Chapter 7

When Selene opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. The smell of disinfectant filled her nose, and a heart monitor beeped steadily. "You're awake?" A nurse walked in. "Your injuries are bad. You have three broken ribs, and you'll need your family to take care of you. Go ahead and give them a call." The nurse handed her a phone, and Selene took it with a trembling hand. Dozens of unread messages popped up on the screen. They were all from Stella. She wrote, "Malcolm peeled an apple for me. It's so sweet." "Alaric bought me a new dress. He said I looked best in white." "Alistair and Alexander stayed the whole day with me for my checkup. They're so worried about me." "It's been two days. They all fussed over me when I merely said I felt a little faint. No one even asked where you went. "A thief is still a thief. You'll lose the love you stole sooner or later. You're pathetic, Selene. No one truly loves you. If I were you, I would have put myself out of my misery already." Selene read the messages in silence. She clenched her hand without realizing it until her knuckles turned white. "I don't have a family." She handed the phone back to the nurse, her voice faint and soft. "It's just me." The nurse wanted to say something, but she held back. She then left with a sigh. Outside the window, fallen sycamore leaves covered the ground. Selene counted the drops from the IV drip. One, two… It was as if she were counting the times her love had been betrayed over the years. … Five days later, Selene discharged herself from the hospital. When she opened the door to the villa, laughter greeted her. In the living room, Malcolm was peeling an orange for Stella, and the Sinclair brothers were in a discussion nearby. The moment they saw her walk in, the laughter immediately stopped. "Where did you go?" Alaric frowned. "Why didn't you come home?" Selene headed upstairs without a word. Behind her, Alexander scoffed, "She's just throwing a tantrum again." She collapsed onto the floor as soon as she closed her bedroom door. The injury in her ribs throbbed faintly, but it was nothing compared to the stabbing pain in her chest. A housekeeper brought her dinner, but she didn't take a single bite. Late that night, her phone lit up again. It was a message from Stella that said, "You just won't go away, you bitch! I'll show you who they really care about." Selene turned off the phone and tossed it into a drawer. … The next morning, Selene's door was kicked open. "Selene!" Malcolm yanked her out of bed. "Where's Stella?" Before she could react, Alistair grabbed her collar and yelled, "She left a note saying, 'Since Selene doesn't want me here, I'll leave.' What did you say to her? Did you drive her away?" "I don't know," Selene said hoarsely. "You're still lying?" Alexander slammed his fist angrily into the vanity. "Do you remember she's terminally ill? If anything happens to her, I won't forgive you!" "I'm not lying. I really don't know what's going on!" Selene shouted. Just as things reached a standstill, an assistant rushed in. "We found Ms. Stella. She's at the edge of a cliff!" When the four men heard that, their expressions turned dark and dangerous. "Selene!" Alaric grabbed her by the throat, squeezing so hard she could barely breathe. "When did you become so cruel? Stella's dying, and she doesn't have much time left. Yet, you still won't leave her alone?" Selene was forced to tilt her head back. Her breathing was labored, but she still managed to force a bitter smile. How ridiculous. It didn't matter whether the cancer was real or not. Over the past few days, the men had brought in the world's top medical experts for Stella and developed the most expensive experimental drugs. If she really were sick, Stella should've been cured by now. It was nothing but an excuse. One that they could use to forgive Stella for running away from the wedding all those years ago. Seeing Selene stay silent only made the four men angrier. "Get her in the car!" Malcolm ordered coldly. "No matter what, she's going to talk Stella into coming home today." They shoved Selene roughly into the car and sped off toward the cliff.