Chapter 5 Esme woke up to a sharp , stabbing pain . Blinking her eyes open , she realized she was in a hospital room . When she turned her head just a little , she saw Liam sitting right beside her bed , exhaustion painted under his eyes , " Esme , you're awake . " He leaned in , sounding like he could finally breathe again . " Are you okay ? Anywhere hurting ? " She tried to answer , but her throat was so dry nothing came out . The last thing she remembered was Liam hurrying away with Joy in his arms , his back to her , and the sound of pounding hooves rushing right at her . " Joy's hurt , " Liam said suddenly , his voice tight and urgent . " She has a bleeding disorder - the doctors can't stop the bleeding . The hospital's low on blood … " Esme felt her heart sink . " You're the only one with a matching blood type ." Liam took her hand , holding on like he couldn't let go . " Esme , please , can you give her some blood ? " She almost laughed . It was unbelievable . She yanked her hand away , the movement sending a bolt of pain through her ribs and stealing her breath . He let her get trampled by a horse and didn't even bother explaining . Now the first thing he wanted from her was to risk her battered body to save Joy ? " I'm not doing it ." Her voice was rough and raw , every word scraping her throat . Liam's expression tightened . " Esme , for the baby's sake , can you just bear with it ? Once the baby's born , this will all be over . " A chill ran through her . She searched his eyes for a trace of guilt , maybe even a little regret , but all she saw in those familiar eyes she'd loved for twenty years was anxiety and pressure . " Mr. Mitchell , Ms. Harris isn't doing well … " A nurse poked her head in , voice low . Liam sprang up and almost forced Esme to sit up . " Esme , please , I'm begging you . " She was half - dragged to the blood draw room . The needle went into her vein , and the pain nearly took her breath away . " Does it hurt ? " the nurse asked , surprised . " I was being really gentle . " 01.12 Chapter 5 Esme shook her head , but her tears wouldn't stop . She'd always hated needles . Every time she had to do this before , Liam would cover her eyes and whisper , " It's okay , Esme . It'll be over in a second . " Now , he stood outside , checking his watch again and again , not even glancing her way . By the time they'd taken 400cc , Esme's vision was swimming . The nurse helped her sit and rest , but she watched Liam rush off to Joy's room without even looking back . Esme stumbled after him , stopping at the half - open door . Inside , Joy lay pale on the bed , her wrist wrapped in thick bandages . Liam was right there , holding her hand , his eyes so gentle it almost hurt to see . " Don't be scared , it's all okay now , " he murmured . " The baby's fine too . " Esme's gaze dropped to Joy's wrist . There was a familiar string of prayer beads . Three years ago , Esme had brought those beads back for Liam . He'd slipped them on , promising , " I'll never take these off as long as I live .' Now , they were on another girl's wrist . He'd given the beads she'd prayed so hard for to Joy . Esme's chest tightened until it hurt to breathe . She couldn't take it anymore and turned away , fleeing down the hallway . Back in her room , she curled up on the bed , letting her tears soak the pillow . So this was what it felt like - when your heart breaks so deeply it's hard to even breathe . The next morning , a nurse came by to check on her . " Mrs. Mitchell , could you fill out this medical form for us ? " The nurse handed her a clipboard . Esme filled it out on autopilot , but when she got to the marital status section , she paused . Then she pressed her pen down and wrote , " Single . " " Mrs. Mitchell , did you make a mistake ? " the nurse asked , surprised . " You marked ' single ' - isn't Mr. Mitchell your husband ? " " He's not . " Esme's voice was steady . " He won't be my husband much longer . " " Esme , what did you just say ? " The door burst open . Liam stood there , staring at her like he couldn't believe what he'd 2/3 01:12 Chapter 5 just heard . 3/3