The doctor ventured carefully.
"Then... your wife..."
Bryce considered this for a moment, his tone flat.
"Keep going. Draw the full 2000cc."
"If I don't teach her a lesson this time, there's no telling what she'll do to Olympia next."
The doctor opened his mouth to protest, but under the weight of Bryce's stare, the words died in his throat.
Rosamond woke in a hospital bed.
She was so weak she couldn't sit up.
She reached for her phone to call her mother and knocked over the glass of water on the nightstand.
A familiar hand appeared, offering her a cup of warm water.
Rosamond forced her eyes open. Bryce's face filled her vision, inches away.
He propped her up and brought the cup to her lips.
"I know you're still upset, but you went too far yesterday."
"If I didn't teach you a lesson, how would I face Olympia?"
"Come on, don't be angry. I'll take you to visit your parents in a couple of days. That should make up for it, right?"
Rosamond listened to his magnanimous tone and, for the first time, felt a wave of pure disgust at herself.
How pathetically small had she made herself, that Bryce Delgado believed a visit to her parents was a grand enough favor to offer?
Grand enough to cancel out having 2000cc of blood ripped from her body.
When she didn't respond, Bryce took her silence for surrender. He smiled and ruffled her hair.
"I knew my Rosa would be a good girl."
"The person you should really be thanking is Olympia. She knew perfectly well you scratched her on purpose, and she still chose not to press charges."
"So to show your gratitude, don't you think you should hand over all your professional contacts and resources at the firm to her?"