Tobias closed the door behind him, his face painted with guilt, though his eyes still carried that sharpness I had grown too familiar with.
“Carmela,” he sighed, rubbing his temples as though I were the one causing him a headache. “I only said those things because Janine was depressed. She needed someone to lift her up. You should try to be more understanding.”
I laughed bitterly, though it came out broken. “Understanding? After everything she did, after everything I lost, you want me to understand her?”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice like he was trying to soothe me. “About the inheritance… shouldn’t you give it to her? There will be signing soon. You don’t even know how to handle business, Carmela. At least she can do something with it.”
My heart ached, but it wasn’t surprise. It was the same old wound being ripped open again.
I had been used to this—his words, his promises, the way he always managed to twist everything until I was the one who looked unreasonable.
I remembered the nights he swore he’d take me away for our anniversary, the days he promised he’d introduce me proudly as his wife, the quiet vows of “next time” that never came. I had believed him each time. I thought it was loyalty. I thought it was love. But now I knew—it was blindness.
Tobias reached into his pocket, pulling out a velvet box. “Listen. I was preparing for our wedding in five days. It was supposed to be a surprise, but maybe if you know, you’ll calm down. The ring is real this time, not plastic. We’ll merge the families officially, Carmela. Please.”
His words felt like smoke.
And still, part of me—some foolish, aching part—remembered the man I once thought loved me. But that was the illusion. My heart ached with the bitter knowledge that it was never me he wanted. It was the inheritance. It was my father’s favor.
Even my brothers—Thomas and Paul. I had spent years believing they loved me, protecting me, cherishing me as their sister. But now, looking back, I saw it clearly. They smiled because Father always placed me above them.
They played the role of loyal brothers because I was the one with everything in my hands. It was never love. It was envy, carefully dressed up as family.
And Janine… back then, I thought she was the one person I was closest to. My sister. My blood. I used to share secrets with her, defend her when people called her reckless, even cover for her when Father was angry. I thought that was what sisters were meant to do—stand by each other.
I thought she stayed close to me because we had a bond. But now, I see it differently. Maybe she was close because I was convenient. Because I could shield her. Because she could laugh behind my back with Tobias when I wasn’t looking. How long had it been going on? How many nights that Tobias claimed he was “busy” were really spent in her arms?
I thought he was building a future for us. I cooked dinners that went cold waiting for him, celebrated birthdays alone, even lit candles by myself on anniversaries.
I told myself it was fine, that he loved me but was simply working hard. That one day he’d make it up to me.
But now I knew the truth—he wasn’t busy. He was cheating. He was lying. He was building a future—but not with me.
He added softly, “Janine is back because she’s sick. Try to understand her. She needs family, and we need her too.”
I shook my head, tears stinging. “Sick? You accused me of something I didn’t do. I wasn’t the one who scammed. I even lost our baby and you—”
But before I could finish, Janine’s shrill scream echoed through the hallway.
“Help me! Tobias!”
He spun around without hesitation and bolted toward her voice, leaving me standing there. Always her. Never me.
I clenched my fists, choking back a sob. Fine. Let him run to her. Let them all. I didn’t care anymore.
I turned back to my room, wiping my tears, and struck a match. A small candle flickered to life, soft and trembling. I set it down, whispering a prayer for the child I hadn’t even known I carried—the child I lost before I could love. My lips trembled.
“My baby… I’m sorry. I should’ve protected you.”
The flame blurred as fresh tears burned my eyes.
But before I could finish, heavy footsteps thudded against the floorboards. The door burst open.
Thomas stormed in, his face dark, his hand clamping down on my wrist. “Come here.”
I tried to pull back. “What are you doing?”
“You and Janine share the same blood,” he said coldly. “She needs it. You’re going to donate.”
“No! I don’t want to—”
My protest was cut short by the sting of a fist. Paul’s fist. My head snapped to the side, the room spinning.
Pain shot through my skull, and before I could even scream, darkness swallowed me whole.
When I opened my eyes again, the world was blurry. The bright lights above me hurt. My arms felt heavy, my veins aching.
I tilted my head weakly, and horror flooded me. Tubes were strapped into my arm. My blood… they were draining my blood.
“No…” My voice was a whisper, thin and broken.
Somewhere near, I heard a doctor’s frantic voice. “We can’t take more! She’s already weak from the accident. If we push further, she won’t survive!”
“Just drain everything!” Tobias’s voice thundered, colder than ice. “I don’t care what happens to her!”
My lips trembled. He… he wanted this.
Another voice followed, Thomas’s harsh and bitter. “Make her sick. Weak enough so she can’t fight back. Enough so she’ll die slowly.”
Paul’s laugh was low, cruel. “Yes. Then we’ll have everything.”
Their words stabbed deeper than the needle in my arm. My chest heaved, my vision dimming.
I wanted to scream. To fight. To tell them that they would regret this, that I would never forgive them. But my body betrayed me. Weak. Helpless.
The edges of my vision bled into black. Their voices grew faint, muffled, like echoes in a cavern.
And then, nothing. Only darkness.
