Chapter 4

"You don't believe me either, do you?" I asked my parents, my voice hollow.

My father sighed, a sound heavy with impatience. My mother just looked away, fiddling with the pearls at her neck. Their silence was an answer.

They turned back to their evening routines as if nothing had happened, leaving me alone in the hallway. I was an inconvenience. A disruption to the new family they were building.

I replayed the scene in my mind. Adeline's fake tears. Axel's immediate concern for her. My parents' weary acceptance of her story. It was a well-rehearsed play, and I was the only one who didn't know my lines.

I remembered every time Adeline had hurt me. The push down the stairs. The "accidental" allergic reactions. The constant, subtle digs that made me question my own sanity. And every time, she had cried and they had forgiven her.

My parents' love was a finite resource, and it had all been given to the daughter they raised. I was just a ghost, a biological fact they had to accommodate.

There was a time Axel was my only ally. He was the one who saw through Adeline's games. He was the one who held me and swore he'd never let her hurt me again.

That promise was a lie.

I looked up and saw him through the open doorway of Adeline's room. He was standing behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder, murmuring something soft and reassuring.

His heart wasn't just torn anymore. It had chosen a side. And it wasn't mine.

A sharp pain shot through my chest. It was the feeling of a final, complete break. They were all lying to me. They had always been lying.

I had nothing. My career was gone. My family was a sham. And the baby inside me, my last hope, was a secret they couldn't wait to erase.

I was just a stepping stone for Adeline. A placeholder. The thought was so absurdly tragic that I almost laughed.

Instead, I cried. The tears were hot and furious. Suddenly, a crippling cramp seized my abdomen. It was a vicious, tearing pain that made me gasp.

A warm gush of liquid flowed down my legs. The room started to spin.

I reached for the wall to steady myself, but my legs gave out and I crumpled to the floor.

"Help," I cried out, my voice weak. "Please... save my baby."

Axel heard me. He rushed out of the room, his face draining of all color when he saw the blood pooling around me on the polished floor.

He scooped me into his arms, his movements frantic. "Hang on, Calista! We're going to the hospital!"

As the world faded to black, my last conscious thought was a desperate prayer. Please, let my baby be okay. Please.

I woke up in a sterile white hospital room. The first thing I saw was Axel's face, etched with worry. He was holding my hand.

I felt nothing. The sight of his concern, which once would have been my anchor, now just felt like another scene in his long, drawn-out performance.

I closed my eyes, but all I could see was him with Adeline. Him touching her, comforting her, choosing her.

Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. I turned my head away, unwilling to look at him.

"Calista, I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "It's all my fault. I should have taken better care of you. This baby... this baby is our only hope."

He squeezed my hand. "If anything happens to you or the baby, I... I can't live."

His words were empty. A desperate, emotional blackmail.

"Adeline is just my sister, Calista. My parents feel sorry for her, that's all. I promise, I'll find her a place of her own. She'll move out as soon as you're better."

He pleaded with me to think of our child, to not let anger jeopardize my health. My parents came in and echoed his words, their faces masks of regret. They admitted they'd been careless, that they had neglected my feelings. They promised to take turns caring for me, to make it all up to me.

I knew they were lying. All of them. But I was too weak, too broken to argue.

I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. "I'm tired. I want to rest."

They fell silent, accepting my dismissal.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. It creaked open. Adeline.

Axel frowned, his voice a harsh whisper. "What are you doing here? You could bring in germs."

Adeline ignored him, her eyes fixed on me. "I'm so sorry, Calista," she said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "I feel terrible. This is all my fault."

She turned to my parents. "You two should go home and rest. I can stay here with Axel and look after her."

My parents, exhausted and guilt-ridden, readily agreed. They kissed my forehead and left.

Now it was just the three of us. The real family.

"You should go too, Adeline," Axel said, his voice low.

She put on a brave, sad face. "You're right. I'll just go. I'll pack my things and leave tonight."