Chapter 6

STAR'S POV

By the time I stepped into the estate, night had already swallowed everything whole.

But tonight-

the house didn't feel like a home.

It felt like a courtroom waiting to sentence me.

Cold.

Heavy.

Suffocating.

Every servant stood lined in the living room, heads lowered, shoulders stiff with fear. Even Franklin-who had always stood tall-looked pale, tense, unable to meet my eyes.

A sick feeling twisted in my stomach.

Slowly, my gaze lifted-

and landed on my brothers.

All three were there.

Waiting.

Aries stood near the fireplace, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His chest rose and fell sharply, fury practically pouring off him.

Orion sat sprawled on the couch, but there was nothing relaxed about him-his jaw was tight, eyes bloodshot, fingers tapping against his knee like he was holding himself back from violence.

And Atlas-

Atlas sat in the center chair like a king delivering judgment.

Silent.

Still.

Terrifying.

His dark eyes locked onto mine, and ice shot through my veins.

I lowered my head and quietly tried to slip upstairs.

"Stop."

One word.

It froze me harder than a scream ever could.

I turned slowly.

Atlas leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Where were you?"

My throat dried instantly.

"I... got lost in the woods-"

"Liar!"

Aries roared so loudly I physically flinched.

He stormed toward me like a hurricane.

"You crossed the border!"

The room gasped.

My lips parted.

"I didn't know- I didn't mean-"

"You went into Blackwood territory!"

Orion thundered, standing up so violently the glass table rattled.

"Do you have any idea what kind of war you could've started?!"

My heart pounded painfully.

" I didn't know it was that complicated! There was a wolf-"

"A wolf?" Aries barked out a cruel laugh.

"Do we look stupid?"

"It's true!" My voice cracked.

"He was hurt-I only wanted to help-"

Atlas suddenly stood.

The entire room went silent.

His gaze pinned me in place.

Then he dropped the next bomb.

"And all this time..."

His eyes darkened.

"You were the one cooking."

My entire body stiffened. I looked at Franklin who had his head low, he didn't dare to look at me.. Franklin told them.

Aries laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

"How pathetic."

Orion's face twisted with disgust.

"We praised those meals."

He let out a hollow, mocking laugh.

"We ate food made by you.. "

His voice became sharp with revulsion.

"And now I feel sick thinking about it. What if you slowly poisoned it to kill us? "

That hit me like a knife to the chest.

I visibly staggered.

"What?! No! I could never! How could you think something like that?! "

Orion raised a brow..

"Why not? You didn't hesitate to kill one, why would you bother about us? "

My hands fisted.. How could they something like that? I cooked for them with love and they are trying to say that I would try to harm them?

"No... I would never do that! I was just trying to-"

"Trying to what?" Aries snapped, stepping into my space.

"Manipulate us? Crawl your way back in? Play the innocent little sister?"

"I just wanted to help-"

"Help?" Orion snarled.

"You destroy everything you touch!"

My breathing turned shaky.

My chest hurt.

Actually hurt.

Days.

Days of swallowing every insult.

Every hateful glare.

Every cruel word.

Every lonely night crying myself to sleep. All the years I had to stay away from my home for something I never did and this is what I get ultimately?

All the suppressed emotions finally snapped.

"WHY?!"

My scream ripped through the mansion.

Everyone froze.

Tears exploded down my face.

My whole body trembled violently.

"Why are you so cruel to me?!"

I screamed, voice breaking.

"Why do you look at me like I'm some monster?! Why do you talk to me like I disgust you?!"

I pointed at my own chest, sobbing.

"I cook for you until my hands burn-"

I held up my fingers, red and scarred.

"Not because I want to poison you! Because I genuinely wanted to do something for you guys.. "

My voice cracked harder.

"I stay quiet-I stay out of your way-I try and try and try-"

A sob tore out of me.

"But nothing is enough!"

I looked at them with shattered eyes.

"You're clinging into the past like a glue.. You guys can't see the present, nor the future.. Just one past memory that isn't even true! "

I let out my sons, loudly as I couldn't suppress them anymore..

