Chapter 3

Jillian POV

The impact sent a fresh wave of agony through my injured leg, making me cry out, a raw, involuntary sound. I barely registered hitting the ground before a sharp, stinging slap landed across my face, snapping my head to the side. My cheek burned.

I looked up, my vision blurry with pain and tears. Aida stood over me, her face a mask of false concern, though a flicker of cruel satisfaction danced in her eyes. She wore a delicate silk robe, perfectly coiffed, looking entirely too serene for someone supposedly in a hospital.

"Oh, my poor Jilly," she cooed, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Did you fall? Be careful, darling." Then, her gaze shifted to Damian, who had just entered the room behind me, his eyes already fixed on Aida. "Damian, darling, she pushed me! She's so angry, I just... I tried to help her, and she lashed out." Aida' s voice became a trembling whisper, her eyes welling with crocodile tears. "She hates me so much. I don't know what to do."

Damian's eyes hardened as he looked at me, lying on the floor. His gaze was cold, devoid of any warmth or understanding. "Jillian, what are you doing?" he said, his voice clipped, filled with barely concealed irritation. "You came here to apologize. Not to cause more trouble."

My stomach churned with a nauseating mix of humiliation and despair. He believed her. Of course, he believed her. He always believed her. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms, the sharp pain a small anchor in the storm of my emotions.

"Aida," Damian said, his tone softening as he turned back to her, a tenderness in his voice that twisted the knife in my heart. "She's here to apologize. Let's hear it, Jillian."

The words felt like ash in my mouth. My jaw ached, my throat tight with unshed tears and a burning rage. But Cristopher. I closed my eyes, picturing his terrified face, the desperate plea in his eyes.

"I... I apologize," I forced out, each word a slow, agonizing crawl from my soul. My voice was raspy, barely a whisper. "For... for everything."

Aida tilted her head, a venomous smile playing on her lips. "Is that all, Jilly? It doesn't sound very sincere. And you didn't even say my name."

My blood ran cold. She was enjoying this. Relishing in my degradation.

"My brother," I rasped, ignoring her taunt. "Is he... is he safe?"

Aida let out a delicate gasp, clutching her chest. "Oh, Damian, she's still trying to deflect! She's still blaming me for Cristopher's predicament! She's trying to make me feel guilty!" Her voice rose in a wail. "She really does hate me!"

Damian' s face darkened instantly. His eyes, when they landed on me again, were no longer just cold; they were filled with a chilling, raw fury I had never seen directed at me. My heart thumped against my ribs, a frantic, trapped bird.

"Jillian," he snarled, his voice low and dangerous, "You will stop. Now. You will apologize properly. And you will never, ever question Aida again."

He took a step towards me, his presence looming, menacing. The air crackled with his anger. I shrank back, a tremor running through me. This wasn't the indifferent Damian I knew; this was a ruthless, terrifying stranger, fueled by a terrifying devotion to Aida.

"I gave you a chance to apologize, Jillian," he continued, his voice devoid of any pity. "Since you insist on being difficult, Aida, my love, you can decide her punishment. Whatever you deem fit."

Aida's eyes gleamed, a wicked, triumphant spark. She smiled, a truly unsettling smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, Damian, you're too kind. I just want her to understand the pain she caused." She looked at me, her gaze lingering on my injured leg, then flickered to the grand, sweeping staircase in the foyer outside the room. "Perhaps... a little walk? A reminder of humility."

Damian' s lips curved into a soft, indulgent smile. "As you wish, my love." He looked at the two hulking men who had brought me here. "Make it happen."

"No!" I screamed, finally finding my voice, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Damian, no! You can't! This is cruel! After everything, after eight years, how can you do this to me?" My mind raced back through the years, the quiet sacrifices, the endless patience, the hope I had clung to, the love I had poured into a void. It was all for nothing. Less than nothing.

He didn't even look at me. He simply turned, his arm gently wrapping around Aida's waist, and began to lead her out of the room. "Take her," he ordered, his voice flat, devoid of any emotion.

The men grabbed me, pulling me roughly to my feet. I fought, thrashing and screaming, but they were too strong. My fingernails tore, breaking off painfully as I desperately clawed at their arms, trying to cling to the doorway, to anything that would stop this nightmare. But they dragged me out, my heels scraping against the floor.

As they pulled me towards the grand staircase, I saw two housemaids sprinkling shards of broken glass onto the marble steps. My blood ran cold. This wasn' t a "little walk." This was torture.

"Please, no!" I cried, my voice hoarse. "Damian! Please!"

