---- Chapter 7 Athena POV: | woke up to the sterile smell of antiseptic and the soft beeping of a heart monitor. | was in a private hospital room, sunlight streaming through the window. My head was bandaged, and a dull, throbbing pain radiated from my lower back, near my waist. Confused, | lifted the thin hospital gown. Just above my hip, there was a fresh, neatly stitched incision. It was long, angry, and red. Where did that come from? The door creaked open. | quickly shut my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. | pretended to be asleep, my breathing slow and even. "Is she still out?" It was Carina. "The sedatives are strong," Hardin replied, his voice low. "She won't wake up for a few more hours." "| still can't believe the kidney was a perfect match," Carina said with a giddy laugh. "Aunt Carol is going to make a full recovery. You're a lifesaver, Hardin." My blood turned to ice. Kidney. They had taken my kidney. My hand instinctively went to the new wound on my back. My ---- heart didn't just leak; it felt like it stopped beating altogether. "It was nothing," Hardin said dismissively. "She owes me her life. A kidney is a small price to pay." "What if she freaks out when she wakes up and finds out?" Carina asked, a hint of worry in her tone. "I'll handle it," Hardin said, his voice smooth and confident. "I'll tell her she was injured internally during the attack and needed emergency surgery. She'll believe me. She always does." He left the room then, his footsteps fading down the hall as he took a phone call. A pain, sharper and more profound than any physical wound, tore through me. It started in my chest and spread through my entire body, a cold, creeping agony. | clenched the thin hospital sheets in my fists, my knuckles white. A tear escaped the corner of my eye and traced a hot path to my temple. Carina stayed for a moment longer, making a call of her own "Yes, Mom, the surgery was a success," she chirped into her phone. "The donor was... an anonymous volunteer. Can you believe our luck?" She left, her heels clicking against the linoleum, leaving me alone with the horrifying, echoing truth. | snapped my eyes open. Every illusion, every last lingering ember of hope, was gone, replaced by a glacial, burning rage. They hadn't just stolen from me. You were seriously injured. The doctors had to perform emergency surgery to save your life. Carina' s family is just overwrought with grief. Don' t listen to them." He moved to put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but | flinched away. "You're lying," | whispered His jaw tightened. "You will stay in this hospital until you have recovered. And you will not cause any more trouble." He turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him with an air of finality. Two guards were posted outside. | was a prisoner. My body trembled, a violent, uncontrollable spasm of grief and betrayal. Tears streamed down my face, and a raw, silent scream built in my chest until | couldn't breathe. | cried until | passed out from sheer emotional exhaustion. ---- When | next awoke, it was to the voices of two nurses just outside my door. "...another 500cc's. Mr. Morrison wants her blood drawn every six hours. Says it's for 'post-op monitoring.' My blood. He was draining me of my blood. For Carina's family? For what other purpose? A primal instinct for survival kicked in. | ripped the IV from my arm, ignoring the sharp sting. | crept to the door and eased it open. "Excuse me," | said to the guards, my voice weak but steady. "| need to use the restroom." | pointed to the public restroom down the hall. They grunted and let me pass. The second | was out of their sight, | ran. | ignored the searing pain in my side, the dizziness, the weakness. | ran out of the hospital, hailed a cab, and went straight back to the mansion. | had to get my things. My passport. My real ID. | was frantically throwing clothes into a bag when the bedroom door flew open. Hardin stood there, his face a thundercloud. "Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice dangerously calm. Before | could answer, two men in white coats entered behind him, carrying a medical kit. "Her vitals are low. She needs an immediate blood transfusion," Hardin commanded, gesturing to me. Then he corrected ---- himself. "No, wait. Draw her blood first. We need more for the bank." His bodyguards grabbed me, dragging me from the bedroom and forcing me into a chair in the living room. | struggled, but | was weak, so weak. They held me down. The doctor approached with a needle. "You can't do this!" | rasped, my voice thin and reedy. "This is illegal!" Hardin simply watched, his expression unreadable. "You brought this on yourself, Athena. You should have stayed put. Now, you need to rest and reflect on your behavior." The needle slid into my arm. | watched, horrified, as my own blood, dark and vital, filled the bag. When they were done, Hardin turned to leave. "I'll be back tonight," he said, not looking at me. "Behave." He walked out the door, leaving me slumped in the chair, my vision swimming, my body shivering with a deathly chill. | stared at the spot where he had stood. The man | had loved, the man | had saved, had ceased to exist. In his place was a monster. And in my heart, where love used to be, there was now only a single, burning thought. Revenge. ---- My eyes fluttered closed as the world dissolved into blackness. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. 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