"Why can't you all listen to me once? Why can't you believe what I say? I loved Leo like you all did.. He was my brother as well! But more than brother, he was like my best friend! Why would I kill him?! What could be the reason?! "

I threw the question at them.. How can they not think of it that way? Why do they never listen?

"Because you were jealous.. "

I looked at Orion who looked back at me with hatred..

"Jealous? Are you hearing yourself? I am jealous of my own brother? In that case you're jealous of Atlas and Aries? Aries is jealous of you both,so is Atlas? Does that even make sense? Does that make sense to you? "

I shook my head in disbelief..

"If you hated me this much..."

My voice dropped into raw heartbreak.

"...then why did you bring me back?"

Silence.

Heavy.

Brutal.

I laughed through tears-a broken, painful sound.

"You should've left me there. Like you all did for ten years.. At least it didn't hurt this much there... "

My lips trembled.

"At least there... Gloria loved me. There were good memories.. I had finally started to live.. But then you brought me here.. "

I looked at Atlas..

"WHY?!?! Why didn't you let me stay there?! Was it because you wanted to punish me?! You wanted to see me die in despair little by little? That is so sadistic of you, Atlas Vanderbilt! "

That made something dark flash across their faces.

I wiped my tears angrily.

"You keep blaming me for something I didn't do! But none of you had the guts to investigate it! None of you thought that if I keep on saying something, it could be true! Something else could have happened-"

"I SAW HIM DIE!"

Orion's roar shook the room.

I flinched.

His eyes were red.

Wild.

Broken.

"Our brother bled in my arms!"

Aries slammed his fist into the wall so hard plaster cracked.

"And you were there!"

"I WAS A CHILD!" I screamed back.

My voice echoed.

I was breathing so hard my lungs burned.

"I WAS SEVEN! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

My throat burned from yelling this loud.. Even the maids flinched..

Roman finally walked toward me.

Slow.

Controlled.

Far scarier than rage.

He stopped inches away.

His eyes were empty.

Cold enough to kill.

"Then how did he fell down those stairs? "

He pointed at the giant staircase..

"What was your hands stretched? Why did he yelled your name when he was rolling down the stairs? Why did he pointed at you when he took his last breath? "

I fell quite.. Even I don't know why he did that when it clearly wasn't me who pushed him..

"I don't know.. Please trust me once! I never pushed him! "

Atlas scoffed..

"You think you brought you here because we were dying to reconcile with you? "

He sneered..

"We never wanted you back."

My heart stopped when Aries spoke from behind and stood beside Atlas..

His next words destroyed what was left of me.

"We argued against it."

His jaw tightened.

"The day you returned was the day this house became cursed again."

Aries looked at me with naked hatred.

"I hate hearing your voice."

Orion's face twisted with grief and rage.

"I hate seeing your face."

Then Atlas leaned down-

close enough for only me to hear-

and whispered the cruelest thing anyone had ever said to me.

"It should have been you in that coffin."

The floor vanished beneath me.

My knees hit marble hard.

A broken sound escaped my throat-

half sob-

half scream-

half soul dying.

"Because of what you did, we lost our mom too.. And dad? If it weren't for you that day, he wouldn't have been-"

Aries' stopped mid sentence when his phone rang..

Atlas looked at the called ID and then back at me..

"Didn't I say to not show your face unless you're dying? I mean it Hannah... Just leave! Go to your r-"

I didn't even let him finish his words and sprinted upstairs..

If me being gone is what they want, then be it...

ATLAS' POV

I started at her back as she sprinted upstairs.. A sudden rush of guilt washed over me..

Did I go to far this time?

A sharp vibration pulled me from my thoughts.

Aries held out the phone, his face pale.

"Atlas... it's the doctor."

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

I took the phone.

"Speak."

"Hello, sir. This is Mr. Vanderbilt's physician."

My body stiffened.

The room seemed to hold its breath.

Then-

"It's good news, sir."

A pause.

"Mr. Vanderbilt has regained consciousness from his coma."