Wife, Donor, Victim: A Twisted Marriage

The doctor told me my body was reaching its limit. It was the fifth time I was donating bone marrow to save my son, Leo. But I pushed through the pain. My husband, Ethan, said he had a surprise waiting for me when I got home.

I walked in to hear him talking with Leo's live-in nurse, Geneva. My blood ran cold when I heard her call Leo their son.

Hidden, I kept listening. The car "accident" right after our wedding that left me infertile? They planned it. My entire seven-year marriage was an elaborate lie, designed to turn me into the perfect, continuous donor for their biological child.

My love wasn't cherished; it was a tool to exploit me. I wasn't a wife or a mother. I was a walking blood bag.

All the expensive gifts Ethan gave me after each donation weren't from love. They were payments for my body parts.

They found me collapsed on the floor, and the mask of the loving husband fell away completely.

"Leo needs another donation," Ethan said, his voice flat. "The doctor will be here in an hour."

When I refused, he had his security guards hold me down. I watched in horror as he took a syringe and drew my blood himself, my life force, to give to their son.

Chapter 1

The doctor's words hung in the sterile air.

"Mrs. Mcclure, your body is reaching its limit. Your bone marrow isn't regenerating fast enough. Another donation so soon could have serious, irreversible consequences."

His face was grim, the concern in his eyes genuine. I just nodded, a familiar weariness settling deep into my bones. This was the fifth time I'd heard a variation of this warning. The fifth time I' d given my bone marrow to my son, Leo.

I clutched the report, the paper crinkling in my sweaty palm. My head swam with a dizzy spell as I pushed myself to my feet.

I had to go home.

Ethan, my husband, was probably worried. He said he had a surprise for me today.

The drive back to our sprawling Silicon Valley estate was a blur. I leaned my head against the cool glass of the car window, watching the sun-drenched hills of California roll by. My body ached, a deep, persistent pain that had become my constant companion. But I pushed it down. For Ethan. For Leo.

I let myself in through the side door, wanting to surprise them. The house was quiet. Too quiet. I walked softly down the marble hallway, my steps muffled by the expensive runner.

As I neared the living room, I heard voices. Ethan' s, smooth and confident, and another, a woman's voice, sharp and mocking. Geneva Buck. Leo' s live-in nurse.

I stopped behind a large potted palm, my heart starting to beat a little faster.

"She actually went through with it again?" Geneva' s voice was laced with disbelief and a hint of amusement. "That woman is a fool."

"She' d do anything for me. For our son," Ethan replied. His tone was casual, almost bored.

My blood ran cold. Our son? He had to mean Leo. But the way he said it...

"Our son is getting impatient, Ethan," Geneva said, her voice dropping. "He needs the next transplant soon. Is she still holding up?"

"The doctors say she' s weakening," Ethan said, a sigh in his voice. "But she' s resilient. It' s why I chose her. Kind, trusting, and perfectly healthy before the 'accident'."

The word 'accident' was coated in something ugly. My mind flashed back. The car crash, just after we were married. The doctors telling me my injuries were so severe I could never have children. The devastation. Ethan had held me, comforted me, promised we would build a family no matter what.

"You were brilliant, orchestrating that," Geneva purred. "Making her infertile ensured she' d pour all her love into Leo. Our Leo."

A wave of nausea washed over me. I gripped the wall to stay upright, the world tilting on its axis. It wasn't an accident. It was a plan.

"She had to be unable to have her own children," Ethan said, his voice cold and practical. "Otherwise, her devotion wouldn't be absolute. She wouldn't be the perfect, continuous donor."

Donor. Not a mother. Not a wife. A donor.

The secret conversation continued, each word a hammer blow against the life I thought I had.

"And bringing me in as his 'nurse' was a masterstroke," Geneva laughed. "Living under her roof, watching her waste away for my child. It' s been... entertaining."

The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, forming a picture of monstrous cruelty. My marriage was a sham. My infertility was a crime. My love for my son... was a tool they used to exploit me.

My entire seven-year marriage was a lie.

I remembered Ethan' s proposal. We were on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the sunset painting the sky. He had gotten down on one knee, his eyes full of what I thought was love.

"Elaine," he'd said, his voice thick with emotion. "I will love you and cherish you for the rest of my life. I will protect you from all harm."

Lies. All of it.

I remembered when he brought Leo home. He told me the six-month-old baby was the son of a distant relative who had passed away. He said we could give him a home, a life. My heart, already aching from my inability to conceive, had swelled with love.

Of course, I' d said yes.

Then came the diagnosis a year later: aplastic anemia. A rare, life-threatening condition. The only cure was a bone marrow transplant. And by a one-in-a-million chance, I was a perfect match.

I didn't hesitate. I would have done anything to save him.

Over the years, I gave and gave. My blood, my marrow, my energy, my love. I poured everything I had into this family.

And it was all a meticulously crafted deception.

My legs gave out from under me. I slid down the wall, landing on the cold marble floor with a soft thud. My body was too weak to even make a loud noise.

My gaze fell on my left hand. The wedding ring, a custom-designed piece with an inscription from Ethan-"My one, my only, my forever"-glinted under the hallway light. It felt like a brand, a mark of my stupidity.

He' d shower me with gifts after every donation. Expensive jewelry, designer clothes, exotic vacations. He' d hold me and whisper how grateful he was, how brave I was. It was all a payment. A transaction for my body parts.

The memories flooded me, a tidal wave of pain and humiliation. The way Geneva would subtly undermine me in front of the staff. The way Leo, as he grew older, would parrot her cruel words, his eyes cold and dismissive even as I read him bedtime stories.

He was six now. And he had learned his parents' cruelty well.

