She Regretted Dumping Her Blood Donor Boyfriend

I broke up with Nicole Hayes, my girlfriend of ten years. It was not her or I who initiated it, but her male nurse at the hospital. Nicole suffered from severe congenital anemia. For ten years, I donated blood to her for nothing in return. During our eleventh year together, just when we were about to get married, I overheard the male nurse in charge of her transfusions say, “Wow, Miss Hayes! Don’t tell me you decided to marry this guy just because he’s been donating blood to you. “You probably don’t know this, but the hospital has a donor compensation policy. Each donation comes with a thousand-dollar stipend. “Over the last ten years, this guy must have made at least $200,000 off you, yet he still has the nerve to guilt-trip you into marrying him? How shameless!” Under Nicole’s shifting expression, he added with a smile, “Maybe I should be the one donating blood to you instead. I also have a rare blood type, but I don’t want money, and I’m not asking to marry you. I’m just kind-hearted and can’t stand people who emotionally manipulate patients.” Seeing the obvious change in her expression, I let out a soft laugh and said, “In that case, let’s do that.” Over the past ten years, I had donated blood to Nicole twice every month. To recover, I forced myself to eat pork liver until I felt like vomiting, and at one point, I became so thin that I was nothing but skin and bones. I thought Nicole understood everything I had done for her. I never expected that a few words from a stranger would make her truly believe I had been profiting from my suffering. Even more unexpectedly, she also came to think that marrying me was nothing more than emotional coercion. If that was how she saw it, fine! I would give her what she wanted. Still, she had better pray that nurse would keep his promise of donating blood to her. Chapter 1 I had been coming to this hospital to donate blood for Nicole Hayes for ten years already. I was so familiar with the place that I could find the transfusion room even with my eyes closed. This was the eleventh year. While I was donating blood, our conversations had finally led to wedding preparations. However, when I handed Nicole a selection of potential wedding venues, she did not even bother to lift her eyes to look at me. She responded with clear impatience, brushing it off casually. Then, the male nurse assisting with the transfusion, Jayden, suddenly spoke, “Are you two getting married because of the blood donations? “The hospital has a donor compensation policy. Each donation comes with a thousand-dollar stipend. Over the last ten years, this guy must have made at least $200,000 off you. “Miss Hayes, you wouldn’t get tricked into marrying someone because of emotional pressure while unknowingly being treated like a cash cow, would you?” His voice was not loud, but it was just enough for Nicole’s parents, who were accompanying her, to hear. In an instant, I could feel their gazes on me change. Even Nicole’s expression turned colder. I was about to explain that I had never taken a single cent of that so-called compensation, but before the words even left my mouth, Jayden had already removed the needle. “All done. “Oh, right. Miss Hayes, Dr. Collins asked you to go to the consultation room after your transfusion.” Nicole did not even glance at me when she heard that. She stood up and followed Jayden toward the consultation room. Her parents shot me a glare before following them out as well. I had just finished donating blood. My body was still weak, with barely any strength left in me. I could only sit there, watching them leave. I lowered my head and looked at the wedding venue options still open on my phone. I could not help but let out a bitter smile. Me, using Nicole as a cash cow and making $200,000 off her? In all these ten years, I did not gain a single cent. In fact, I had poured nearly all my savings into treating her illness! Nicole and I started dating in our second year of university. Her family was local, and her parents strongly opposed her relationship with someone from out of town like me. They tried to break us up more than fifty times. At their worst, during my campaign for student council president, they filed a complaint against me, accusing me of being vain and clinging to someone above my status. Although the accusation was false, I was kicked out of the election because of it. After that incident, Nicole argued fiercely with her parents and even threatened to cut ties with them if they continued interfering. Chapter 2 After that, Nicole moved out of her home and lived with me in a cramped rental studio apartment during my internship. Life was hard, but at least it was happy. Then, one day, I came back from my internship to find Nicole lying on the floor. Her face was deathly pale. After rushing her to the hospital, she was diagnosed with severe congenital anemia. When her parents arrived in a panic, Mrs. Hayes