The Day I Stopped Bleeding for You

Prologue: I loved Julian Sterling for seven years. I humbled myself to the bone for him. Three days ago, hitmen ambushed our car on a winding mountain road. Julian took a blow to the head and fell unconscious. To keep him alive, I pulled on his jacket, jumped into the driver's seat, and lured every single killer away from him. They dragged me into a dark basement and tortured me for three days and three nights. They shattered the bones in my right hand. On the third day, my captors shoved a phone in my bloody face. On the screen was a live stream of Julian's lavish engagement party. He was slipping a massive pink diamond onto Chloe Montgomery's finger. Then, turning toward the flashing cameras, he said with breathtaking tenderness: "That day, Chloe put on my coat and drove my car to lead the attackers away. Without her bravery, I would be dead." Lying in a puddle of filthy water, I swallowed the metallic taste of blood pooling in my throat. In that instant, my mind cleared. He had never loved me. Not even for a second. My eyes stayed glued to the screen. A drop of blood fell from my battered brow, smearing the diamond ring on the glass display. Three days ago, our sedan smashed into a pine tree. Julian was knocked out cold. When the hitmen closed in with blades drawn, I sobbed in terror. But I still wrapped his black coat around my shoulders, restarted the engine, and sped toward a dead-end ravine to draw them off. I foolishly thought risking my life would finally earn a shred of his affection. Instead, I spent seventy-two hours chained to an iron chair while thugs crushed my fingers with steel pipes. Julian’s phone must have been flooded with emergency distress pings from my tracker. He hadn’t checked it once. He simply woke up, saw the woman smiling at his bedside, and crowned Chloe his savior. One of the kidnappers pointed at the screen and howled with laughter. "Look at that! You took the beating of your life, and he thinks the other chick saved him! He even told his people you were just throwing another jealous tantrum!" I pressed my face against the cold concrete. My tears had run completely dry. Seven years ago, my father gave his life to save Julian. On his deathbed, he trusted Julian to take care of me. For seven long years, I shadowed Julian everywhere. I endured his cold sneers and cutting remarks with a gentle smile, convincing myself it was love. Now, my father’s debt was paid in full. And that pathetic, humiliating love? I threw it away. Heavy iron handcuffs bit into my swollen wrists. Setting my jaw, I yanked my broken, mangled right hand through the narrow iron ring with all my might. Flesh tore. Blood poured out. I didn’t utter a single whimper. I squeezed through an air vent and dragged myself out into the pouring rain. Limbering through the storm, I climbed the gravel road back to Julian's hilltop estate. By the time I reached the front gates, dawn was breaking. A warm golden light poured from the French doors. Inside, Chloe’s delicate, honeyed laughter drifted out. I pounded on the door with my left fist. It swung open. Julian stood there in a crisp silk shirt. The moment his eyes landed on me, his smile vanished, replaced by an icy scowl. "What kind of scene are you making now, Summer?" My throat was so shredded I couldn’t speak above a whisper. To him, whatever I did was just "making a scene." I lifted my dripping, shattered right hand toward him. "Julian... I was taken. Kidnapped..." Chloe stepped into view behind him. At the sight of my blood-caked face, she gasped theatrically and shrank into Julian’s embrace like a frightened doe. Julian frowned deeper. He didn't look at my hand. Instead, he instinctively shifted his body, shielding Chloe from the sight of me. He looked at the dirt and blood covering my clothes, his gaze completely devoid of concern—only deep, exhausted irritation. "Can't you grow up for once?" He stood bathed in the mansion's radiant warmth, his tone cutting like broken glass. "You vanish for three days and show up covered in stage blood. Is this your idea of congratulating Chloe and me on our engagement?" I froze on the marble steps. Freezing rainwater streamed down my neck. He wouldn't even touch me. Stepping back, he gestured toward the security guard standing in the courtyard. "Take Miss Miller to an urgent care clinic. Today is an important day for Chloe and me. Don't let her cause a spectacle." Before the guard could answer, Julian reached out and softly clicked the heavy oak door shut in my face. My brother was right. You can't make someone love you, even if you bleed dry for them. Suddenly, tires screeched across the wet driveway. A black SUV slammed on its brakes, and my brother, Daniel, threw open the door. He sprinted through the rain without an umbrella, shedding his trench coat to wrap me in his arms. His eyes were burning red. "Summer! Oh God, Summer! I'm taking you home!" Resting my forehead against Daniel’s chest, I stared at that firmly closed front door. My voice was eerily hollow. "Daniel... is it too late to join that overseas design fellowship you mentioned?" Daniel shuddered, clutching me tighter. "It's not too late. The flight to Seattle leaves in five days." "Okay," I whispered, closing my heavy