Isla's POV
The ward was too quiet. Only the steady hum of the IV pump and the shallow ache in my ribs reminded me I was still alive.
I lay propped against the pillows, arm bound in plaster, side wrapped tight. Every breath stabbed sharp, but none as sharp as the memory of Javier pulling Sofia up from the stairwell... and leaving me there.
Hours later, he finally came. A tray of food in his hands, his expression dark.
"You should have been more careful," he said. "The doctors said you could've broken your neck too."
I almost laughed. The sound came out raw. “Careful? She attacked me. But it doesn’t matter since you chose her. Again.”
His jaw tightened, eyes cold. "I know you pushed her. Second time you tried to hurt her in the same fucking day. She has bruises. Do you realize how this looks? You've made yourself look really crazy."
Was my own injury a joke to him?
"Crazy?" I snapped, my voice cracking. "She set fire to our home. She tried to kill me tonight. And you're worried about appearances?"
He looked away, dismissing me with a flick of his hand. "Just stop."
Before I could scream at him, the door burst open.
Flashbulbs exploded, almost blinding me. Reporters poured in, shouting over one another.
"Mrs. Carlucci, is it true you attacked Sofia Carlucci twice today?"
"Is it true the fire started because of your negligence?"
"Your mother's foundation supports hundreds of children—do you still plan to run it after nearly killing your own?"
And then Sofia appeared. Dressed in white, a soft bandage wrapped around her ankle. She definitely tipped them off.
She looked like some tragic angel as she limped inside, hand pressed delicately to her chest.
"I didn't want this," she whispered, just loud enough for every microphone to catch. "But Isla's temper... it scares me. She pushed me down the stairs. I only pray she doesn't hurt herself—or the children."
Cameras clicked furiously.
I shot up despite the pain. "You are such a liar. Just wait till I get my hands on you!"
Javier gripped my good arm. "Calm the heck down. Don’t make things worse!" he growled under his breath.
Sofia gave a fragile smile, eyes wet. "Please, don't blame her. She's the twins' mother. I only want peace."
The reporters ate it up. By the time the nurses forced them out, my body was shaking so violently I thought my stitches would tear.
I wanted to scream. To claw her face apart until the mask ripped away. But all I could do was sit there, while the whole world believed her saint and me the monster.
Hours passed. The hospital dimmed for the night.
When the nurse came to wheel me for scans, I asked her to stop by the twins' ward. I needed to see them
—to remind myself what I was fighting for.
But halfway down the corridor, I froze.
A door almost closed. Soft light spilled out. And with it, Javier’s voice. Husky. Intimate.
"Don't," he murmured. "Someone might hear."
Sofia's laugh slid like poison through the gap. "Let them. You've hidden me long enough."
My pulse thundered.
I pushed the door open an inch, just enough to see.
Sofia sat perched on the edge of the bed. Her dress hiked above her thighs. Javier knelt before her,—his lips pressing softly against her bandaged ankle.
He kissed higher, his hands sliding to her waist.
My chest went cold. They weren't touching like cousins!
Her head tipped back in a sigh. "I'm tired of sneaking around, Javier. It’s been years. I want everyone to know you're mine."
"They will. But if the Carluccis find out you're adopted, you lose everything-your father's estates, the stocks, the name. Right now, they think you're blood. That's your protection. We can't risk it."
"I don't care about protection anymore," she whispered fiercely. "I care about us. And I want her
gone."
His tone sharpened. "She's already unstable to the public. If we push it a little further, the board will sign off. One signature, and she's in an asylum. No more threat."
She chuckled, her fingers curling into his hair. "Perfect. While she's locked away, I'll step in."
He kissed her lips tenderly and murmured, "Soon, amore. I'll marry you. Quietly. And you’d be the mother to my kids. Hell, we can even make our own baby finally."
The world tilted.
I clutched my phone with shaking hands. For a second, I almost dropped it. But instead, I lifted it.
Pressed record.
If they thought I was broken, they were about to learn just how dangerous I could be.