immediately slapped me across the face without a word. However, after hearing that Nicole would need continuous blood transfusions for the rest of her life, and that my blood type matched hers, her attitude changed instantly. She began praising me for my deep bond with Nicole. I was not naive. I understood exactly why her attitude shifted. It was not complicated. Nicole’s blood type was rare. Relying on hospital blood supplies for life would be extremely expensive. Using me as a donor would save them a fortune. I was young then, and I valued love deeply. I could not bring myself to abandon Nicole just because she was sick. In the end, I did not argue with Mrs. Hayes, and I began this long path of blood donation. For ten years, I did not take a single cent of the hospital’s donor compensation. Though my body was severely drained from repeated donations, I never once asked Nicole’s family for nutritional support. There were even many times when I covered Nicole’s medical bills myself when she could not afford them. I thought Nicole and her parents understood everything I had done over the last ten years. I never expected that just a few words from Nurse Jayden would make them believe I had earned $200,000 from her. What I expected even less was that Nicole believed marrying me was nothing more than emotional coercion. A bitter ache rose in my chest. When my strength finally returned a little, I pushed myself up from the chair and slowly walked toward the consultation room. However, before I even reached the door, I heard Jayden’s voice inside. “Miss Hayes, and Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, as a nurse, my job is to save lives. I really can’t stand people who profit off patients, or who use a patient’s illness to pressure them into marriage. “Here’s what I propose. I also have a rare blood type. From now on, I’ll donate blood to Miss Hayes instead. Don’t worry. I’m just kind-hearted. I don’t want money, and I certainly don’t want to marry her.” His voice carried an energetic, almost too-bright confidence. Before I started donating blood to Nicole, I used to speak just like that, full of strength and energy. However, after ten years of donations, I could barely even raise my voice anymore. As soon as he spoke, Mrs. Hayes immediately exclaimed excitedly, “Really, Jayden? You’re such a good person! “Honestly, I’ve never liked Evan. If it weren’t for Nicole’s illness, I wouldn’t have accepted him as a son-in-law at all. “I’ve tolerated him for ten years, and now, I find out he’s been profiting off my daughter all along. It’s disgusting!” “Well, it’s not exactly profiteering. It’s the hospital’s policy, and Evan can’t really be blamed for taking the compensation.” Mr. Hayes tried to smooth things over. Jayden spoke again. “I’m not saying he’s at fault. I just think it’s unfair that he took compensation for Miss Hayes without telling you, while you all were grateful to him. And now, he’s using that gratitude to push for marriage. That’s what feels inappropriate. “If I donate blood instead, there won’t be any of these complications. You won’t have to force yourselves to accept him as a son-in-law either. It solves everything.” Mr. Hayes said nothing more. Nicole, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. “Are you sure you can keep this up? I’ll need lifelong transfusions.” That question alone meant she was already tempted. Jayden smiled. “Of course. I have professional integrity.” Mrs. Hayes immediately made the final decision. “It’s settled. “Once we’re out, she’s breaking up with Evan. I’ve had enough of him for the last ten years!” Chapter 3 As she spoke, Mrs. Hayes swung the consultation room door open, and our eyes met. The moment she saw me, she rolled her eyes. “So, you’ve been eavesdropping? You have no shame! “But since you heard everything, I won’t bother repeating myself. “You won’t be donating blood to Nicole anymore. The wedding is off, too. From this moment on, you and Nicole are finished.” I did not look at Mrs. Hayes. My eyes stayed fixed on Nicole. “Is that what you want too?” She avoided my gaze, looking visibly uncomfortable. After a long silence, she finally answered with a single word: “Yes.” I dug my fingernails into my palm just to keep my expression from falling apart. Ten years of sacrifice, and ten years of draining my body dry. In the end, this was how they repaid me. How ironic. Suppressing the bitterness rising in my chest, I forced a smile. “All right. Then this is goodbye.” I turned around and walked away. If they truly believed a stranger would willingly donate blood to Nicole as frequently as she needed for the rest of her life, there was nothing left for me to say. When my parents found out Nicole had called off the engagement, they were furious and wanted to march straight to the Hayes’ place to demand an explanation. I stopped them. “Mom, Dad, I'm okay.” Even if I was not, it was already over. Before this latest blood