eyelids. "In five days, we leave Chicago. And we never come back." Then, the world went black.When I opened my eyes again, the harsh smell of medical antiseptic filled my lungs. The storm was gone. The chilling rain had morphed into a deep, throbbing agony radiating from my bones. I was lying in a private hospital room. According to the chart, I had been unconscious for two full days. The door clicked open, and Daniel walked in holding a manila folder. Dark purple shadows bruised the skin beneath his eyes. He hadn't slept a wink since he found me. "You're awake," he said softly, walking over to pour a cup of warm water. He gently dabbed my cracked lips with a moist cotton swab. "What did... the surgeon say?" I croaked, staring down at the thick white cast encasing my right arm. Daniel's hand hesitated. His voice turned gravelly. "Your ring finger suffered a severe comminuted fracture. The delay in treatment caused irreversible nerve necrosis. You won't be able to carry heavy weight with it... and you'll never sketch jewelry again." I was a jewelry designer. I had spent countless sleepless nights drafting bestselling collections for Julian's conglomerate, quietly building his corporate empire from the shadows. Now, my drawing hand was dead. Perhaps this was fate's way of cutting the cord. "I understand," I whispered. "Our relocation paperwork is being expedited. The flight leaves in three days," Daniel said, setting a legal document on the bedside table. "This is an agreement severing all personal and financial ties with Sterling Corp. Sign it, and we leave this city behind forever." I picked up the pen with my clumsy left hand and scrawled my name on the dotted line. The nib tore slightly through the paper. I didn't hesitate for a single second. Daniel stepped outside into the hallway to take an urgent business call. A moment later, the door swung open again. Chloe Montgomery walked in. Around her slender neck hung the custom pink diamond necklace Julian had gifted her at the gala. Seeing me hooked up to monitors in a hospital gown, the frail, innocent mask fell from her face. She pulled up a chair and crossed her legs with smug elegance. "Losing your hand must feel devastating, doesn't it, Summer?" she sneered in a hushed tone. I stared at her, saying nothing. "I saw the hitmen chasing your car that day," she whispered, examining her manicured nails. "Want to know what I told Julian? I told him you threw a fit because I sat in the front seat, so you stole his keys and sped off to pout." My chest seized. "He never even checked the highway cameras?" "Why would he? He hangs on my every word," Chloe chuckled softly. "And that's not all. Three years ago, when you carried him down that muddy hiking trail after his heart episode? I told him it was me who dragged him to the clinic." She leaned in, her eyes glinting with venom. "Summer, the man you paid for with your blood belongs to me now." I glared at her victorious face. "Aren't you terrified of what happens when he discovers the truth?" "He'll never know. Because he doesn't believe a word that comes out of your mouth." Chloe smoothed her designer dress and stood up, ready to drop another insult, when heavy, measured footsteps echoed outside the door. In a split second, Chloe's cruelty melted away. Her eyes welled with instant tears, and she took two fearful steps back, clutching her hands to her chest like a terrified victim. The door flew open. Julian walked in, his tailored suit exuding effortless authority. But the moment his gaze caught Chloe’s trembling frame, his expression turned to ice. He stepped between us, pulling Chloe behind his shoulder, and fixed me with a piercing glare. "Summer, what venom did you just spit at Chloe?" Chloe tugged softly at Julian’s sleeve, sniffling. "Julian, please don't be mad at Summer. She’s injured and hurting. It makes sense that she wants to take her anger out on me." Suddenly, Chloe touched her bare collarbones and let out a frantic gasp. "My necklace! It was right here around my neck just a minute ago!" Julian’s eyes snapped from her bare throat directly onto my hospital bed."Hand it over." Julian held out his palm, his voice deadpan. Propped up against the pillows, I stared back at him. "I didn't take it. There's a security camera in the corner. Go check the security desk yourself." Chloe hid behind him, her voice choked with tears. "Julian, I swear it was on my neck when I came in. Summer has always hated me. Seeing your engagement gift must have triggered her..." Watching Chloe's amateur acting, I felt only disgust. I raised my heavily bandaged, immobilized right arm. "Chloe, I haven't even been able to get out of this bed. How exactly did I reach across the room and pluck a necklace off your neck?" Julian’s eyes flickered across the thick gauze, a fleeting hesitation passing through him before being smothered by cold contempt. "What line haven't you crossed to hurt Chloe?" he scoffed. "Three years ago, you tried to steal credit for saving my life. A few days ago, you stole my car to save your own skin. Do you really expect me to believe a broken finger stops you from pocketing jewelry?" His words hammered into my skull. I gave up. To Julian Sterling, every breath I drew was a lie, every word a scheme. "I said