When I resurfaced, the world was a blurry white. The antiseptic smell attacked my nostrils, pulling me further into a painful consciousness. My head throbbed, a dull ache that resonated with every beat of my heart. My left arm, my side, and my legs screamed in protest as I tried to shift. Bandages, tight and restrictive, swaddled my body.

A nurse, a kind-faced woman with tired eyes, entered the room. "You're awake," she said softly, her voice filled with a professional gentleness. "Take it easy. You have several lacerations, a deep bruise on your side, and a mild concussion. You're lucky, given the circumstances."

Lucky. The word tasted like ash. Lucky to have survived Blake's latest act of cruelty. "Circumstances?" I rasped, my throat raw.

She hesitated, her gaze dropping to the chart in her hand. "You were brought in after an incident at your residence. Allegedly, you fell. Is there anyone we can call for you? A next of kin?"

I closed my eyes, a bitter laugh bubbling up in my chest. "No," I whispered, the word hollow and empty. "I have no family." Blake was the only family I had left, and he was the one who had put me here. The betrayal was so complete, so absolute, it was almost comical.

The nurse nodded, a flicker of pity in her eyes, before silently excusing herself. Her departure left me in a sterile silence, alone with the ghosts of my past. Blake's callous words, the guru's twisted prophecies, Chyna's triumphant sneer-they all swirled in my mind, a tormenting symphony. He hadn't even bothered to visit me. Of course he hadn't. I was just a nuisance, a loose end.

The door burst open with a jarring suddenness, making me flinch. Chyna stood there, her eyes wide, a faux look of concern plastered on her face. She rushed to my bedside, her voice a theatrical whisper. "Amelia! Oh, my dear, I was so worried! Blake told me what happened. You poor thing, you must have been so disoriented."

My blood ran cold. The sheer audacity of her performance. "Disoriented?" I replied, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "Or perhaps pushed?"

She ignored my barb, pressing on. "Blake was so upset. But the guru said it was for the best, a necessary cleansing of negative energy from the house. He said your distress was simply a manifestation of your own inner turmoil." She shook her head, a practiced sigh escaping her lips. "He even said you tried to hurt me, pushing me down."

My teeth clenched. "He said what?"

Before I could react, she reached out, her hand landing squarely on my bandaged side. A sharp, excruciating pain shot through me, making me gasp. I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead.

"Oh, Amelia, I am so, so sorry!" she cried, pulling her hand away with feigned horror. "I forgot where you were hurt! I'm so clumsy!" Her eyes, however, sparkled with malicious glee.

I glared at her, my hand slamming down on hers, pushing it away with surprising force. "Stop it, Chyna. Don't pretend. I know what you are. And I know what you did." My voice was a low growl, laced with a venom I didn't know I possessed. "And I know your babies' 'illness' was a convenient excuse to destroy my garden, wasn't it? Another one of your pathetic schemes."

Her smile vanished. Her face hardened, a mask of calculated malice replacing the false concern. "Oh, you caught on, did you? Clever girl." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a low, taunting whisper. "Yes, it was. And it worked perfectly, didn't it? Just like everything else. Blake and I, we're meant to be. The guru said so, and now we have proof. Two beautiful, healthy sons."

She chuckled, a dry, brittle sound. "You know, Blake and I have been together for years. Even when he was 'with' you, I was always the one he came back to. The one he confided in. The one he truly loved." She leaned closer, her breath smelling faintly of sweet perfume, a stark contrast to her bitter words. "Those miscarriages? He was with me every time. Celebrating our future, while you mourned a past he never truly wanted."

My mind reeled, a sudden wave of nausea, sharper and more potent than before, washing over me. The miscarriages. The nights Blake had been "working late," or "meditating with the guru." He had been with Chyna. Celebrating. While I was bleeding, grieving, dying inside. The sheer depravity of it.

A primal scream tore from my throat, raw and uncontrolled. My hand flew up, fueled by a surge of pure, unadulterated rage, and connected with her cheek with a resounding slap. The sound cracked in the sterile room.

Chyna shrieked, clutching her face. Blood welled up from her split lip. Just then, the door burst open. Blake stood there, his eyes blazing, a fury I had never seen directed at me etched on his face.

"Amelia!" he thundered, rushing to Chyna's side. "What have you done?" He cradled Chyna's face, his concern palpable, his gaze never once meeting mine.

My mind, though still reeling, snapped into focus. Blake wouldn't believe me. He never had. But I had something that could prove it. My hand fumbled beneath my pillow, pulling out my phone. I held it up, my finger hovering over the record button.

"Don't worry, Blake," I said, my voice trembling but gaining strength. "I have proof. Everything she just said? It's all right here. Every ugly, disgusting truth."

Chyna's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine panic crossing her face. Her carefully constructed facade cracked, revealing the fear beneath.

A grim satisfaction, cold and sharp, cut through my despair. I had nothing left, no family, no children, no garden. But I had this. This was my last piece of dignity, my last chance to expose their lies.

Blake's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. He took a menacing step towards me, his eyes now fixed on my phone. Just as he lunged, Chyna gasped, clutched her head, and collapsed to the floor in a dramatic faint.

Chapter 4

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