Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 339

“Nurse, my father—he has a heart condition.”

The moment the words left her lips, the nurse froze, her hands hovering mid-air.

She turned to Hanley, her gaze sharp. “You have a heart condition, sir?”

Hanley looked startled for a split second, but then nodded honestly. “Yes, but it’s just a couple vials of blood. I’ll be fine. Save the child first.”

The nurse immediately set down her equipment, her tone firm and unwavering. “Absolutely not.”

“Patients with heart conditions cannot donate blood.”

She shook her head, her voice gentle but resolute. “Mr. Grayson, we have to keep searching for a compatible donor.”

“Keep searching? What if we miss the best window for treatment?!”

Hanley shot up from his chair, his face thunderous.

Startled, the nurse’s hand trembled. A test tube slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor.

Just then, Frieda walked in and stopped short, surprise flickering across her face.

She knew Hanley always resented her special care and affection for Gennifer, but she also knew how seriously Hanley took his own health—the man spent a fortune on private insurance every year. Was he really willing to put himself at risk for Gennifer? With a heart condition, donating blood was incredibly dangerous.

For a moment, Frieda didn’t know what to feel. Was it possible for a father to truly love an adopted daughter with whom he shared no blood ties?

Her own feelings were tangled—guilt over her best friend, gratitude for Gennifer’s kindness and filial respect over the years. Sometimes she even believed her adopted daughter could never be replaced, not even by her biological child. But Hanley? He was always busy abroad, hardly ever home.

Yet, looking at Gennifer’s ghostly pale face, Frieda’s heart twisted with ache.

That pain pushed all else aside. Swallowing the urge to cry, Frieda reached for Hanley’s arm and pressed down gently. “Your health matters just as much. I can’t bear to see you collapse in order to save her.”

“You want me to just stand here and watch my daughter die?”

Anger flared in Hanley’s eyes. He turned on Frieda, his face stormy.

Frieda recoiled in shock.

She hadn’t expected Hanley to yell at her over Gennifer. She was his wife, after all.

Her stunned expression seemed to snap Hanley back to himself. He quickly softened, massaging his temples wearily. “Frieda, I’m just so worried about her. She’s always been so good to you, and you’ve treated her like your own. I’m afraid if anything happens, you won’t be able to take it.”

Hanley’s words warmed Frieda’s chilled heart.

Choking back tears, she nodded. “I know you’re worried, but risking your health isn’t the answer. Maybe there’s someone else with AB blood type.”

It was a simple suggestion, meant to comfort.

But Hanley’s eyes narrowed, a sudden intensity in his gaze.

“AB blood type…”

He looked at Frieda. “Ruby! Our daughter Ruby—she’s AB, isn’t she?”

The mention of Ruby, her estranged daughter, made Frieda’s pulse quicken. She instantly forgot her earlier doubts. “That’s right. I’ll call her right now!”

He pulled out his phone and dialed.

This time, the call went through.

He scowled. “Ruby, get yourself down to Veyne Private Medical Center. Right now. Your sister’s in trouble—do you understand? I taught you better than this. Gennifer lost her father and we took her in; you should’ve made her feel like part of the family.”

After he finished, dead silence filled the line.

“Ruby? I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?”

Hanley’s face twisted with frustration. He turned to Frieda, snapping, “Look at the daughter you raised.”

Frieda’s expression hardened, humiliation prickling beneath her skin.

Her own child had attacked the girl she’d cherished for years. What would people say if they found out?

“Dad? Do you know any other father who’d turn his own daughter away just to play daddy to the foster kid? Hanley, ask Frieda—I already cut ties with the Graysons. Don’t talk to me like you’re above me.”

Ruby’s voice was cold, laced with biting sarcasm.

Hanley saw red. His eyes flashed with fury.

“What are you saying, Ruby? Are you cutting me off, too?”

On the other end of the line, Ruby let out a bitter laugh.

“Sometimes, I wonder if I’m even your real daughter. Maybe Gennifer’s the one you truly love.”