The wind blew strongly, so strongly that the air coming in through the open window made Isabella’s bangs cascade across her face, moving with the flow as she stood in the doctor’s cabin.

Her slender hand held the chair nervously as she avoided the doctor’s gaze. He had known her almost all her life.

Doctor Shaw pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Do you consent to have your blood drawn for your half-sister, Miss Isabella?” The doctor asked as per the hospital’s protocol.

Isabella clenched her fists on the armrest, the sound of loud thunderclaps resonating with the turmoil in her life.

“I do,” She said, her voice barely audible.

Doctor Shaw sighed and looked towards the door where Isabella's father and stepmother were already waiting to take the girl to the room to have her blood drawn. He stood and closed the door to block the view.

Her family members wanted to intervene, but they knew Isabella would never say anything against them as long as they kept a tight leash on her.

Doctor Shaw tentatively walked to the girl, and rather than sitting in his doctor’s seat, he sat beside her.

“Isabella, I have known you since you were a child, and my wife has harbored a deep affection for you because of how similar you look to our late daughter. This is your second time drawing blood in the same month. If you continue—” He stopped speaking.

His expression was aggrieved. If it had been in his hands, he would’ve never allowed the family to bully the innocent girl. However, protocols bound him, and more than that, the Clark family funded the hospital, and he couldn’t do anything against the upper management.

If he didn’t do the procedure, the Clarks would find someone else to do the work for them. At least, by being Isabella’s primary doctor, he could ensure they don’t draw more blood than needed and affect the girl’s life.

“I understand, Doctor. However, I love my sister dearly. I would give up all of my blood to save her life,” Isabella said.

He received the same robotic reply every time he asked this question, as if the words were deeply etched into her brain.

The blowing wind made her hair flow in that direction, and her pale appearance made her look like a dying angel. And Doctor Shaw sighed.

He placed the consent form before Isabella, which she signed with trembling hands.

As soon as she signed the consent form, she stood from her place and exited the cabin, leaving the helpless man, who was wearing his coat, behind to get ready for the process.

After having her blood drawn numerous times, she knew the process like the back of her hand and went straight to the room where her half-sister was lying in the bed already.

“What took you so long? Are you trying to kill my daughter?” Isabella’s stepmother, Sophia Clark, bellowed.

“I am sorry,” Isabella said robotically, lying on the bed like a puppet.

“You—!” Sophia started again, but her husband, Isabella’s father, Heath, stopped her.

“Don’t get angry, honey. She is here now. You know the process. It’s always like this,” Heath stopped his wife from making a scene in the hospital to maintain his reputation.

Sophia, who thought Heath was trying to protect Isabella, became enraged.

“It’s all because of you. If you hadn’t had that one night stand with this bastard’s bitch mother, I wouldn’t have to grow so angry every time I see her face. If not for her blood, which can keep our daughter healthy through her sickness, I would’ve thrown her out a long ago,” Sophia shouted before she left the room.

Isabella sighed and closed her eyes as the nurse appeared beside her bed. She took her hand before inserting the needle in her hand to draw the blood.

A hint of mockery crossed her mind at the fate she was born with.

It was nineteen years ago when her mother got drunk and had a one-night stand with Heath Clark.

At that time, her mother was just a college graduate with a humble background in the local area and was at the peak of her beauty. They had an eventful night. Drunk with passion, they had skipped the part where they remembered to use protection, and Heath had impregnated her.

He had a one-night stand. That was what everyone thought. But in reality, Heath had had an affair with Isabella’s mom for nine years until his wife discovered it. The moment he was busted, he denied all lasting connections with her mother.

The relationship was reduced to a one-night stand, and Isabella, who was used to calling him Dad, was declared a bastard child.

Isabella’s mother, who didn’t know Heath was married and had always been under the impression that his soaring business was why he visited her less, had taken all of that hard and gotten sick.

Sophia had wanted to get rid of the mother-and-daughter pair; unfortunately, her daughter, Evelyn, fell sick, and they needed a blood transfusion.

Desperate to stay close to Heath, Isabella's mother asked them to check if Isabella’s blood matched. Not only was it a match, but it was also the only blood that could heal Evelyn.

Seeing how vital Isabella’s blood was, Sophia allowed the mother-daughter pair to stay in their mansion on the condition that they would stay in the servant’s quarters and only get two mediocre meals the entire day.

They were supposed to forgo any luxuries and live a life worse than peasants.

Isabella’s mother Emma's health kept deteriorating. She suffered severely from the lack of affection from the man she thought she would marry and from seeing him so affectionate with his wife and legitimate daughter. In contrast, her daughter suffered such injustice, and she grew more unstable.

A tear slipped from the corner of Isabella's eye as she remembered how she was supposed to be at the art competition that would’ve helped her get into a prestigious college.

So far, the only reason she was allowed to study was to keep up with Evelyn, help her with her studies and homework, do all the work for her when she was sick, and not forget to tend to her and be her slave at school.

Isabella was looking forward to this art competition and had gotten ready to go to the venue when a phone call from her half-brother stopped her, and she was brought here.

The girl had asked them if she could get her blood drawn later, but Sophia had slapped her in return and threatened to cut off the monthly allowance that she was using to get medicines for her mother.

Doctor Shaw was generous enough to use his influence to get the medicines at a discounted price, giving her enough money to buy some art supplies, but she still needed to pay.

Once again, her dream was trampled on. Then again, she was probably not allowed to have dreams and ambitions in the first place and just fooled herself by trying repeatedly. She clenched her fists in helplessness.

“Miss Shines, don’t clench your fists. It will hinder the draw,” the nurse said softly, pitying the girl who was a regular hospital visitor, even without any sickness.

Isabella scoffed at her surname. Afraid of his wife, the reason for his wealth and the company's major shareholder, her father wasn't even allowed to use his surname. Thus, he was a Clark, while she was a Shines.

As her blood was drawn, she didn’t realize when she fell asleep, losing herself in those beautiful memories she once made with her father as a child, that were just a dream now.

By the time Isabella woke up, it was already late evening.

She turned her head to the side, and the bed was empty.

“You are up? Good. Here, have some juice before you go,” the nurse who was checking up on her said.

“Has everyone left?” Isabella asked.

The silence and the pitiful stare she was met with spoke volumes, and she smiled forcefully.

“Thank you,” she said as she drank the juice. While she hated pity, she wouldn’t get any juice at home and needed enough energy to care for her sick mother.

Once done, she stood from her place and walked out of the ward, her gaze falling on the evening sky, which was adorned with dark, dirty clouds that, for some reason, looked beautiful to her.

‘Is my destiny darker than them?’ She asked herself, closing her eyes for a brief second to feel the cold breeze.

With a sigh, knowing she wasn’t allowed to relax, she turned around the corner to leave. However, to her dismay, she felt dizzy, which made her twist her leg. She fell forward, bumping into someone she didn’t see coming earlier.

An intense flash of light blinded her vision, followed by a thunderclap, and her fists involuntarily tightened on the shirt of the man who held her.

She quickly gained her composure when she realized she was in someone's arms, and without looking up, she bowed to apologize.

“Forgive me, I didn’t see you coming,” Isabella said.

She raised her head, the man's hat making it hard for her to see his face, but his cold aura made her shiver. She thought he would scold her because of his cold aura, but he stood stoic.

“I know,” he said, his voice kind.

Isabela bowed again before leaving, unaware of the man who turned to have a second look at her.