I felt a surge of rage, a desperate, clawing thing in my chest. I wanted to smash something, to scream, to tear this gilded cage apart. My eyes landed on a vase on a nearby table, a gift from Ethan. I crawled toward it, my hand outstretched.

Suddenly, the living room door swung open.

Ethan stood there, his handsome face twisting into a frown when he saw me on the floor.

"Elaine? What are you doing down there? You' ll catch a cold."

His voice was laced with its usual fake concern.

Geneva appeared behind him, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Oh dear, Mrs. Mcclure, you look terribly pale. Is something wrong?"

Leo peeked around her legs, his small face a mirror of their disdain. "You're on the floor. That's dirty."

The three of them stood there, a perfect, monstrous family, looking down at me. They were all dressed in expensive, tailored clothes, radiating health and wealth. And me? I was a mess of tangled hair, pale skin, and a worn-out body in a simple dress that now hung loosely on my shrinking frame.

A bitter, hysterical laugh bubbled up from my throat. The sound was raw and broken.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and furious.

"A walking blood bag," I whispered, the words tearing from my raw throat. "That's all I am to you."

Ethan' s face tightened. The mask of the loving husband fell away, revealing the ruthless CEO beneath.

"Leo needs another donation," he said, his voice flat. "The doctor will be here in an hour."

"No," I said. The word was quiet, but it was steel. "No more."

"Don't be difficult, Elaine," Ethan' s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "It' s not a request."

Geneva stepped forward, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Elaine, think of poor Leo. He' s just a child. How can you be so selfish?"

Leo, taking his cue, ran forward and kicked my shin. It was a weak kick, but in my fragile state, a starburst of pain shot up my leg.

"You have to save me!" he shrieked, his voice shrill. "You're my mommy, you have to!"

The pain was sharp, but the pain in my heart was a thousand times worse. This child, the boy I had loved and cared for, was my abuser.

I scrambled backward, trying to get away from them. "I'm not your mother. And I won't let you kill me."

I tried to get to my feet, to run, but my legs wouldn't cooperate.

Ethan gestured to the two burly security guards who had appeared silently in the hallway. "Take her to her room. And make sure she doesn't leave."

Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through my anger. They grabbed my arms, their grips like iron.

Ethan walked over to me, crouching down so his face was level with mine. He reached out and stroked my cheek, his touch making my skin crawl. On his other hand was a medical kit. He opened it and took out a syringe.

"I didn't want it to be like this, Elaine," he said, his voice a low murmur. "But you leave me no choice."

I started to tremble, a violent, uncontrollable shaking. "Please, Ethan, don't."

My sleeve was pushed up, revealing an arm covered in faded yellow and purple bruises, a constellation of old needle marks. His eyes flickered over them for a second, a flicker of something-was it regret?-before his expression hardened again.

The needle slid into my vein. It was a familiar, sickening sting. I watched, horrified, as my blood, my life force, was drawn from my body into the plastic tube.

My vision started to blur. My skin felt clammy and cold, turning a translucent, waxy white.

When he was done, he pulled the needle out and tossed me aside like a used-up doll. My head hit the marble floor with a sickening crack.

Through the fog of my fading consciousness, I saw him hand the bag of my blood to Geneva. She took it with a triumphant smile and kissed him on the lips.

"You see?" she murmured against his mouth. "She' s just a tool. Nothing more."

He checked my pulse, his fingers cold against my neck. "She' s out."

"Good," Geneva said. "Now we can have some fun."

He picked her up and carried her into our bedroom. The room I had so carefully decorated. Their laughter echoed down the hall, followed by sounds that made my stomach churn.

I lay there, on the cold floor, unable to move, unable to scream.

Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, silent and bitter. They had taken everything from me. My health, my ability to have a family, my love. And now, they were defiling the last sanctuary I had.

They spent the night together in my bed.

I don't know how long I lay there before I finally passed out.

When I woke, the first thing I noticed was the stale, musky scent of sex in the air. It clung to the curtains, the carpet, my clothes. I wanted to vomit.

A sliver of strength had returned to my limbs. I slowly, painfully, pushed myself up. My head throbbed, but my mind was clear. Crystal clear.

I had to get out.

I stumbled to my study. My hands shook as I pulled out a set of documents from a hidden compartment in my desk. Divorce papers. And a transfer of assets agreement. I had a lawyer draw them up months ago, a tiny seed of doubt prompting me to prepare for the worst. I never imagined the worst would be this.

I walked back towards the living room. The happy family was having breakfast. Laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air, a grotesque counterpoint to the horror of the night before.

Geneva, wearing one of my silk robes, didn't even bother to look at me. She was feeding Leo a piece of toast, cooing at him like he was a prince.

A dry, mirthless laugh escaped my lips.

I had been so blind. For years, I had ignored the signs. The way Ethan always had an excuse for why Geneva needed to stay. The way Leo treated me with a casual cruelty that Ethan always dismissed as "boys being boys."

Leo looked up at me, his mouth full of food, his expression one of complete indifference. He had my blood running through his veins, yet he looked at me as if I were a piece of furniture.

Ethan finally noticed me. He had the decency to look a little guilty. "Elaine, about last night... I' m sorry. I was just worried about Leo."

"I understand," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. I cut him off before he could spin more lies.

I walked to the table and placed the papers in front of him. "Sign these."

He looked at the papers, his brow furrowed in confusion. Then his eyes widened slightly as he read the headings. "Divorce? Asset transfer?"

But he was arrogant. He thought he still had me under his thumb. He probably assumed this was just a desperate, emotional outburst. That I would come crawling back.

He picked up the pen and signed his name with a flourish, a condescending smile on his face. "If this makes you feel better, my dear."

He didn't even read the fine print.

The moment his signature was on the paper, a massive weight lifted from my shoulders. It was done. I was legally free.

Now, I just had to escape this prison.