donation, our wedding preparations had already begun. Nicole had organized a gathering with her closest friends to choose her bridesmaids. I was tied up with a major project at work, so I did not go. That night, I received a call from Nicole while she was drunk. She must have dialed me by accident, because she never realized the call had connected. Instead, she continued venting to her friends. “I'm so sick of Evan! He’s used my illness to keep me tied to him for ten whole years! Ten years! Anyone else would have already gotten tired of that! And he’s gotten worse-looking every single year. His face is so pale it looks sickly, and his body’s even worse. He’s nothing but bones. “The thought of it makes me sick. I can’t even say anything, though. I have to comfort him and tell him I know it’s because he’s been donating blood for me. Come on! Other people donate blood too, but they look nothing like him. He’s just become more and more sloppy. “He used to be good enough for me. Now, I don’t even want to look at him. If I didn’t need his blood, I’d never force myself to marry him.” It felt as though the blood in my veins had frozen solid when I heard those words. I had not just sacrificed my health to keep donating blood for Nicole. I had sacrificed my career, too. I never had the energy to fully dedicate myself to work nowadays. I always had to be available whenever Nicole needed a transfusion, so I turned down every business trip. As a result, every promotion passed me by, as did every raise. My declining health even prompted HR to privately speak with me several times, warning that if I did not recover soon, the company probably would not renew my contract. My supervisor, Miss Warren, tried to persuade me as well. “Evan, when you first joined the company, you were the one I had the highest hopes for. But now, everyone who started with you has either earned promotions and raises or moved to other companies as managers. You’re the only one who’s still an entry-level employee because your health keeps you from taking on important projects. “You’re still young, but you can’t keep treating your body like this! Take care of yourself. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you if there’s another round of layoffs.” There was nothing I could say. All I could do was promise Miss Warren that I would take better care of myself. For everyone else, recovering their health might have been simple. For me, it was nearly impossible. As long as I kept donating blood to Nicole, it did not matter how much pork liver I forced down or how many bowls of bitter herbal medicine I drank until my face turned pale. My body would never truly recover. I was exhausted, but Mrs. Hayes was not about to give me even a moment to catch my breath. Chapter 4 Mrs. Hayes used to say things like, “Nicole is so lucky. Despite her illness, she has Evan by her side, taking care of her and helping her. Young men as loyal and devoted as you are hard to find these days. Meeting someone like you was truly a blessing for our family.” With just those few words, she always managed to shut down my attempts to suggest taking a break and let Nicole use blood from the hospital blood bank while I recovered my health. Mrs. Hayes had only agreed to our marriage because I could donate blood to Nicole. If I ever became unable to do that, I knew her attitude would change immediately. I understood that perfectly, so for the sake of a future with Nicole, I swallowed every complaint and kept going. I truly believed Nicole understood what I had sacrificed for her. I never imagined that she would say those things after getting drunk. Also, I never imagined that once Jayden appeared, she would throw me away without a second thought. Still, perhaps Jayden’s appearance was a good thing. He helped me see the Hayes family clearly, and for the first time in ten years, I finally had a chance to take care of my own body. I went back to the traditional medicine clinic and got a new prescription. I repeatedly promised the doctor that I would actually follow his instructions and focus on recovering this time, and only then did he finally let me leave. I did not expect to see Nicole waiting downstairs when I got home. The moment she saw me, she heaved a sigh. “Why are you taking herbal medicine again? Did our broken engagement upset you so much that it made you sick? “How about this? If you return the $200,000 you made from donating blood to me, I won’t cancel the engagement. I won’t let that nurse donate blood for me either. I’ll keep using your blood instead. Deal?” I stared at her for a long time. I could not understand how the person I once loved had become someone like this. “No,” I said in a low voice. Now that I had finally seen who she really was, why would I ever go back? Nicole froze for a moment, clearly surprised that I had rejected her so decisively. After a few seconds, she added, “Fine. Then return the money I transferred to you for the wedding