He paused at the top of the stairs, still holding Aida, his back to me. He didn't turn around. Aida leaned her head on his shoulder, a small, triumphant smirk on her face. Then, they descended the staircase, not sparing me a single backward glance, leaving me to my fate.

The men dragged me to the bottom of the stairs. One of them twisted my arm, forcing me to kneel on the first step, my injured leg screaming in protest. Then, with a brutal shove, he pushed me forward. I stumbled, my knees scraping against the sharp edges of the glass shards. A jolt of agonizing pain shot through my legs, through every nerve ending.

"Get up!" one of them barked, kicking my uninjured leg. "Climb!"

Tears streamed down my face, not just from the physical pain, but from the searing humiliation, the utter betrayal. My body screamed in protest, but I had no choice. For Cristopher. I had to survive this. I had to get back to him.

I crawled, each movement an excruciating ordeal. The glass bit into my knees, my hands, even my forearms as I dragged myself upwards. Blood seeped through my clothes, mingling with my tears. The world started to tilt, my vision blurring, spots dancing before my eyes. The pain was too much. The humiliation was too much.

My head spun. I couldn't breathe. Everything was fading. Just before consciousness completely abandoned me, I saw Damian and Aida, still at the bottom of the stairs, still ignoring me, walking away.

A choked sob escaped my lips, and then, darkness. I tumbled backwards, down, down, down, the hard, sharp steps a blur of agony, until I hit the bottom with a sickening thud.

When I next woke, the world was a hazy, painful blur. I was back in a hospital bed, my body aching uniformly. A nurse was checking my IV. "Cristopher," I whispered, my throat raw. "My brother."

The nurse paused, her face grim. "He's... holding on, Mrs. Ramsey. But he's not good. He might not make it through the night."

My heart plummeted. No. Not my Cristopher. Desperate, I pushed myself out of bed, ignoring the fresh wave of agony from my lacerated body. I stumbled out of the room, determined to find him.

I found my way to his ward, a chilling silence hanging in the air. His door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open. He lay there, hooked up to a myriad of machines, his chest barely rising and falling. His face was pale, almost translucent.

"Cristopher," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. I limped to his bedside, reaching for his hand, my fingers trembling as I clutched his cold, fragile skin. "Please, little brother. Please wake up."

The door swung open, and Aida glided in, a chilling calm about her. She looked at Cristopher, then at me, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. "Still clinging on, I see," she said, her voice a soft, malicious purr. "Such a fighter."

"What do you want?" I snarled, my voice raw with hate. "Haven't you done enough?"

She laughed, a delicate, mocking sound. "Oh, Jilly, my dear. I'm just getting started. Your brother? Such a nuisance. But don't worry, he won't be for long." Her eyes gleamed with an evil satisfaction. "Unless, of course, you leave Damian. For good. Disappear. Never contact him again."

"You monster!" I shrieked, my blood boiling. "You're threatening to kill him? Because of me?"

"He's a constant reminder of you," she said, shrugging delicately. "And Damian... he's mine. All mine. You understand? If you stay, if you even think about coming between us, your precious brother will pay the ultimate price. Damian needs me more than he needs you. He needs me more than he needs your whole worthless family."

My hand flew out, a primal, uncontrolled reaction. The sound of my palm connecting with her cheek echoed in the room, sharp and satisfying. Aida's head snapped back, her eyes wide with shock, a red mark blooming on her pale skin.

I grabbed her by the throat, my fingers digging into her soft flesh, all my pain, all my rage, all my despair coalescing into this one violent act. "If you touch him," I hissed, my voice a low, terrifying growl, "if you so much as look at him wrong, I swear to God, I will end you. You hear me? You will regret the day you were born."

A powerful hand suddenly grabbed my arm, wrenching me away. I cried out as the force pulled at my still healing wounds, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body. I stumbled back, nearly falling.

Damian stood there, his face contorted in a terrifying mask of fury. He held Aida close, his hand gently stroking her reddened cheek. Aida, ever the actress, dissolved into theatrical sobs. "Damian! She hit me! She tried to choke me! She's crazy!"

Damian's eyes, burning with a cold, murderous rage, fixed on me. "Jillian, what have you done?" he snarled, his voice a venomous whisper. "How dare you touch her?"

"She was threatening Cristopher!" I screamed, desperate to make him see. "She admitted it! She's lying about everything! She framed him for corporate espionage! She's the one who's trying to kill him!"

Damian merely let out a mocking laugh. "Aida would never do such a thing. You're delusional." He pulled out his phone, his thumb flying across the screen. "You want to talk about threats, Jillian? Fine. Your brother's life support. Consider it disconnected."

My blood ran cold. My entire body froze. "No!" I shrieked, my voice tearing through the air, but it was too late. I saw him press "send".