Time ticked by, and Anastasia Steele huddled on the bed, her body trembling as memories from a decade ago resurfaced. Her mother had brought Claire Randall to the Steele family estate. It was then that Anastasia learned from her father that Claire was his long-lost daughter from an affair two decades past. Anastasia understood her fathers guilt, and from that moment on, her sense of obligation towards Claire turned into excessive compensation.
And that compensation became Anastasias own torment. "Mom, I miss you so much..." she whispered into the silence of her room.
After a long while, Anastasia, laden with pain, finally drifted off to sleep. The next morning, she opened the curtains to let the warm sunlight fill the room. Checking her phone, she saw it was 9:00 AM and there were 16 missed calls, with a text message from Christian: "8:35, get to Seattle Grace Hospital immediately."
Rubbing her temples, Anastasia shook off the fog in her head and let out a long sigh, wondering if Claire had experienced a transplant rejection. Carefully, she made her way down the stairs, only to be met by Christians cold, handsome face.
"Come with me to the hospital now," Christian ordered, his eyes showing a hint of urgency.
"Let me change my clothes," Anastasia said, turning to go upstairs to change out of the nightgown she had worn the night before.
"I said now," Christians sharp gaze stopped her in her tracks. She grabbed a coat from the rack and hurriedly followed him out.
The hospital reeked of disinfectant, churning Anastasias empty stomach and causing her to feel queasy. She fought back the acid rising in her throat. She was taken to various examination rooms, changed into a patient gown, and was led to the operating table in a sterile surgery suite.
Anastasia watched as the nurse inserted a sharp IV needle into her vein, just like the last time. The doctors positioned her body, allowing the anesthesia to flow through her system fully. Within about five minutes, the anesthesia took effect, and Anastasia began to lose feeling in her body.
She felt the instruments working on her lower body, and her heart began to race with anxiety. "What are you doing to me? This isnt bone marrow extraction..."
"Sister..." Anastasia turned her head at the sound of Claires voice, seeing her approach in a disposable surgical gown.
"Claire? You..."
"Sister, I want you to carry a child for us, a child for Christian and me," Claire said, her voice smooth as silk.
"You... and Christians child..."
Claire wanted her to be a surrogate? Fear and panic welled up inside Anastasia.
"Anastasia, its been two years of treatments, and I still cant conceive naturally. Do you understand that pain...?" Claires eyes flickered with a hint of agony, but her gaze was sinister and malicious as she looked at Anastasia. "But its okay, everything you have will be mine, including your childhood sweetheart. In the end, it will all be mine."
Anastasias mind spun with confusion and fear. "Absurd, youre breaking the law, stop it... stop..."
"Breaking the law... ha, let me tell you, sister, do you know when Christian started to fall in love with me? I might as well tell you, it was from the car accident you arranged, when I saved Mrs. Grey!"
"You... are lying, that accident was not planned, and Christian would never do that, you cant... stop it, please..."
"Sister, how could you be so naive? Of course, it wasnt an accident; it was deliberate, orchestrated by me, Claire Randall." Claire whispered, her voice dripping with venom as she stood by Anastasias ear, her smile growing wider.
"Claire, you!!" Anastasia finally realized why, for the past two years, Christian had insisted that the accident was her fault.
Had it not been for Claire saving Mrs. Grey and then suddenly developing leukemia, Anastasia would have been sent to prison for her mothers arrangement to marry Christian.
In the constant-temperature operating room, Anastasia broke out in a cold sweat, her face flushed with the shocking truth. Suddenly, a warm flow in her lower body signaled the start of bleeding, and her consciousness began to fade. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but eventually, the darkness took over.
"Not good, the patient is emotionally unstable, theres a massive shift in her body, and shes bleeding out. Notify the family, prepare blood, and start an emergency rescue now," the lead surgeon said, pressing a large gauze to stop the bleeding, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Massive bleeding?" Claire panicked.
"Miss Randall, the patient is bleeding heavily, please wait aside," a nurse tried to persuade Claire to step away from the operating table.
"Wait, no, no... You are not allowed to leave," Claire blocked the手术室门口, her expression contorted with rage.
"Miss Randall, the patient is bleeding out, we need to inform the blood bank to send blood immediately, or she could die at any moment," the nurse insisted, trying to get around Claire.
"Take her away, and if she survives, get her out of here quickly!" Claire shouted, her fists clenched in anger as she looked at the unconscious Anastasia.