I didn't take it," I replied, turning my gaze toward the window. "If you don't believe me, call the police." "The police?" Julian let out a dark, mocking laugh. "So you can make a headline out of it? The future Mrs. Sterling robbed in a hospital room? You'd love to drag Chloe's name through the mud, wouldn't you?" He didn't waste another second. He turned toward the door and whistled. Two towering private security guards in black suits marched into the room. "Tear the place apart," Julian commanded coldly. The guards closed in on my bed. "What are you doing!" I shrank back instinctively. One guard clamped a heavy hand down on my left shoulder, while the other violently ripped back my bedsheets. They tore through the mattress, sweeping my private belongings and medicine bottles off the nightstand with a deafening crash. I fought against the guard's grip. The sudden movement yanked the IV needle in my left hand, blowing the vein. A lump formed under my skin as blood welled up, dripping down my knuckles. The guard shoved me roughly back against the pillows. My cast slammed hard against the stainless steel bed rail. A blinding flare of agony shot straight up my arm into my brain. My vision blacked out for a second. Cold sweat instantly soaked through my hospital gown. I bit my lower lip until it bled, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a scream. "Mr. Sterling, the bed is clean," the guard reported, stepping back. Chloe bit her lip and hastily piped up, "Julian, do you think she panicked and threw it out the window, or into the trash?" Julian watched my trembling body. His eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't call his men off. "Dump her bag." The guard grabbed Daniel’s canvas duffel off the visitor's chair, unzipped it, and turned it upside down. A change of clothes, hospital receipts, and a stack of papers scattered across the linoleum floor. No pink diamond. However, the force of the drop split open an inner seam of the worn bag. A simple, faded red cord bracelet slipped out from the lining. Ten years ago, my mother had braided that cord with her failing hands in the hospice ward before taking her last breath. Over the years, Julian had bought me countless platinum and sapphire pieces, none of which I ever wore. Only that frayed red thread was sacred to me. Julian’s eyes caught the splash of red. He stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the bracelet between two fingers."Give it back." Ignoring the searing pain in my arm and hand, I kicked aside the blanket. My bare feet hit the cold hospital floor as I stretched out my bleeding left hand. Julian kept it held high out of my reach. He rolled the coarse red knot between his fingers, his eyes sweeping over the bracelet and then across my chalk-white face. For the first time, he saw raw panic in me. "You've guarded this cheap piece of string like your life depended on it," Julian said, his tone devoid of warmth. "You wouldn't even let me touch it. Since Chloe's necklace is gone and you have no way to pay for it, this will do as collateral." "It's not lost!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. "She never lost it! This room is twenty feet square! Your men searched under the damn mattress! Where is the necklace?!" "Are you accusing Chloe of framing you?" Julian’s last ounce of patience snapped. He turned toward the window, unlocking the latch and shoving the heavy glass wide open. We were on the twelfth floor. An icy gale surged into the room, whipping the frayed red cord violently back and forth between his fingers. "Julian, stop!" My ears buzzed. I lunged forward, but the security guard tackled me back onto the mattress. "Since you're still lying through your teeth, there's no reason to keep this," Julian said, holding his hand entirely outside the frame, his fingers loosening. "Don't!!" A blood-curdling cry ripped from my throat. Tears blurred my eyes. I watched that fragile red thread dancing in the freezing wind. It was the only piece of my mother left in this world. "Apologize," Julian demanded, his voice chillingly detached. "I didn't steal it!" I gasped, shaking violently. "I'm letting go," he warned, relaxing his grip another fraction. "Stop! Okay! I'll apologize!" I broke. The fight evaporated from my bones. I looked at Chloe, who stood safely tucked behind Julian’s broad frame, a smirk dancing on her lips. The taste of copper surged up my esophagus. "I'm sorry," I choked out, forcing every syllable past my cracked lips. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have upset you." "A little louder. I can barely hear you," Chloe cooed with mock innocence. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have touched your things!" I squeezed my eyes shut, letting the hot tears spill over my cheeks. "I apologized. Now give it back." Seeing me thoroughly broken, Julian finally looked satisfied. He withdrew his hand, pulled the window shut, and turned to hand the cord back to me. Leaning on the cold floor, I reached out with my trembling, bloody left hand. Just as my fingertips were about to brush the red cotton— Chloe let out a sudden squeal. She "tripped" on her hem, pitching forward and slamming her shoulder into Julian’s arm. The cord slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor. Chloe’s sharp stiletto heel came down with pinpoint accuracy right onto the center of the braid. To "regain her balance," she twisted her foot, grinding the heel deep into the linoleum. The fragile, aged fibers snapped. The bracelet tore into three dirty, frayed shreds. Dead silence fell over the room. I stayed frozen on my knees, left arm outstretched, staring at the shredded threads coated in shoe grime. