From Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise

Chapter 0005

It was indeed a great humiliation for Darwin. As Luke led Lisa towards the bedroom, mockingly daring Darwin to stop them.

Luke smirked, pulling Lisa closer. "Darwin, my friend, any objections?" he taunted. Darwin clenched his fists, struggling to find words.

Lisa glanced back, her voice cold, "You never really knew me, Darwin." Luke chuckled, "Looks like your fairy tale just took a dark turn." All he could do was watch in anguished silence. The betrayal cut him deeper than any blade could, especially knowing that Lisa had never truly loved him at all.

Yet through the haze of pain, Darwin knew he had to leave this place. With great effort, he pushed himself up from the floor, still reeling from the blow to his head.

Lisa jeered, "Look at him, attempting to escape like a wounded puppy."

Luke added with disdain, "Pathetic. He never had a chance."

Luke and Lisa's cruel laughter echoed behind him, but he refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break down further.

Stepping outside was a struggle, every movement agony through his blurred vision and pounding skull. Darwin leaned heavily against the wall, taking a moment to breathe through the dizziness. He knew he needed medical help, but the hospital was still some distance away.

Summoning his remaining strength, Darwin began the long walk, stumbling more than stepping. All the while, Luke and Lisa's taunts echoed in his mind, mocking him even when out of sight. Every step sent fresh waves of dizziness through him, and more than once Darwin nearly collapsed from the effort.

By the time he reached the street, he could barely see through the blood loss. Darwin staggered out into the road, oblivious to his surroundings. Up ahead, a car approached around the bend. But as the vehicle drew near, the driver glanced up - and slammed on the brakes with a curse.

The tires screeched loudly on the asphalt, but it was too late. Darwin tripped and fell heavily onto the road before the car, narrowly avoiding being hit. The driver jumped out, furious at the near accident. "Hey, watch where you're going!" he shouted at Darwin. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

In a feeble plea for help, Darwin uttered, "I... I'm hurt. Please, help me."

The irate driver, assuming deception, scoffed, "You're probably faking it, trying to scam me or something."

But when he got a good look at Darwin for the first time, the man fell silent in shock. Darwin lay in a crumpled heap, his face deathly pale from blood loss. Only then did the driver notice the deep gash on Darwin's head, still oozing crimson down the side of his face.

Rushing to Darwin's side, the man knelt down in concern. "My god, you're hurt," he said, his earlier anger replaced by worry. "What happened to you, mate? Let me call an ambulance..." His voice trailed off as Darwin, on the brink of unconsciousness, could only whisper in response.

At that moment, a noble lady in her late 50s stepped out of the passenger seat. Her grey hair was tied back elegantly, and worry lines creased her forehead as she gazed upon the injured boy.

"Good heavens, what has happened here?" she asked the driver in a refined accent.

He explained, "This young man stumbled out in front of the car. I slammed on the brakes but nearly hit him. Then I saw he was badly hurt."

The lady knelt beside Darwin, pressing a hand to his pale cheek. "The poor dear. We must get him medical help straight away."

She helped lift Darwin into the backseat, where he lay motionless except for shallow breaths. The driver sped off with sirens blaring, arriving at the hospital in record time.

Nurses rushed Darwin inside on a stretcher. "He's lost a lot of blood," one called to the attending physician.

In the operating room, the doctor examined Darwin's wound. "He's slipping into a coma. We need a transfusion, stat."

The noble lady, with a deep concern in her eyes, turned to the doctor, "Please, do whatever it takes to save this young man. Time is of the essence."

The blood was rushed in, but the doctor frowned. "His type is AB negative. Do we have any in stock?"

A nurse checked the records. "No, doctor, our supply is low on that rare type. The next shipment isn't due for a week."

From the viewing room, the noble lady gasped upon hearing Darwin's rare blood type. "Check my records. I am a frequent donor and my blood is AB negative," she told the doctor. "Please, use my blood for the transfusion."

The doctor frowned in concern, he looked at the lady then at Darwin who was lying motionless before speaking . "I'm afraid that would be against protocol, madam. We cannot perform transfusions between immediate family."

"But I do not know this boy," the lady insisted, though a seed of doubt had taken root in her mind. She and Darwin did bear a striking resemblance, now that she studied his unconscious features up close. "This must be some misunderstanding."

“You don’t know him?” The doctor seemed to be shocked, he looked at the lady’s face and then Darwin’s face, asked carefully, “But...your faces are so similar...sorry for the offense but you two looked like mother and son.”

“What?”

The lady was shocked, she didn’t really observe Darwin’s face before, but when she was reminded by the doctor, she looked very carefully on Darwin’s pale face.

His eyes, nose, mouth...

Her mind raced as she recalled a secret from her past, one she had buried deep for decades. Could it be...?

The doctor held firm. "Forgive me, but if you’re sure that you have no blood relations, the transplant could start right away."

The lady felt faint, placing a trembling hand on Darwin's forehead. Through her swirling thoughts, one stood out - she had to save this boy, no matter her own turmoil.

"No doctor, please don’t. I think we need a paternity testing, right now."