Lucian didn’t even wait for my response before coldly hanging up the phone.
With the call cut off, the room’s atmosphere instantly shifted. Those people who moments ago were laughing uproariously scattered like rats.
Delilah was the last to leave. The sweetness she wore in front of Lucian vanished in an instant, replaced by a vicious glare.
“Consider yourself lucky this time,” she sneered, eyes sharp as knives. “But soon, you’ll see exactly who he truly loves and who actually matters to him.”
Juliette followed her mother, her young face twisted with the same malice. “That’s right, you ugly hag! Your daughter deserved to die. Your crippled sister too. The world’s better off without trash like you.”
My body trembled in rage, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted nothing more than to strangle them both until my gaze dropped and I saw Irene on the floor, her limbs twitching uncontrollably, white foam spilling from her lips.
My fury instantly turned into sheer panic.
I rushed to her side, frantically carrying her out, stumbling through the corridors, pushing through the crowd.
At the hospital, after a barrage of emergency treatments, the doctor’s expression was cold, his voice harsher than ever. “If you want your sister to live, keep her away from this kind of trauma. One more episode like this and she won’t make it.”
I bowed repeatedly, apologizing, my voice hoarse. “It won’t happen again, never again.”
Back in the hospital room, Irene slowly regained consciousness, her pale lips quivering as her tearful gaze met mine.
“Just let me die, Sister… why am I even alive anymore?” Her voice cracked as she broke down.
I lunged forward, holding her tightly, my tears falling uncontrollably. “You can’t die! You’re all I have left. My daughter is already gone. If I lose you too how am I supposed to live?”
Our parents had died young and it had always been just the two of us. I worked day and night to put her through school. Lucian knew all of this, he used to say, “Your sister is my sister too. I’ll take care of her, just like you.”
Back then, he secretly sent her money, making sure she ate well and dressed nicely while I was busy working. When I caught him, he scratched his head sheepishly, “I just wanted to help. Irene is family, of course I’ll look after her.”
Yet now, the man who once vowed to protect us turned his back while strangers trampled on us.
I was the fool, I believed every lie he told me.
Taking a deep breath, I wiped away Irene’s tears, forcing my tone to remain calm,
“Enough. We’ll leave this place tomorrow. No more pain. No more begging. We’re leaving it all behind.”
A trace of light returned to her lifeless eyes, but the grief lingered. “But, what about Daisy? She was only five. Are we just letting her death go unanswered?”
Tears slipped down my cheeks, but my voice was firmer than ever, “No. We’ll leave this place but I swear to you, I’ll make every one of them pay. I’ll get justice for you and for Daisy.”
It took me the rest of the night to calm her down.
But before dawn, everything spiraled again.
That humiliating video of me and Irene, crawling and barking like dogs was plastered all over the internet, skyrocketing to trending headlines.
