Used, Broken, Reborn, Novel

Chapter 4 Chapter 4 The hospital incident exploded online overnight. Public outrage came fast and mercilessly. Arabella's name and photos flooded the trending lists. "ArabellaTheFameSeeker" "JudithTheHeroine" The comment section was a storm of hatred. "I heard she used to be a police beauty queen. Guess now that she's crippled, this is how she gets attention. Disgusting!" "Poor Officer Jensen. She got burned saving someone like Arabella. I hope she recovers soon!" "How did she get those medals? I bet her husband, Captain Whitehead, pulled strings for them.

Someone should investigate!" People even dug up old news reports of her second-class merit award- the one she had nearly died earning. Under that article, comments like "didn't deserve it" filled the page. Arabella shut her eyes, letting the phone slip from her hand, trying to block out the poison. The door opened. Anthony walked in, looking exhausted. "You've seen the public reaction," he said flatly. "The only way to calm things down is to make a public apology to Judith. Say it was a moment of poor judgment." 1056 Chapte 4 200 Ters He paused, lowering his voice.

"The department will also temporarily revoke your award. Once things settle, I'll..." "Anthony," Arabella interrupted softly. "Do you even remember what I looked like the day I earned that medal?" Before he could answer, she went on. "My lungs were punctured. I had three ribs broken and burns all over my body. I could barely breathe. But I still did it. I told you I hadn't brought shame to you or to our mentor. "You, of all people, know exactly what that medal cost me." He swallowed hard, his tone defensive. "I know how much you sacrificed.

This is just temporary." Arabella met his gaze, her words cutting clear and slow. "I don't agree to it because I didn't do what they're accusing me of. "And I won't apologize to Judith because she planned all of this." Her last words were drowned out by crying from the room next door. Anthony stiffened. Hesitation vanished from his face, replaced by worry. He turned and rushed to Judith's ward. Arabella watched his back disappear through the doorway. The truth trembled on her lips, but she swallowed it. When he returned, his eyes were complicated, heavy.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Bella... Judith's burns are severe. The doctors recommend a skin graft. Chapter 4 A chill spread through Arabella's chest. Dread settled like a stone in her gut. And then came the words she feared. "Your tissue is the closest match." "I don't agree." Her refusal was immediate, but her voice trembled. He wanted her to let them cut her open for Judith? "Bella!" Anthony snapped. "She got hurt saving you! All they need is a small piece of skin.

How can you be so selfish?" "I said no." She turned her head away, refusing to look at him and to let him see the light in her eyes that had just completely shattered. "Get out, Anthony." The surgery went ahead anyway. It wasn't with her consent-he signed the papers himself, using both his authority as her family and her superior. When the anesthetic needle pierced her skin, Arabella felt her heart go numb along with it. After the graft, Judith's body rejected the transplant violently. Another emergency followed. The doctors issued a critical notice.

Anthony forced Arabella into the intensive care unit. Judith lay covered in tubes, her body mangled. When she saw Anthony, tears welled in her eyes. She still managed a frail smile. "Captain Whitehead, don't worry about me... I'll be fine..." Chapter 4 1 288 Vouchers Then she turned to Arabella, voice trembling. "I'm sorry for the trouble, Bella. Please don't blame him..." Each word, weak and pitiful, pushed Anthony further to her side. The monitor beeped frantically. Judith gripped his hand, sobbing. "Anton... I've never forgotten you. I've always loved you.

If there's a next life, I'll-" "There's no next life," Anthony cut in, his voice breaking. "Just stay alive. If you survive this, I'll be with you. We'll get married." He said it right there in front of everyone. Then he called the precinct, ordering someone to prepare his divorce paperwork. Arabella listened to every word. The world went deathly quiet, except for the sound of her heart shattering piece by piece. "No... I can't come between you and Bella...". Judith cried weakly. One of the team members rushed to Arabella's side, voice thick with emotion.

"Arabella, she's like this because of you! She's dying! If you have any conscience left, let them be together!" Arabella looked up at him-the same colleague who had once been her closest partner. Now his eyes held only pity for Judith and contempt for her. 64.98% 10:56 Chapter 4 784 Vouchers Her hands were ice cold as she gripped her wheelchair. After a long silence, she whispered, "Alright. I agree." At least this way, she wouldn't have to think of another excuse to end a marriage that had already fallen apart. She wheeled herself out of the ward quietly.

But when she passed a couple holding each other in the hallway, the tears finally came. The man who once held her hand at their wedding and said, "From now on, through storm and sunshine, life and death, we stand together." The man who stayed up all night nursing her through fevers. The man who used to say before every dangerous mission, "Don't be afraid. I'll come back." That man was gone. Every cherished memory she had ever held turned into a blade, cutting her heart into pieces.