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Summer! I didn't mean to!" Chloe gasped, stepping back and covering her mouth with performative horror. I didn't say a word. I dragged myself forward on my knees across the floor, gathering the three ruined pieces of cord into my palm. The rough edges pressed into my skin. I didn't feel any pain. Not anymore. "It's just a string. What's done is done," Julian sighed, his voice carrying zero remorse, only dull irritation. "Chloe didn't do it on purpose. I'll buy you a brand-new gold bracelet tomorrow." He turned and wrapped his arm around Chloe's waist. "Rest up and heal your hand." The door opened, then clicked shut. Their footsteps faded down the corridor. I sat alone on the cold floor. I slowly opened my left hand, staring at the three dirty scraps of thread. Then I turned my head toward the small trash bin next to the nightstand. I tipped my hand. The red threads fluttered down into the dark bag. Along with the girl named Summer Miller, who had foolishly given her heart away at eighteen. The door burst open again. Daniel rushed inside after ending his phone call. The moment his eyes caught the blood pooling on the floor and my vacant stare, his face turned terrifyingly dark. I looked up at him, my eyes completely hollow. "Daniel. I don't have anything left to pack. Let's go."Our expedited travel visas were cleared two days later. After being discharged, Daniel took me straight to his high-security penthouse apartment, cutting off all contact with the outside world. Every night, I had to swallow heavy painkillers just to snatch an hour or two of fitful sleep. On our fourth afternoon, Daniel headed over to his firm to finalize the transfer of his remaining corporate assets. I was curled up on the sofa, watching the gray clouds drift across the Chicago skyline, when his burner phone on the coffee table began to vibrate furiously. The caller ID displayed the name that used to rule my life: Julian Sterling. Once upon a time, I had assigned that name a special ringtone. I kept my phone charged twenty-four hours a day, terrified I’d miss a single text or call from him. Every ping used to send a flutter through my heart. Now, listening to the mechanical buzzing, all I felt was total numbness. I swiped the green button with my left thumb and tapped the speaker icon. "Haven't you thrown your tantrum long enough?" Julian’s voice was as haughty as ever. "Leaving the hospital without even informing me? You're getting bolder by the day, Summer." I watched the traffic crawling below. "What do you want?" My utter flatline seemed to catch him off guard. In the past, whenever he called, I would scramble to apologize, showering him with desperate warmth, asking when he was coming home for dinner. The line went silent for several seconds before his tone hardened with annoyance. "Your mutt attacked Chloe." Julian’s voice turned frigid. "Chloe is allergic to dog hair, and I have zero patience for keeping your stray. You have thirty minutes to come pick it up, or I’m having security throw it onto the street." My heart clenched. Bailey was a West Highland White Terrier I had rescued from a storm drain two years ago. Whenever Julian vanished for weeks on business or leisure, Bailey was the only living soul who stayed by my side through the lonely nights. "Don't touch him," I said, rising from the couch. "I'm coming." "Summer," Julian scoffed over the line, "if you want to come back, do it properly. Give Chloe a sincere apology. Stop playing this pathetic game of hard-to-get. I'm sick of it." He hung up without waiting for an answer. I looked at the black screen. I wasn't angry. I didn't even care to correct him. Did he honestly believe I trained a dog to stage an ambush? Prejudice is a mountain no truth can move. Think whatever you want, Julian. As long as I get Bailey out of that house, nothing in your world will ever touch me again. I pulled on a simple gray hoodie, hailed a cab, and returned to the Sterling estate. The grand front doors were slightly ajar. I stepped into the opulent foyer. The very first thing I saw was Bailey, violently pinned against the mahogany staircase railing. A thin strand of craft wire was twisted tightly around his neck. White fur was stained with streaks of crimson from his frantic thrashing. He had always been the friendliest, gentlest dog. Now, he was trembling in the corner, his tail tucked between his legs, letting out tiny, muffled whimpers. "Whimper..." Hearing my steps, Bailey looked up. His dark eyes were watery, and he tried to crawl toward me, only for the wire to choke the breath right out of his lungs. Chloe sat on the leather sofa, gracefully pressing an ice pack against a faint red mark on the back of her hand. Julian sat beside her, his features tight with dark fury. "You finally decided to show up?" Julian