instinctively stepped forward to help, but a sharp glare from Jason stopped them in their tracks. I fell to my knees beside my daughter. "Someone please dial 911! She's slipping away!" Parents and children walking past turned to look. Some wanted to step in, but the corporate security team quickly ushered them out. Within minutes. The entire venue was cleared of outsiders. There were only staff members left—and me, clinging to my bleeding child. No one was going to help me. I had to do it myself. I picked Nina up, letting her blood drip onto the floor, and tried to bolt for the exit. But the security guards formed a wall in front of me. "Mr. Vance, she's trying to take the girl to the hospital." Jason stepped forward and forcibly pried Nina from my arms. I let out an agonizing shriek. "Don't touch my baby!" Nobody cared. Two guards grabbed my arms, dragging me backward. Jason’s voice was devoid of emotion. "Take Mrs. Hayes and the young lady to the private lounge."They dragged me down the hallway. A trail of my daughter's blood marked the floor. I cried, pleaded, and begged. "I'm begging you! She needs an emergency room! Call an ambulance!" The staff members exchanged uneasy glances. A young woman spoke up, trying to comfort me softly. "Ma'am, we've already paged the private medical team. They'll be here any minute." "It'll be too late!" I broke down completely. "She's lost too much blood! Just look at her!" The next second, the lounge door slammed shut. "Guard the door. Nobody leaves until Mr. Hayes returns." Seconds dragged into minutes, each tick of the clock tearing my heart to shreds. Nina’s body was getting colder. Her tiny hands were icy. I pounded on the door, my voice hoarse from screaming. "Call 911! If anything happens to her, you're all accomplices! Brandon won't let you get away with this!" Finally, the door opened. The company's private medical team rushed in. "She's lost so much blood! She needs surgery! Please help her!" The lead doctor examined Nina's injuries, his brow furrowing deeply. "Her condition is critical. She needs immediate surgery. We don't have the equipment here. We must transport her to—" "Call from Mr. Hayes," Jason interrupted, thrusting a phone toward the doctor. I couldn't hear what was being said on the other end. I only watched the doctor's expression shift from grave concern to hesitation, and finally to resigned compliance as he hung up. "Mr. Hayes instructed us to stabilize her with medication first. We wait for his return before making any further moves." A chilling dread washed over me. Staring at the white pills in the doctor's hand, I shook my head violently. "No! What is that? She can't take that! She needs a hospital! She needs surgery!" Expressionless, the doctor stepped closer with the pills. I couldn't tell if the wetness on my face was my daughter's blood or my own tears. I lunged toward Jason. "Jason, look at Nina! She's just a little girl! She's bleeding out! Without a hospital, she's going to die! If she dies, Brandon will destroy you, and so will I!" A flicker of guilt crossed Jason's face. Then, his phone buzzed again. He listened for just a second, and all hesitation vanished. "Understood, Mr. Hayes." He lowered the phone, his voice flat. "Mr. Hayes wants conservative treatment only." Immediately, two guards pinned me back down. I thrashed against them with everything I had, but they held me fast. I was forced to watch as they shoved the pills down my daughter's throat. "Nina! My baby! You're killing her! You're murdering her! I'll kill you all! I swear I'll kill you!" Jason frowned and turned to the nurse. "She's hysterical. Give her a sedative so she doesn't hurt herself or the child." A cold needle pierced my skin. My limbs went limp, and I sank to the floor, forced into an unnatural stillness. Tears spilled uncontrollably down my cheeks. I had been foolish enough to believe that in our arranged marriage, as long as I tried hard enough, I could thaw the ice around Brandon’s heart. I had respected him, loved him, and harbored a fragile hope that giving him a child would build a real bond between us. Yet the moment his first love reappeared... I, his lawful wife, and the daughter I almost died giving birth to were nothing more than disposable pawns, tossed aside to preserve his and Vanessa’s reputation. Staring at the tiny, blood-soaked figure lying on the couch, my heart shattered into dust. "Brandon... if anything happens to Nina... I will never forgive you."The sedative slowly clouded my mind. Slumped on the couch, I stared at my daughter across the room, swallowed by despair. Through the haze, I heard the doctor answer a call, addressing the caller with deference. A spark of hope flared in my chest. Had Brandon finally remembered us? Was he coming to take Nina to the hospital? I fought through the heavy fog to force out a sound. "Brandon... is that you? Take Nina to the hospital... She needs surgery right now..." The doctor glanced at me with a conflicted look, then put the call on speaker. Instead of Brandon, Vanessa’s sickeningly sweet voice purred through the line. "Vivi? Are you and Nina doing okay? Brandon is right by Bella's side while she gets a full checkup. He couldn't step away, so he asked me to check in on you." Hearing her voice made me go completely numb. Vanessa let out a soft, smug chuckle. "Brandon said that whatever happened at the venue today must not leak to the press. The company has a top-tier medical team, so there's no need to make a scene at a public hospital and drag the Hayes family name through the mud. You all know what to do, right?" "Vanessa..." My voice shook with pure fury. "Put Brandon on the phone. I want to hear him say it." A mocking scoff came through the speaker. "Vivi, why can't you face reality? Brandon only cares about Bella right now. He doesn't have time for you. Tell Nina to hang in there. It's just a little blood; she won't die. Think about the bigger picture for the Hayes family." Jason looked over at Nina, his brow knotting. "Miss Miller, Miss Nina has lost a significant amount of blood and remains unconscious. Our team here doesn't have the equipment for emergency resuscitation. Perhaps we should ask Mr. Hayes if we can transport—" "Jason," Vanessa snapped coldly. "It was just a piece of falling set equipment. How bad could it possibly be? If she won't wake up, give her more medication. If the bleeding won't stop, wrap her in gauze. Wrap it tighter until it stops leaking. Do I really have to teach you how to do your job?" The doctor blanched upon hearing her words. "Miss Miller, that's dangerous. The child needs a comprehensive scan. If we proceed like this, what if—" "What if what?" Vanessa's tone turned sharp and impatient. "Kids bounce back fast. What could go wrong? Brandon handed his phone to me, which means his word is my word. Do you not understand plain English?" "Think carefully about this. If the press snaps photos of a child being wheeled out of a Hayes event covered in blood, how much do you think our stock will plummet tomorrow? Can any of you afford that? Are you really going to ruin the company's reputation over one little girl?" I shook my head frantically, tears mixing with the blood on my face. "No... Brandon wouldn't do this. Nina is his daughter! Vanessa, you sick monster, you're going to burn in hell! This is murder! Don't listen to her, don't..." Vanessa laughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Vivi, haven't you figured it out yet? In Brandon's heart, that child you pushed out never counted as his." The line went dead. I looked at Jason with sheer desperation. "Don't listen to that woman! Brandon wouldn't do this to his own baby... He wouldn't..." Jason averted his gaze, his voice chillingly detached. "Do as Miss Miller said. Bring more medication. Increase the dosage. Get more gauze and... stop Miss Nina's bleeding." He couldn't even bring himself to look at Nina again as he added, "We will wait for Mr. Hayes to return before making any other decisions."