Chapter 3

Alondra Stein POV:

The antiseptic smell of the hospital hit me first, a stark contrast to the sweet, lingering scent of lasagna at my home. I walked down the sterile corridor, each step a painful reminder of my dwindling strength. My body was a battleground, ravaged by a cancer that no one in my family seemed to care about.

Isabell's room was at the end of the hall. I could hear their voices, muffled but clear, even before I reached the door. Laughter. Always laughter.

I pushed open the door.

The room was filled with flowers, balloons, and an almost oppressive sense of gaiety. Isabell lay in the bed, propped up with pillows, a delicate silk scarf tied around her head. She looked pale, her eyes a little sunken, but her hands were perfectly manicured, and a faint smile played on her lips. She looked... sick, yes, but also perfectly composed, a performance in progress.

My parents, Glenn and Donia, sat by her bedside, holding her hands, their faces etched with concern. Hugo stood nearby, Jaret perched on his hip, both looking at Isabell with adoration. My entire family was gathered around her, their sun, their star.

"Alondra!" Isabell exclaimed, her voice a little weak, but brimming with a forced cheerfulness. "You came! I knew you would." Her eyes, however, held that familiar glint of triumph, a predator's satisfaction.

"Of course," I replied, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. I moved further into the room, feeling like an intruder.

"Mama and Papa told me about Innovatech," Isabell continued, her gaze sweeping over my parents, then to Hugo, a silent acknowledgment of their complicity. "Thank you, Alondra. It's such a generous gesture. I promise I'll make it even better. For the family."

Glenn nodded sagely. "Isabell has a real knack for business, Alondra. She understands people. It'll be good for Innovatech, too. A fresh perspective. And it will free you up to focus on your health, dear." The words were laced with a condescending tone, as if I had been a burden they were finally shedding.

My stomach churned. They saw my life's work as a burden, as something that needed a "fresh perspective" from a woman who had never built anything in her life, who had only ever taken.

"I'm glad you think so," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I took a deep breath. This was it. The final cut. "Actually, I came to transfer everything else."

Silence fell, thick and immediate. All eyes were on me, wide with astonishment. Even Isabell' s feigned fragility seemed to falter for a moment, replaced by genuine shock.

"Everything else?" Donia repeated, her voice hushed, almost reverent. "Alondra, what do you mean?"

"The trust fund," I clarified, pulling a stack of neatly organized documents from my bag. "My private accounts. All my remaining assets. Everything." I laid them on the bedside table, next to Isabell' s perfectly arranged flowers. "Consider it my full and final offering."

Hugo gasped, stepping forward. "Alondra, wait! The trust fund... that's for Jaret's future! Are you sure you want to...?" His voice trailed off, a flicker of genuine concern for my son, or perhaps just for the money, in his eyes.

I looked at him, at all of them, a profound weariness settling deep in my bones. They didn't understand. They would never understand. I was dying. What use were fortunes to a dying woman? What future could I build for Jaret when I wouldn't be there to see it? This was my last act of defiance, my final surrender. To give it all away, to divest myself of every earthly possession, so that when I finally succumbed, there would be nothing left to tie me to this world, to this family.

"I'm sure," I stated, my voice firm. "It's all here. Just needs your signatures." I pushed the documents towards Isabell.

Isabell stared at the papers, her eyes gleaming with a fierce, almost unholy avarice. The mask of the fragile invalid dropped completely, revealing the ravenous wolf beneath. A wide, predatory smile stretched across her face.

"Alondra," she purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "You're truly too good. Too generous." She picked up the pen, her hand trembling slightly, not from weakness, but from barely contained excitement.

"Just sign," I urged, my gaze fixed on her. I needed this over. I needed to leave.

Glenn and Donia exchanged glances, a mixture of pride in Isabell and a strange, almost fearful awe at my total capitulation. "She's always been the sensible one," Donia murmured, a forced smile on her face. "Always thinking of others."

"Alondra, don't," Hugo pleaded again, a hand stretching out towards the documents. "Think about it. This is too much. What about your-"

"My health?" I cut him off, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Isn't this all for Isabell's health? For her expensive, experimental treatments? I'm just making sure she has everything she needs." The sarcasm was thick, a venomous edge to my voice, but they seemed to miss it, or perhaps chose to ignore it.

Hugo flinched, his face paling. Glenn and Donia looked uncomfortable, their forced smiles faltering. They knew, somewhere deep down, the hollowness of their priorities. But they chose to look away.

"Just sign, Isabell," I prompted again, my patience wearing thin. My body screamed in protest, my head pounded, and a cold sweat broke out on my skin. I couldn't stay here much longer.

Isabell, her eyes still fixed on the documents, signed quickly, eagerly. Her hand moved with a speed that belied her "fragile" state. As the last signature was penned, she looked up, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. "Thank you, Alondra. Truly. This means... everything."

"It means nothing to me," I stated, the words cutting through the saccharine air. "I'm tired. I need to go."

Glenn cleared his throat. "Of course, dear. Get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow at the ceremony." He smiled, a self-satisfied smirk. They had taken everything, and now they expected me to witness the final insult.

Jaret, ever the innocent, tugged at Hugo's shirt. "Mommy, go home and rest! Aunt Isabell needs you to be strong tomorrow."

My heart squeezed. Even Jaret, my own son, was pushing me away, telling me to rest so I could perform my final, humiliating duty for Isabell.

I looked around the room, at the faces of my family. Not one of them met my gaze with genuine love or concern. They were a circle, tight-knit, excluding me. Isabell, the radiant center, surrounded by her adoring, manipulated court. And I, the outsider, the dying empress, had just handed over my crown.

"Goodbye," I said, the word heavy and final. Not "see you later." Never "see you later."

I turned, my back to them, and walked out. Each step was an agony. My legs felt like lead, my head swam, and a sharp, searing pain shot through my chest. The world tilted. I stumbled, catching myself on the doorframe, a gasp escaping my lips. My body was giving up, piece by agonizing piece.

I pushed myself away from the door, forcing one foot in front of the other. I had to get out. I couldn't collapse here, not in front of them. Not after giving them everything. I had to leave them with their perfect, happy illusion. Let them think I was simply tired, or perhaps even in a huff. Let them think I would be there tomorrow, a silent, compliant witness.

I clutched my side, biting back a cry as another wave of pain ripped through me. I moved as quickly as I could, a dying woman fleeing her own demise, trying to outrun the inevitable. I just needed to make it to my car. To anywhere but here.