looked up at me. "Look at what your damn pet did!" I ignored him entirely. I walked straight to the stairs, dropped to my knees, and used my left hand to untangle the wire around Bailey’s throat. The wire was knotted tight. With only one functioning hand, the sharp metal edges sliced directly into my left index finger. "Summer, don't blame Julian for being angry," Chloe chimed in sweetly from behind. "I only tried to feed him a treat, but he snapped and lunged at me. I've been terrified of dogs since I was a child. It scared me to death." I stopped picking at the wire and slowly turned my head, staring straight into her eyes. Bailey was so gentle a toddler could take food from his mouth without him growling. The only way he would ever snap was if someone deliberately tormented him. Besides, that faint scratch on Chloe’s hand looked suspiciously clean—like the gouge of an acrylic nail, not the scrape of a canine tooth. "Where are the kitchen shears?" I asked Martha, the housekeeper standing frozen by the kitchen door. My voice was as flat as stagnant water.Martha hesitated, glancing anxiously at Julian's dark expression, terrified to move. Julian rose to his feet, stepping toward me until his tall shadow completely swallowed me up. He was studying my bizarre behavior. No tears. No hysterical accusations. No desperate pleas for him to see my side. This eerie, chilling quiet gave him the arrogant illusion that I had finally been broken into submission. "The dog cannot stay," Julian said, his tone softening a microscopic fraction. "Chloe is moving in permanently. I won't have any threats under this roof. I'll have my assistant drop him off at a no-kill shelter." "He's my dog," I said, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "I'm taking him with me today." "Take him?" Julian chuckled, as if hearing an absurd joke. "You leave this house, and you don't even have a roof over your head. How do you plan on feeding a dog?" He paused, his voice slipping back into its familiar, imperious cadence. "Apologize to Chloe on the dog's behalf. Promise you won't throw any more tantrums. If you do, I might consider letting you build a kennel for him in the backyard. And you can move back into the guest room." In his eyes, he was bestowing an act of supreme mercy upon me. All I had to do was bow my head, and I could resume my role as his obedient, invisible pet. "Julian..." Chloe whimpered from the couch, tugging his blazer, her eyes flashing with displeasure. "No need," I interrupted, my voice perfectly level. Summoning every ounce of strength in my left hand, I gripped the twisted knot of wire and yanked with all my might! Snap! The sharp wire gave way, snapping free of Bailey's neck. The jagged edge tore open my left palm, but I didn't even flinch. I pulled the trembling terrier between my knees, reached into my pocket, and pulled out a silver key. The master key to the estate. I placed it gently on the console table by the entryway. "Miss Montgomery is right. This is her home now. A dog doesn't belong here." I looked directly into Julian’s eyes, devoid of any anger or pain. "I'm only here for Bailey. As for the rest of my personal things in the closet, you can throw them in the incinerator. Here is your key." Julian’s gaze locked onto the silver key. His face instantly drained of color. He had expected me to beg. He had expected me to jump at the chance to crawl back into his good graces. Instead, all he found in my eyes was complete, unadulterated apathy. "Summer, what kind of sick game are you playing?" He took a menacing step forward, grabbing my left wrist with enough force to crack the bone. "Returning the key? Do you honestly think I can't live without you?!" The grip hurt, but I didn't even pull away. I just watched him, exactly the way one looks at a stranger yelling on a street corner. Three days left. In three days, I would be at thirty thousand feet. There was no need to escalate. No need to provoke a monster. I just needed to walk away cleanly. "I'm not playing games," I said, offering him a faint, polite smile. "Mr. Sterling, my drawing hand is ruined. I can't design your collections anymore. Staying here would only make an eyesore of myself." A flicker of raw panic darted across Julian’s eyes. He searched desperately for a hint of heartbreak or longing in my face. He found nothing. That total loss of control drove him into a blind rage. He violently threw my wrist aside. "Fine! Outstanding!" He sneered, pointing a trembling finger at the door. "Get out! Once you walk through those doors, even if you crawl back on your knees begging for scraps, I will never let you set foot in this house again!" "Thank you." Without a second's hesitation, I clipped the leash onto Bailey’s collar, turned on my heel, and walked out the door. Behind me, Chloe’s sugary, placating voice echoed from the grand living room: "Julian, don't be mad. She's just being emotional. Once she realizes how cruel the real world is without you, she'll come running back." I walked down the winding asphalt driveway, step by step, holding Bailey’s leash. A sliver of afternoon sun cut through the heavy gray clouds, warming my skin. For the first time in seven years, I felt like I could breathe. I was never coming back. Never again.