Chapter 2 You Don't Need To Suffer

Celeste-

At least I wasn't dead.

That was the first thing I told myself when I stepped out of my car and smoothed my dress. I was alive, and upright, not in flames. The man was clearly a fraud. And I had been foolish to even doubt myself for a second.

The launch of Gateau Celeste was already in full swing. Trays of delicate cakes floated past on silver platters, guests smiled and nodded while camera crews took their position.

This was the one thing I had created without permission, and for a moment, I allowed myself to feel proud.

I scanned the room for Colin, hoping he would be there. Even though he said he would, he wasn't.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. At the same time, a wave of murmurs coursed through the space. More buzzing, whispers and stares.

What's going on? My heart sank as I reached for my phone, already knowing I shouldn't have.

And there it was.

A video of Colin, naked with my sister, Lilith, in the very bed we called ours.

The headline read:

Ashford Heiress Launches Cake Brand While Fiancé and Sister Play House.

Then I heard it, laughter, murmurs like they were mocking me. A camera flashed in my face while whispers of my name coursed through the room.

My chest suddenly felt tight, my knees threatening to give way as I turned toward the exit in a daze. My phone rang, but the screen was a blur. The cameras flashed, eager to catch the heartbreak on film.

I didn't cry, didn't scream, I simply walked to my car like it was no more than just a memory.

My hands trembled as I gripped the wheels, feeling the weight of the public betrayal. Just then-

"Celeste!" I heard Colin's voice from the window.

At least he came. I thought, turning the keys.

"It's not what you think!"

I scoffed, ignoring him. I was really a fool for his words, wasn't I?

"Please let me explain!" He hurried after my car, banging the window. We're getting married in a few days. This is simply a setback, please!"

A setback? I chuckled, locking my hands on the steering wheel. I immediately stepped on the accelerator, tires screeching against the asphalt as I sped off.

I didn't care. I didn't want to hear explanations.

What was there to explain? Cheating with Lilith? The audacity of them, of her ripped through me in waves.

My thoughts trailed off as I pressed harder. The speedometer shot past 140 km/h. I was going fast. Way too fast.

I had seen the signs, felt it. Yet, I clung to the lie that he loved me. As my thoughts spiraled, my vision blurred, but I blinked them away.

I shouldn't be driving, but I didn't care, couldn't care.

Suddenly, the blaring horn cut through my rage like a sharp blade. I turned to my side to see a massive truck. It was too close, but enough to save myself.

I slammed the brakes. Nothing.

The pedal was dead under my foot. My car skidded, but it wouldn't stop. I barely had time to register the headlights speeding toward me from the opposite lane before a crash, a shock-wave.

Metal crumpled like paper, my car twisted, tumbling once, then twice. As the world spun, it blurred into a chaos of steel, glass and smoke.

I tasted my own blood, felt my bones snap, and smelled gas and something burning. The ringing in my ears grew louder and louder, until it was the only thing left.

Was this it? Was this what that lying fraud meant about my death? How did he know? My mind reeled.

Pain coursed through my body as the car came to a stop, the world upside down. The crimson red liquid dripped down my forehead as darkness closed in on me, and the next?

Everything went black.

---

I was awake.

My eyes felt heavy and dry as they fluttered open to the ceiling of a hospital suite. The walls were white, and the sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air. Tubes ran from my arms, and machines hissed and clicked beside me.

But I wasn't dead. Not yet.

Suddenly, a loud laugh filtered through the space. I couldn't move my head, but I could see them. They stood with their backs to my bed, talking like I wasn't even there. Their voices weren't hushed. They didn't bother to whisper.

Colin and Lilith.

Lilith's arms were crossed, her expression laced with boredom, like this was just another errand she didn't want to run. "She was supposed to crash before the event," she said, loud and sharp. "You said the brakes would go out before she even got there."

Colin sighed. "Automobiles aren't always exact. You know that."

Neither of them looked at me. Neither of them even checked if I was breathing.

They weren't whispering. They were speaking like I was already dead.

Lilith clicked her tongue. "Someone leaked the video."

Colin ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn't matter. I'll tell everyone she cheated first. They'll believe me," He said, his voice certain.

My throat burned. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I couldn't wipe them away. I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. I lay there, paralyzed, listening to the two people I once trusted speak about my death like it was a business deal.

Then the door opened.

My stepmother walked in, tall and composed, her heels clicking against the floor, barely sparing Lilith and Colin a glance. A doctor followed her, clipboard in hand.

"I've cleaned up your mess," she said sharply. "A sex tape? In her bed? Are you both brainless?"

Neither of them spoke.

"Go home before someone else sees you and ruins what's left of this." Her voice cut like glass.

Lilith rolled her eyes and walked out without another word. While Colin stood there a moment longer, staring at the floor, he finally followed her out, shutting the behind them.

The room was silent except for the quiet beeping of machines and the shallow sound of my own breath.

"Her condition is extremely critical." The doctor began, "There's significant spinal trauma. If she survives, the most likely outcome is full paralysis. She'll never walk again. She might not regain any movement at all."

Wait, what?

I wanted to scream. My heart raced in panic, but my body remained still.

Just then, my stepmother stepped closer. Her perfume filled the surrounding space, familiar and almost suffocating. I kept my eyes shut, hoping she would think I was unconscious.

She didn't.

"You're awake," she said. Her voice was low and certain. "I know you can hear me. Your heart rate just jumped."

I wanted to shut her out, but I couldn't block her voice, so I opened my eyes to see the smirk etched on her face.

"I'm surprised you made it this far," she continued. "Honestly, it would've been better if you hadn't."

I felt like I was sinking. Every word was a weight pressing me further down.

"You, stuck in this bed, completely useless. Do you think anyone is going to wait around for a crippled heiress to recover? You're not needed anymore. You're not important."

Her tone didn't change. She didn't raise her voice or sound angry. She sounded like she was reciting a fact, the same way someone might read off a grocery list.

She took another step closer.

"Did you know your accident gave your grandmother a heart attack? She had a stroke right after. She's still in the hospital, barely holding on. Now with the two of you out of the way, that leaves me."

I felt like the air was being pulled from my lungs.

"I've waited a long time for this," she said. "Now I can run the household the way it should've been from the start. Without you in the way. My daughter will finally have what she deserves. Lilith will be the one people talk about. Not you."

My heart thudded against my chest. My skin felt cold, and the room seemed darker.

She turned to the doctor. He hadn't moved much, just stood quietly beside the machines. I thought he might stop her. He didn't.

"She's in pain," she said. "You can see it, can't you? There's no point dragging it out."

The doctor looked at me, then at the monitors, but he didn't speak. Instead, he reached over and disconnected the alert button from the side of the bed. The one thing I could have used to call for help was gone.

.

I watched as she stepped forward, placing her hand on the life support controls. She took her time, but there was no hesitation. "You don't need to suffer," she reached down, wrapping her fingers around the cord, "Let me take care of that."

With that, she unplugged the machine. Unplugged life out of me.

The steady rhythm of beeping began to fade. One by one, the monitors fell silent.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to scream. I wanted to live.

But all I could do was listen as my heartbeat slowed in my ears-faint, uneven, slipping away. Inside me, something stirred-rage, betrayal, a scream too big for my throat. I wasn't ready to die. Not like this.

Not again.