Chapter 2

Claire stayed beside my gurney. She crouched down, typed on her phone, and held up the screen.

[Is your lower back hurt?]

I nodded at once.

[Did something sharp stab you?]

I nodded again.

[Is it still in there?]

I gave her a firm nod.

Claire's expression tightened, and she reached around to check my back. The moment she pressed against my side, my whole body jerked.

"That bad?" She glanced at my rigid dress belt. "I need to get this off so I can examine you."

As she reached for the buckle, I shook my head sharply.

I wanted her to treat me, but blood soaked my undershirt and stuck it to the wound beneath the belt. She couldn't just pull everything away.

I lifted a hand and mimed cutting the fabric with scissors.

Claire understood and asked a nurse to bring her a pair. The cold blades barely touched my uniform before Sophia called out behind us.

"What are you doing?"

She hurried over and took the scissors from Claire.

"He told me something sharp went into his lower back," Claire explained. "His clothes may be stuck to the wound. I need to cut them away so I can examine him."

"He told you?" Sophia looked at me, her expression hardening. "Can you even understand his signs?"

"Not all of it," Claire said. "But he can hear me, and he's answering my questions."

Sophia understood every sign I made. After I lost my voice, she spent months helping me through rehab.

Back then, she kept telling me, "Take your time. I don't care how long it takes. I'll always listen."

I signed as quickly as my shaking hands allowed, trying to explain what happened.

The chandelier fell, and I pushed Evan out of the way. A metal rod pierced my lower back and broke off inside me.

But as soon as I signed Evan's name, Sophia caught my hands and pushed them down.

"Enough. It was an accident. Evan didn't cause it."

I went still, then shook my head hard.

I wasn't blaming him. I was trying to tell her I didn't have much time.

Sophia cut me off before I could finish.

"It's our wedding day. Do you think he wanted this to happen? Why do you always have to blame him?"

I stared at her, my jaw tight. She had misunderstood me again.

It was always like this once Evan became part of the Bradford family.

While I recovered from my injuries, I needed a quiet room. But Evan complained that he couldn't sleep, so Mom told me to give him mine.

When I refused, everyone said I was using my injuries to make the family wait on me.

Then Evan took the old watch my grandfather left me. I asked for it back, and somehow that made me selfish.

Later, Sophia started taking Evan to his hospital appointments without telling me.

All I asked was that she let me know ahead of time. But she called me controlling and accused me of resenting my own brother.

Evan could speak for himself. One complaint from him carried more weight than anything I signed, no matter how many times I tried to explain.

This time, there was nothing to argue over. I just needed help before it was too late.

Evan called from the exam room, his voice strained.

"Sophia, I'm feeling lightheaded."

She let go of my hands and hurried inside.

I reached for her, but she was already gone.

Claire picked up the scissors again, and Mom stepped in front of my gurney.

"This is a public hallway. Are you going to cut his uniform off with everyone watching?"

Claire took a breath before answering. "What's more important right now, his life or his uniform?"

Mom pointed at the white sheet beneath me. "There's no blood on it. If he were seriously hurt, don't you think we'd see some?"

Just then, Evan walked out of the exam room with Sophia steadying his arm. A bandage covered his forehead.

He noticed the scissors in Claire's hand. "Mom, let her take a look at Kyle. It's his wedding day."

Mom's expression softened. "You're hurt, and you're still worried about your brother. He can wait. With your condition, you could start bleeding again at any moment."

Evan pressed his lips together but said nothing. Sophia stayed beside him and never once looked my way.

Claire spotted a small, dark red puddle beneath my gurney. She grabbed a piece of gauze and pressed it to the floor. It came away soaked in blood.

She held it up.

"He's been bleeding this entire time. Why won't you let me examine him?"