Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Hayden POV:

The phone call came in the dead of night, slicing through the thin veil of unconsciousness I had managed to snatch after hours of inconsolable weeping. My hand fumbled for the receiver, my heart already a frantic drum against my ribs. Dread, cold and heavy, had been my constant companion since Kingsley' s betrayal.

"Ms. Carpenter?" A somber voice on the other end, formal and sterile, confirmed my worst fears. "This is Dr. Evans from St. Jude's Hospital. I'm calling to inform you... we've lost Julia."

The world spiraled. The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering to the floor. "No," I whispered, the sound torn from the deepest part of my soul. "No, no, no." It couldn't be true. It simply couldn' t. Julia, my bright, hopeful Julia, couldn't be gone. She was supposed to live. She had so much life left to live.

My legs gave out. I crumpled to the floor, the cold tile pressing against my cheek, mirroring the chill that had seized my very core. My lungs burned, air refusing to enter or leave. I clawed at my throat, desperate for a breath, but it was like trying to breathe underwater. Suffocation. That' s what it felt like. Not just physical, but spiritual.

Guilt, raw and corrosive, ripped through me. This is all your fault, Hayden. I should have fought harder. I should have found another way. I should have never trusted Kingsley. My mother's face flashed before my eyes, her gentle smile, her loving gaze. I failed you, Mom. I failed Julia.

A searing hatred for Kingsley, a poisonous, all-consuming fire, ignited in my chest. He had done this. He had murdered my sister. He had taken her life with his callous indifference, his selfish arrogance. He had stolen the heart, but he had ripped out mine in the process. He was not just a husband; he was a killer. I would never forgive him. I would never forget.

The world went black.

The next few days blurred into an indistinguishable haze of grief and pain. My body moved on autopilot, a hollow shell guided by instinct. I found myself at Julia's graveside, the freshly turned earth a gaping wound in my heart. Two graves, side by side. My mother's, and now Julia's. It felt wrong, utterly wrong, for a life so young to be laid to rest.

I stared at her headstone, at the smiling picture of Julia, vibrant and full of life, her eyes sparkling with dreams. She was just sixteen. Sixteen. She had wanted to travel the world, to sing, to dance like her big sister. Now, she was gone. A victim of circumstance. No. A victim of betrayal.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl," I whispered, my voice hoarse, raw with unshed tears. "I tried. I really tried."

The hospital chaplain, a kind-faced woman with sorrowful eyes, approached me cautiously. "Hayden," she said softly, her voice filled with gentle understanding. "I just wanted to say how truly sorry I am for your loss. We did everything we could."

I offered a bitter, humorless laugh. "Did you? Did you really, Father? Or did you just follow orders?"

Her gaze faltered, a flicker of discomfort crossing her face. "Sometimes," she began, then stopped, her words caught in her throat. She simply shook her head and walked away, leaving me alone with my ghosts.

The sky above mirrored my soul, a heavy, gray canvas that threatened rain. A cold gust of wind ruffled my hair, bringing with it the scent of damp earth and dying leaves. I reached into my coat pocket, my fingers closing around the small, intricately carved wooden bird Julia had given me years ago. It was her good luck charm, she'd said. Her heart.

"Hayden, you' re the best big sister in the whole world," Julia' s voice, bright and clear, echoed in my memory. We were sitting by the window, watching the rain, years ago. She had just seen me cry after a particularly grueling ballet practice, my prosthetic leg aching. "Don' t worry, you' ll find someone who sees you, all of you, not just your leg. Someone who loves you completely."

"You think so, Juju?" I had asked, skeptical, wiping my tears.

She had nodded emphatically, her eyes serious. "I know so. And when you do, he' ll be the luckiest man alive. You deserve all the happiness."

Her words, once a comforting balm, now felt like a cruel irony. I had believed her. I had believed I found that person in Kingsley. I had believed my love, though imperfect, was true. I had believed I deserved happiness. And look where it had led us.

I clenched the wooden bird in my hand, the sharp edges digging into my palm. The rain began to fall, soft at first, then heavier, mingling with the fresh tears that streamed down my face. My love for Kingsley had led to Julia's death. My trust in him had cost everything.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, a cold, hard resolve settling in my heart. The tears were done. The grief, though it would always be a part of me, would no longer cripple me. Kingsley had taken everything, but he would not take my spirit. He would not take my will to fight. I would divorce him. I would sever every tie. He had made his choice. Now, I would make mine. He was not my husband. He was Julia's killer. And he would pay.