Chapter 10
The first thing I felt was pain.
A sharp, searing sensation radiated from my feet, and my chest tightened as I gasped for air. My eyes shot open, the blinding white of the hospital room nearly overwhelming me.
I screamed, the agony hitting me all at once. My hands clutched at the blanket covering me, and I struggled to sit up.
“Amanda! Amanda, calm down!”
Bryant’s voice cut through the haze, and I turned my head to see him sitting beside me. His face was pale and his eyes filled with worry. His arm was bandaged. There’s a dark bruise forming near his
wrist.
“What happened?” I choked out, tears streaming down my face. “Why am I here? Why do I-” I looked down, noticing my feet wrapped in thick layers of gauze. My
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heart raced. “Why do I feel like this?”
Bryant reached for my hand, his touch warm but steady. “Amanda, listen to me. You were in a fire. At the fitting shop. You inhaled a lot of smoke, and your feet… they got burned when you tried to escape. Can you remember now?”
I stared at him, my mind racing to piece together fragments of memory–the explosion, the smoke, the locked door.
“And you?” I asked, noticing his
bandaged arm. “You‘ re hurt too. Did you save me?”
He gave me a weak smile. “Just a scratch. I’m fine. And of course, I did. I was so glad you‘ re alive. I thought I was late…”
Before I could press further, the door to the room opened, and my parents, Dorothea and Andres, rushed in.
“My baby!” Dorothea cried, enveloping me in a gentle hug. She pulled back quickly, her tear–streaked face a mix of
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relief and worry. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck,” I muttered, my voice shaking.
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“We’re just glad you‘ re alive,” Andres. said. He stood near the foot of the bed, his hand resting protectively on Dorothea s shoulder.
“What happened?” I asked, my voice. trembling. “Why was there a fire?”
Dorothea glanced at Andres before answering. “The police are investigating it now. They’re not sure yet, but they said someone started it. It wasn‘ t an
accident.”
My heart sank. The memory of that locked. door flashed through my mind, and a cold certainty settled in my chest. “It was Nadia,” I said, shaking my head. She could pull this off. I knew her. “She did. this.”
Dorothea hesitated. “Amanda, we don‘ t have any proof. Even if it was her-”
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“It was her!” I snapped, anger bubbling to the surface. “She threatened me. She
said she’d get her revenge because I stole everything from her!”
Andres sighed, his jaw tightening. “We can’t accuse her without evidence, Amanda. As much as I want to hold her accountable, the law doesn’t work that
way.”
Bryant, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up. “If we don‘ t have evidence,” he said, his voice calm but dangerous, “then we’ll make some.”
I turned to him, my brows furrowing.
“What do you mean?”
He leaned forward, his lips curving into a faint smile. “You don‘ t have to worry about that. I’ll settle it. You need to focus
on recovering.”
There was something unsettling in the way he said it, but I was too drained to question him further. I let my head fall back against.
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the pillow, closing my eyes as exhaustion overtook me.
Days passed in a blur of painkillers and physical therapy. On the morning of my discharge, I sat in my hospital bed, flipping through channels on the television when a breaking news alert stopped me cold.
“Nadia, fake daughter of Smith family, Wanted for Arson and Attempted Murder of the real daughter of Smith,” the reporter announced.
My breath hitched as the screen displayed pictures of Nadia alongside damning evidence–testimonies, security footage, and a detailed police report.
“The Smith family has offered a generous. reward for information leading to Nadial Smith’s arrest. Sources confirm that she orchestrated the recent fire at a prominent bridal shop.”
I turned to Bryant, who had just walked in with my discharge papers. “So… she did
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it?” I asked, my voice laced with disbelief.
“You found evidence?”
Bryant shook his head, his expression unreadable. “No. I fabricated it with some help underground. But once she’s in custody, we’ll make sure she confesses.”
My blood ran cold. “Make her confess? How are you going to do that?”
He stepped closer, his voice low. “I’ll do everything for you, Amanda, even if I have to torture her to know the truth.”
I stared at him, my hands trembling.
He tilted his head as he held my hand.
“Are you scared?”
I shook my head, my jaw tightening as rage replaced my fear. “No. I‘ m furious. I want to kill her myself so you better make sure you’ll catch her alive.”
I clenched my fists. If Nadia thought she could destroy me, she was about to learn just how wrong she was.
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