Three Years After They Abandoned Me - Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Other than speaking, all Stella could do was watch helplessly as her blood was being drawn.
She barely had any blood left as it was. Henry had already taken so much before, and now, with even more drawn, her head was swimming. She could hardly stay conscious.
Stella looked at Lionel and said, "Lionel, you're a doctor."
Lionel remained silent.
Stella shouted, "How could you do such a thing? If I report you, you'll be kicked out of this hospital, and your reputation will be ruined.
"Aren't you the face of this hospital? You'll become a pariah, shunned by everyone."
Still, Lionel said nothing.
Stella asked, "Don't you know this is going to kill me?"
Lionel said firmly, "No, Stella, I won't let you die."
Stella scoffed in disbelief. She said, "Are you kidding me, Lionel? You keep begging me to forgive you, yet you go and do the very thing I despise most."
It finally dawned on Stella. She thought, 'No wonder Henry left so easily, he had already orchestrated everything.'
She didn't know why Lionel agreed to Henry's scheme, nor did she care to find out. All she knew was that Lionel hurt me to the core.
Lionel said softly, "Stella, it'll be over soon. Trust me. Just a little longer, okay?"
Stella was exasperated to the point of laughter. She thought, 'How could I possibly trust him? Coming into this world, I guess life really had a rude awakening in store for me.'
The moment the needle was withdrawn, Stella blacked out.
Lionel reached out and gently caressed Stella's pale cheek, his touch filled with regret and tenderness. He muttered, "Stella, trust me, I have my reasons for this. I love you. I genuinely, deeply love you."
Gathering the five blood samples, Lionel quietly exited the room.
Stella had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, but she'd never felt so utterly drained and miserable before. Five tubes of blood might be nothing to others, but for her, it was literally draining the life out of her.
Stella thought bitterly, 'I'm dying, aren't I? Might as well just die already. It's not like anyone in this godforsaken world cares whether I live or die.'
When the nurse entered, Stella weakly grabbed her hand with the last of her strength. "Please, help me. Save me," she begged hoarsely.
The nurse shot Stella a dismissive glance, then swiftly pulled her hand free. "I don't understand what you're saying," she stated flatly.
All at once, Stella realized something. She glared and gasped, "It was you. You drugged me before, and that's why I passed out. What else have you given me now?"
The nurse's eyes flickered with unease. She said sharply, "I don't understand what you're saying. Don't touch me."
Still, Stella had her wits about her. She thought, 'I can't stay in this hospital. If I do, I'll just keep being Henry's personal blood supply, and I'll never be able to leave this place for the rest of my life.'
Seeing that Stella had gone still, the nurse hastily exited.
Stella lay in bed, trying to gather her strength. But that night, Lionel drew her blood twice in one night, leaving her with no chance to recover.
After the blood draw, Lionel gave Stella two pieces of chocolate, and Stella mechanically ate.
Stella thought, 'This can't go on.' Seizing a moment when the room was empty, she struggled to pull herself up from the hospital bed.
The first time Stella tried to get out of bed, she was caught by the nurse. She quickly claimed she needed to use the restroom.
She couldn't tell if the nurse believed her excuse, but she felt the nurses and doctors were constantly watching her every move.
Stella pondered, 'The dead of night is my best chance, when everyone's asleep. Even if the nurses and doctors are on their rounds, they'll doze off at some point. I must escape during that dead of night.'
Stella recalled that time in Middle-South Yaria, when her kidney had just been forcibly removed and she had barely managed to escape. At that point, she had truly been at death's door. Yet, she had still pulled through.
Stella told herself with conviction, 'As long as I keep believing, I will definitely get out of here.'
In the dead of night, Stella began to take action. To her relief, everything went smoothly along the way. She stumbled outside, spotted a cab, and scrambled in without hesitation.
She asked the driver to take her to Hayes residence. After all, all her belongings were there.
The driver kept glancing back at her with concern. He said, "Miss, you don't look well at all. You should go back to the hospital."
Stella was barely hanging on. She replied, "If I go back in there, I'll die. You wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you?"
The driver had heard rumors about the hospital. He wasn't sure whether they were true or false, but he couldn't risk pushing Stella into a dangerous situation. He said, "Alright then, I will take you."
When they arrived at the Hayes residence, Stella said weakly, "I'm sorry, I don't have any cash on me right now. Could I get your phone number? I'll transfer the money to you later."
The driver paused, then shook his head. He said, "Forget it. You look like you've had a rough time. I won't charge you today." With that, he turned the car around and drove off.
Stella memorized his license plate number.
A maid hurried out as soon as she heard the sound. She asked, "Ms. Stella Hayes, what brings you back?"
"From now on, I'm staying right here at home. I'm not going anywhere," Stella declared, her tone resolute.
The maid flinched under Stella's piercing gaze, not daring to speak.
"Remember, keep it quiet. I don't want to disturb their sleep," Stella said softly but firmly.
"Understood," the maid replied. Exhausted, she went straight to bed.
Stella barely made it back to her room, every bit of strength she had completely used up along the way. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed and was out the moment her head hit the pillow.
Early the next morning, still groggy, Stella was awakened by the loud, insistent knocking on the door.
Outside the door, Eleanor snapped, "What on earth are you all doing? Stella must have come home very late last night. She's never one to oversleep. Why are you pounding on her door like that? Can't you just let her rest a while longer?"
Fiona explained with a saccharine smile, "Mom, you know Stella was in a car accident and hasn't fully recovered. Since she discharged herself, naturally, we must take her back to the hospital."
Eleanor said firmly, "Now that she's back, whether she's fully recovered or not, she doesn't want to stay in that hospital. She'll recuperate right here at home."
Andrew said, "But, Mom, our home isn't equipped to handle her condition. And if something were to happen while she's still technically an inpatient, the hospital would be on the hook for that."
Eleanor demanded, "Then go and get her discharged."
Fiona tried to say something more, but Eleanor cut her off.
Eleanor declared firmly, "That's final. Now go and get it done, and don't disturb Stella any further."
Fiona and Andrew exchanged helpless glances, both at a complete loss for words.
Eleanor stood firmly at Stella's door, shielding her from any disturbance.
Tears streamed down Stella's face. She thought, 'If Grandma weren't in this world, I wouldn't have made it this far.'
"Grandma," Stella called out.
Eleanor said softly, "Stella, is that you? Damn them for waking you up. Get some rest, dear. I'm here. No one will bother you anymore."
"Grandma, come in," Stella rasped, her voice weak and pleading.
Eleanor was about to enter when Stella suddenly realized she'd locked the door. She struggled to unlock the door for Eleanor.
The moment Eleanor saw Stella, her heart sank in shock. She exclaimed, "Good heavens, Stella, what on earth happened to you?"
Stella's face had always been pale, but now she looked so ghostly that anyone would have believed she was a ghost.
Eleanor had insisted on seeing Stella no matter what, but others kept telling her that Stella was still in the ICU and promised to take her there once Stella was transferred out. So she didn't know that Stella's situation was so serious.
Eleanor said with heartache, "What on earth had happened? I thought things would get better once you came home, but it's just been one thing after another since you returned."
"Grandma," Stella whispered.