preparations.” The truth was that I had paid for ninety percent of the wedding expenses. Nicole had only covered ten percent, and most of that had been spent on her own family. However, I did not want to argue with her anymore. I transferred the money back immediately. From that moment on, there was nothing left connecting us. I no longer had to risk my health twice every month to donate blood to her. Nicole wanted freedom, but honestly, I wanted it even more. When my best friend, Jake, heard what happened, he waved a hand and tossed me the keys to one of his luxury cars. “Finding out who your partner really is before your wedding is worth celebrating. Take the car! Consider it my congratulations.” After driving it for only a couple of days, someone in Nicole’s family group chat posted a photo of me behind the wheel. I was just realizing I had forgotten to leave the group when Mrs. Hayes sent a message. [Obviously he bought it with the $200,000 he made off my daughter’s illness. That man has always been calculative. I disliked him the moment I first met him, and now I know why.] Other relatives immediately joined in. [Don't be angry, Mrs. Hayes. It’s a blessing that Nicole didn’t actually marry that guy. Now, she has Jayden donating blood out of pure kindness. Your daughter is truly fortunate.] [Honestly, I never liked that kid either. Even the gift he brought when we first met was embarrassingly cheap. Thank goodness we never became family, or I don’t know how I would’ve dealt with him.] That last message came from Nicole’s aunt. The first time I met her, I spent half a month’s salary to buy expensive health supplements. She was not satisfied. She dragged me to a shopping mall, picked out a designer handbag worth more than $10,000, and made me pay for it. I clenched my teeth and bought it. Still, whenever the story came up later, she never mentioned the handbag. She only complained that the supplements I originally bought were not good enough for her taste. Chapter 5 I scrolled through the messages expressionlessly and realized Jayden was in the group too. [Mr. Scott kept the $200,000 a secret before, and now that he's split up with Nicole, he immediately buys himself a car.] [Maybe I'm being cynical, but this really feels like the kind of guy who schemes to get a house and a car before marriage. Good thing Nicole didn’t actually marry him.] Nicole did not say a single word, even though she knew the car belonged to my best friend. I read every message without offering an explanation. Instead, I left the group. It was not because I wanted to play the role of the misunderstood victim. It was because I knew explaining myself would accomplish nothing. They would only say things like, “You're telling us you could’ve collected that money from the hospital and chose not to? Do you think we’re idiots?” “If you really didn’t take that compensation, where’d you get the money to buy a car?” “Your friend’s car? Who are you trying to fool?” Their minds were already made up. Anything I said would only be a waste of breath. Perhaps the notification that I had left the group made Nicole realize I was still in it, because she messaged me privately. [Evan, please don’t take what my family said to heart. They’re just upset because they think they were cheated out of $200,000.] I stared at the words ‘cheated out of $200,000’ and almost laughed. Setting aside the fact that I had never received that compensation, even if I had, it would have been the money I rightfully earned by donating my blood. Somehow, in her family’s minds, it had become money I had cheated them out of. Without another word, I blocked Nicole. A few moments later, Jayden actually sent me a friend request. [Mr. Scott, what everyone said in the group wasn’t meant as a personal attack. Don’t take it too hard.] [I’m sorry I ruined your source of income, but I really can’t stand people who use emotional manipulation. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t profit from Miss Hayes while also expecting her to marry you out of gratitude.] I stared at Jayden’s messages, and I was left completely speechless. Putting aside the fact that I had never profited from anything... Did he really think marrying Nicole was some kind of prize? Honestly, who would willingly choose to marry someone with a lifelong illness if we had not shared twelve years together? I would not, and I refused to believe Jayden was donating blood purely out of kindness either. I still did not know what his real motive was. I never replied. I turned off my phone, switched off the lights, and went to sleep. … I ate well. I rested well. I no longer had to waste my energy dealing with the Hayes family. Moreover, I no longer had to donate blood to Nicole. In less than two weeks, my complexion improved dramatically. I even had enough energy to take on a new project at work. When Miss Warren saw me, she could not help smiling. “Evan, you’re finally taking care of yourself. Look