Chapter 20%
The scent of disinfectant burned my nose.
My eyes fluttered open, blinking up at a ceiling painted in sterile white. My body ached in places I didn’t even know existed–like someone had taken me apart and put me back together wrong. Pain throbbed in every bone, dull but relentless.
“Awake?”
The voice pulled my gaze to the chair beside the bed.
Nathan. He sat casually with a knife in his hand, slowly peeling on apple. The steel caught the light, flashing cold across his face.!!
“You’re tougher than I thought,” he said without looking up. “Survived a fire… a drugged drink… impressive.”)
My throat was dry. “Where’s Thalia?!
“In the room next door.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Taking care of Xander“}
My fingers clenched the thin blanket.
“She saved him first, you know,” he continued, tone light, cruel. “Carried him out while you were still choking in smoke.”
The apple skin spiraled to the floor.
“She didn’t even look back.
That landed like a blade between my ribs !!
tremembered the fire. The way she turned when I called her name–and then the way she didn’t turn the second time. That wasn’t Indifference. It was finality. I’d never seen her look at me like that. As if I was already gone
…Why?” I asked, my voice hoarse and unfamiliar.
Nathan stabbed the knife into the table beside my bed with a clink.”
“You really have the nerve to ask that?” He stood, and in an instant, his fist collided with my jaw
Pain exploded through my skull. I didn’t fight back. I couldn’t.X
“You let your step sister ruin her!” he roared. “She was humiliated in front of the entire estate–smashed her head, her hair hacked off like trash, left drowned and also to die with bombs tied to her!”
I tried to speak, but he grabbed my collar and shook me like a broken doll. “You watched it happen, Troy! You didn’t stop them! You stood by that grave with your hands in your pockets while she bled“%
Another punch. This one knocked the air from my lungs.!!
“I treated you like a brother,” he hissed. “And you treated my sister like a dog!”
“Nathan.” I rasped, barely holding onto consciousness.
“My sister is everything to me,” he said. “And you-” He pulled back, hands trembling with fury.“–are the reason she doesn’t believe in love anymore. The reason she looks at Xander like he’s the only safe place left.“X
Doctors and nurses rushed in then, dragging him away, but he kept yelling.
“She loved you, you idiot! And you ruined her. For what? To prove your loyalty to your stepsister? To protect your perfect little world?” Blood pooled in my mouth as I lay back, letting the ache spread across my ribs.
“I have nothing left to say,” I murmured. “It’s all my fault.”
He stopped, narrowing his eyes.
“If you’re done hitting me. Just–I breathed, “talk to her. Ask her to come back.“} Nathan let out a laugh that sounded like it hurt &
“You think this is over?” he spat. “Xander loved her for ten y
years. You shattered her for six”
He stepped closer, leaned down, his breath harsh in my ear. “If Xander knew what you’d done to her, he’d kill you in your hospital bed.” Then he straightened his suit jacket, sneening.
“Oh, and one more thing–your precious sister?” His grin turned sinister 1 fixed her marriage, too.”
My heart stalled. “Fifty–year–old businessman. Widowed three times. Paid me the Northside project for the privilege. Your parents were
thrilled”
I tried to sit up, but the pain froze me in place.!!
“She got marned two days ago. Didn’t even call you”
Mirthan tapped the knife handle once, smirked, and walked out.
The silence after he left felt like a coffin I stared at the ceiling. The lights buzzed softly above me. I laughed. Not because anything was funny but because this was karma. It had finally found me
My phone vibrated beside me. A name lit up the screen. Bianca
Thesitated Then I answered E
“Troy Her voice cracked on the other end. “Please help me.”
I closed my eyes, Iwart sinking
“1–Im sorry,” she sobbed. “They forced me to many hem. They locked i
9:11 AM
“1–I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “They forced me to marry y him. They locked me in. I thought it was just for show, but that man he hurt me. I
tried to call you before but they wouldn’t let me. He’s disgusting. He–he..”
She broke down in loud, ugly sobs
“I love you, Troy, You’re the only one I’ve ever loved. Please don’t abandon me. Save me. Please, come take me away…
I listened, quiet!
And then, gently, I whispered, “Bianca.“%
Her breath hitched.
“I told you once, didn’t I?” I said, “Every mistake comes with a price.”
She choked on her sobs.}
“Now it’s time you learn that, too.”
I hung up. And for the first time in a long time, I lay back and let the weight of my choices crush me.
Because the truth was–I deserved every single piece of this.
And maybe… I’d just lost everything that ever mattered.
