"I said no, and I mean it! You're not getting away with this until you apologize to Ferdy!"
Ferdinand tugged lightly at her sleeve, right on cue.
"Katie, don't push him so hard. You know how he is—too proud for his own good. The more you corner him, the more he digs in."
"Deep down, he knows he's wrong. He just can't swallow his pride."
That only stoked Katherine's fury higher.
"Can't swallow his pride? What pride does he have left?"
"A grown man, lying in bed faking illness for sympathy, picking fights with someone who's actually hurt—does he have no shame?"
She reached for my arm, trying to haul me upright.
"Get up! Stop playing dead! You were so tough before, weren't you? Get up and face me!"
The instant her fingers closed around me, pain ripped through my body. I bit down hard, refusing to make a sound.
Every ounce of strength I had went into making myself immovable—a stone sinking into the mattress.
But to Katherine, my stillness was pure defiance.
"Oh, so you want to play stubborn with me?"
She couldn't budge me, and her frustration curdled into rage.
"Emmet, I can't believe I ever trusted you! You're so selfish! All for your pathetic ego—you don't even care that Ferdy's suffering!"
"He's still dizzy! The doctor said he might have post-concussion syndrome! All because you terrified him yesterday with that sick stunt of yours!"
"Happy now? You've managed to hurt both of us!"
I watched her face twist with anger, watched her lips move as she spat those venomous words.
Inside me, there was nothing. Just silence.
I didn't have the will to argue. Not anymore.
Katherine's patience finally shattered. She issued her ultimatum.
"Fine, Emmet. One last chance."
"Right now. Get your ass out of that bed and go kowtow to Ferdy. Beg for his forgiveness."
"Refuse, and I'll have you thrown out of this room today. You won't even have a place to fake being sick."
Slowly, I turned my head.
My hollow gaze met her blazing eyes.
I said nothing.
The silent standoff snapped the last thread of her restraint.
"You won't get up? Fine—I'll help you!"
She shrieked, her expression savage as she lunged forward. Her hands clamped onto my blanket.
"Get out of this bed!"
She threw her full weight backward—
Whoosh—
The thin blanket traced a desperate arc through the air before drifting to the floor.
Time stopped.
The air turned to ice.
Where my right leg should have been—
Nothing.
Just a bandaged stump soaked through with blood, lying alone on the white sheets like a discarded doll's limb.
