Chapter 4

The lie hung heavy in the air, a familiar stench of deceit. He hadn't bought Kori any pastries. He hadn't even veered towards her favorite bakery. He had simply driven directly to my apartment. His real purpose, a chilling realization, was to intercept me.

We arrived at the hospital, the tension in the car thick enough to cut. I barely waited for him to fully stop before I was out the door. The sterile air of the hospital, usually a comfort, felt charged tonight.

I walked directly to Kori's room. Cassius followed behind me, a silent, menacing shadow. Kori was propped up in bed, a delicate porcelain doll, her eyes still a little too wide, her movements too languid. She looked like the picture of fragile recovery.

"Alana," she whispered, her voice weak, a mere breath. "Thank you. For everything." She extended a pale hand towards Cassius, who immediately took it, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The tableau was sickeningly sweet, a performance for an audience of one: me.

"You're stable, Kori," I stated, my voice devoid of emotion. "The baby is strong. We'll continue to monitor you, but barring any unforeseen complications, you should be discharged in a few days."

Just as I turned to leave, her hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. Her grip was surprisingly firm for someone so 'fragile'. Her eyes, usually so innocent, held a desperate plea.

"Alana, please," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I know... I know you blame me. For everything that happened. With your mother. With your grandmother." She paused, her gaze flicking nervously to Cassius, who stiffened beside her. "But I... I wasn't myself. That night, with your father... I was drugged. He offered me a drink, and then..." Her eyes filled with tears, big, shimmering pools of false sorrow. "I barely remembered what happened. Cassius knows. He saw. He helped me cover it up. Said it would ruin our families if anyone knew."

The words hit me like a physical blow. The air drained from the room. My mother. My grandmother. The two women I loved most in the world, gone because of a web of deceit, a betrayal so profound it had nearly swallowed me whole. And now, Kori was trying to shift the blame, to paint herself as a victim, to drag Cassius into her twisted narrative.

My blood ran cold. The familiar, icy grip of rage squeezed my heart. Two tragedies, two women I loved lost, and she dared to spin this lie, this pathetic excuse. I could feel the eyes of the nurses, the interns, everyone in the room, turning towards me. Judging. Waiting for my reaction.

I remembered the call from the police, the bland, careful words about "no foul play," about my mother's "prior history." I remembered my father's stony silence, his refusal to discuss it. I remembered Cassius, my fiancé then, holding me, whispering comforts, telling me not to blame myself. All of it, a carefully constructed illusion.

The coldness that had settled in my stomach earlier now spread through my entire body. It was a familiar chill, the kind that preceded a storm.

With a surge of strength, I ripped my wrist from her grasp. I didn't look at her, didn't look at Cassius, didn't look at anyone. I just turned and walked away. My spine was ramrod straight, my steps deliberate. I refused to let them see my pain. I refused to give them the satisfaction.

The hospital corridor was a blur of pale green walls and muted sounds. The antiseptic smell, usually comforting, now seemed to mock me, a reminder of the sickness and deceit that festered beneath the surface. I walked faster, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.

I found an deserted emergency exit staircase, pushing through the fire door with a violent shove. The cold, stale air of the stairwell enveloped me. I leaned against the concrete wall, pressing my palms together, squeezing them tighter and tighter until my fingernails dug into the flesh.

A sharp, stinging pain bloomed in my left palm. I looked down. A crescent moon of blood welled up from beneath my nail. It was a physical ache, a small, tangible anchor in the swirling chaos of my mind.

But even this, the fresh wound, the throbbing pain, was nothing compared to the old ones. The ancient, festering wounds that Kori's venomous words had ripped open. The betrayal, the lies, the sheer audacity of it all. It was a fresh wave of nausea, a familiar, unwelcome guest. My stomach clenched into a hard knot, a painful echo of the past.