at you now! You finally look like a young man again.” I smiled back. For the first time in years, I felt like I had come back to life. Over the next few days, I devoted myself entirely to the project. Not only did I complete it ahead of schedule, but during the company’s creative meeting, I also proposed several new ideas. After hearing my presentation, my department director nodded approvingly. “Evan, you’ve been like a different person lately. You finally have some energy again. At this rate, I might just put you in charge of the new branch office project.” I immediately nodded. “Thank you, Mrs. Yates. I won’t let you down.” Before leaving work that evening, I finished all of my own tasks and even helped several coworkers solve some difficult problems. That would have been unimaginable before. Back then, my body had been so depleted that simply reading through project documents for too long would leave me completely exhausted. A project that others could finish in a week took me at least ten days, even with constant overtime. Now, everything was different. Not only could I finish my own work efficiently, but I even had the energy to help my coworkers and build better relationships with them. Perhaps this was not the best way to put it, but for the first time in a very long time, I finally felt like a normal person again. Chapter 6 I was no longer merely Nicole’s personal blood bank. A little over a month passed. During that time, Jayden donated blood to Nicole twice. After each donation, he would post about it on social media, along with photos of Nicole’s family treating him to dinner at an upscale restaurant. I had heard of that restaurant. It was incredibly expensive. One meal cost about as much as two months of the Hayes family’s income. Nothing was more expensive than something that was free. To avoid paying for blood from the hospital blood bank, Nicole’s parents had first guilted me into donating for years. Now they had turned to Jayden, who kept insisting he wanted nothing in return. It was true that he had never asked for money. Still, the cost of treating him to those two dinners was higher than simply paying for blood from the hospital. I did not say a word when I found out about it. It was not my problem anymore. One weekend, while out with Jake, we unexpectedly ran into Mrs. Hayes. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. She grabbed my arm and immediately started complaining about Jayden. “That nurse kept saying he didn’t want money, but he insisted we take him to Wilton’s for dinner every single time after donating blood. Once would’ve been one thing, but every time? We can’t afford a place like that! “If I’d known he’d be like this, I’d rather you kept donating blood for Nicole. At least you made money from it, so we wouldn’t have to spend so much. Everybody wins!” Before I could answer, Jake pulled my arm away from her. “Madam, who do you think you are? Do you think you can just demand people to donate blood? You’re acting like some big shot when you’re nobody special.” Mrs. Hayes’ face immediately turned pale. She frowned at me. “Evan, you’re just going to let your friend speak to your future mother-in-law like that?” In the past, seeing Mrs. Hayes upset would have made me back down immediately. This time, I only answered calmly, “What my friend said is exactly what I wanted to say.” “Mrs. Hayes, let’s not talk about a ‘future mother-in-law’ anymore. The engagement is over, and our families have nothing to do with each other now. As for Nicole’s blood donation, I won’t be doing it again.” Mrs. Hayes’ face turned white with anger. I did not even spare her another glance. Jake and I simply walked away. While we were on our way, he praised me. “I honestly thought you’d cave again. I figured she’d say a few nice words and you’d go right back to being Nicole’s personal blood bank.” I smiled. “Back then, I couldn't let go of our years together. Now that I've finally moved on, I don’t care about them anymore.” Jake gave my shoulder an approving pat. After that, my health improved more and more. The traditional medicine doctor said I would not fully recover anytime soon, but aside from intense physical exercise, I could handle a normal work schedule and everyday life without any problems. I successfully wrapped up several major projects. Miss Warren happily submitted my performance for review. Soon afterward, I received a raise, and Mr. Yates officially handed me the new branch office project. As my plane flew toward the branch office, I looked out the window at the drifting clouds and felt completely at peace. The love I had devoted ten years to had betrayed me, but every step I had taken in my career still counted. Those efforts would never betray me. I closed my eyes and slept soundly for the rest of the flight. The moment I landed and turned my phone back on, I was greeted by dozens of messages from Nicole and her parents. [Evan, that nurse disappeared!]