Fake Sickness, Real Consequences

Luca dragged me toward the top floor.

My silk nightdress caught on the staircase railing, and my bare arm scraped against the cold metal bars, one red mark fading just as another appeared.

I struggled twice, but he only gripped harder, not sparing me even a glance.

All he saw was Helena on the top floor ward. I was nothing more than a piece of trash he was hauling along.

Helena lay on the hospital bed. The moment she saw us, her shoulders trembled, and her face went pale as paper.

“Luca… why is she here? Every time I see her, I remember the shootout. I’m so scared…”

Luca immediately let go of me and rushed over.

His fingers brushed gently over the top of Helena’s hair so tenderly. I had followed him for ten years and never once seen him show that kind of softness.

“Don’t be afraid. I brought her here to apologize.”

When he turned back, his eyes were ice cold, and the look he shot me could have cut skin.

“Kneel.”

I didn’t move. My knuckles were white from being clenched, nails digging into my palms. “I didn’t push you into the danger zone. Why should I kneel?”

“Because you owe her ten years!” His voice snapped like a whip. “If you hadn’t stopped me back then, I would’ve taken her away from the scene. She wouldn’t have been in a coma for ten years!”

“I never even saw her there!” I lifted my head. My eyes burned, but I refused to back down. “She followed us on her own. That has nothing to do with me!”

On the bed, Helena let out a soft sob. She tugged lightly at Luca’s sleeve. “Luca, forget it. Maybe Eva just doesn’t remember. I don’t blame her. Don’t force her…”

“Doesn’t remember?” Luca laughed coldly, his gaze dropping to my knees. “She’s just pretending.”

The moment the words fell, pain exploded through my legs.

He kicked the back of my knees hard.

There was a sharp crack. My legs buckled, and I crashed to the floor, kneeling on the cold tiles.

A sharp, tearing pain shot up my bones. Cold sweat soaked my back instantly, and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out.

I glared up at him, vision rimmed with red. However, he only looked satisfied.

“Kneeling now, aren’t you?” He bent down, gripping my chin and lifting it upward with enough force that it could crush the jawbone. “Apologize to Helena. Admit you were wrong.”

“I wasn’t wrong.” My voice trembled, but I didn’t yield an inch. “Kill me, beat me, do whatever you want. But I won’t confess to something I didn’t do!”

Helena suddenly started coughing, covering her face with her hands. Tears leaked between her fingers.

“Luca, my head is spinning… Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her to apologize. I—I can’t breathe…”

Luca’s expression changed instantly, and he spun around to support her, completely forgetting I existed.

He slammed his hand on the call button and barked at the nurses who rushed in, “Hurry up and check her! If anything happens to her, I’ll tear this whole hospital apart!”

While they scrambled, he shot me a vicious glare, as if he could tear me apart.

“Lock her in the attic. She gets no meals unless I say so. She can come out when she’s ready to apologize.”

Two guards stepped forward and hauled me up by the arms.

My already bruised knees scraped across the floor, burning with pain, blood quickly soaking into the torn fabric.

I looked back at Luca cradling Helena, murmuring to comfort her, and suddenly laughed out loud, full of despair.

“Luca, in this life, you’ll never be anything more than her puppet.”