Chapter3 Breakup

Scarlett’s POV

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

My eyes opened to white sheets and white walls.

The antiseptic smell filled my nostrils.

The steady beep of a heart monitor echoed in my ears.

Pierce sat beside me, holding my hand. His face was creased with worry.

The moment he saw my eyes open, relief flooded his features.

"Thank God! You're awake!" He jumped to his feet. "I'll get the doctor!"

For just a second, my cold heart flickered with warmth. Maybe he did care. Maybe I'd been wrong about him.

Then I remembered Madison collapsing into his arms. Remembered him carrying her away while I lay trapped under that board.

I turned my head away, my voice coming out rough and hoarse. "What do you want?"

He immediately reached for a water bottle on the bedside table. "Here, drink this first. Your throat must be killing you."

I took small sips while he hovered anxiously. The water soothed the raw burning in my throat.

"You've been unconscious for sixteen hours," Pierce said, sitting back down. "I was so worried. The doctors said you had severe smoke inhalation and some bruising from the board, but nothing's broken. When you didn't wake up, I thought..."

His voice cracked slightly. "I'm just really glad you're okay."

I couldn't listen to this. Not after what I'd seen. Not after he'd left me to die.

"Who brought me here?" I cut him off.

Pierce hesitated.

"Well?" I pressed. "Who got me to the hospital?"

"It wasn't me," he admitted, looking uncomfortable. "I mean, it couldn't have been. I had to get Madison out first, and by the time we were safe, the fire department was already there, and everything was crazy, and—"

"So who was it?"

"One of Preston Hayes' people dropped you off at the ER." Pierce rubbed the back of his neck. "His security team, I guess."

I laughed bitterly.

Of course. A man I barely knew had saved my life while my boyfriend of eight years chose someone else.

"Look, Scarlett." Pierce leaned forward, his tone shifting. "We need to talk about what you said at the arena. About Madison."

Here it comes, I thought.

"What you did was really messed up. You basically accused her of attempted mass murder in front of thousands of people. Do you have any idea what that's done to her reputation?"

I stared at him. "Are you serious right now?"

"Everyone's talking about it online. They're saying she's a psycho, a murderer. She's getting death threats, Scarlett. Actual death threats." Pierce's voice rose with emotion. "She's been crying nonstop. She can barely eat. You need to make a public statement. Tell the media you made it all up. Apologize."

"Apologize?" I sat up straighter despite the pain it caused. "I almost died in that fire, Pierce. Someone set it deliberately. That's not a coincidence."

"You don't know it was Madison!"

"Then who was it?" I shot back. "That guy in the stands she kept looking at? The fire that broke out exactly when and where I warned it would?"

"That doesn't prove anything." Pierce stood up, pacing. "You're just trying to hurt her because you're jealous. You can't stand that she's better than you now."

The words hit like a physical blow. After everything, after nearly dying, he still thought this was about petty jealousy.

"I'm not jealous," I said quietly. "I'm trying to stay alive."

"You're being dramatic. You got some smoke inhalation and a few bruises. You'll be fine." He waved dismissively. "Madison, on the other hand, is suffering real psychological damage. She's being harassed online, people are calling her a killer. Do you understand what you've done to her?"

"She'll survive some mean comments."

"Will she?" Pierce's voice dropped. "Because she told me this morning that she's thinking about killing herself. That's on you, Scarlett. If something happens to Madison, it's your fault."

Before I could respond, the door burst open.

Madison rushed in, tears streaming down her face. She threw herself into Pierce's arms, sobbing dramatically.

"I told you not to bother," she wailed. "She doesn't care about me. She never has. I could die tomorrow and it wouldn't matter to her."

Pierce held her, stroking her hair. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here."

"No, it's not okay!" Madison pulled back just enough to look at him with wet, pleading eyes. "The things people are saying online... they're calling me a monster. They want me dead. I can't take it anymore. I just want it all to stop."

She was good. I had to give her that.

The trembling lip, the hitched breathing, the way she clung to Pierce like he was her only lifeline.

She'd perfected the damsel in distress routine.

"Madison, listen to me." I kept my voice level. "If you really want this to stop, just wait for the police report. They're investigating the fire. The truth will come out."

"The truth?" She turned to face me, managing to look both wounded and defiant. "The truth is that you hate me. You've always hated me. And now you're trying to destroy my life because you can't stand that I'm succeeding where you failed."

"That's not—"

"You want me to die!" Her voice rose to a shriek. "You said it! You just told me to go ahead and kill myself and not drag you into it! Pierce, did you hear her? She wants me dead!"

"I didn't say that," I protested, but Pierce was already glaring at me with disgust.

"How can you be so cruel?" he demanded. "She's your sister, Scarlett. Your own flesh and blood. Can't you show even a little bit of compassion?"

"How could I not remember my mother giving birth to a sister for me? And I'm not the one who set a building full of people on fire."

"Oh my God, you're still going on about that?" Pierce threw his hands up. "You have zero proof. Zero! But you're willing to destroy Madison's reputation, her mental health, maybe even drive her to suicide, all because of some paranoid conspiracy theory."

Madison sobbed harder, her face buried in Pierce's chest.

"Why can't you be more like her?" Pierce continued, his voice thick with frustration. "Look at Madison. Even after everything you've put her through, she's not attacking you. She's not spreading lies about you. She's trying to be kind, to be understanding. Why can't you be more like that? Why can't you just be... better?"

Something inside me snapped.

Not with anger, but with clarity.

Cold, perfect clarity.

I'd loved this man for eight years. I'd given him everything. My time, my heart, my unwavering support through every up and down in his career. I'd been there when he needed me.

And when I needed him? When my life was literally on the line?

He'd chosen her. Every single time.

"I'm not making any public statements," I said quietly. "Not until the police finish their investigation and release their report. If I'm wrong, I'll apologize then. But I'm not lying to protect Madison's feelings."

"Unbelievable." Pierce shook his head. "You're actually going to let her suffer just to save face."

"I'm going to wait for the facts."

"She could die, Scarlett! Does that mean nothing to you?"

I looked at them standing together. Madison tucked perfectly under Pierce's arm, her fingers clutching his shirt. Pierce looking at her with such tender concern, such protective fury.

They looked good together. Natural. Like they belonged to each other.

Maybe they always had.

I met Pierce's eyes, and for the first time in eight years, I felt absolutely nothing.

"We should break up," I said.