~ Helen's POV ~A soft knock echoed in the room before the nurse stepped in, her presence bringing with it the faint scent of antiseptic and something floral….lavender maybe. Her gentle smile, although simple, wrapped around my aching heart like a thin blanket on a cold night. It didn’t fix everything, but for a second… It helped me breathe.“Hello miss,” she greeted, her voice soothing and soft, like a lullaby meant to quiet fear. “How are you feeling now?”She carried a silver tray carefully, balancing several injection bottles. She set it gently on the side table beside my bed, careful not to rattle the contents too loudly.Honestly I don't feel good.I don't feel good enough to be myself.Right now, even my memory fails me.My limbs? It doesn't respond to me.“Still the same,” I replied, barely able to push the words past the dryness in my throat. My voice scratched against the air, hoarse and brittle. “You’ll be fine,” she reassured, brushing her hand across my forehead in a mot
~ Helen's POV ~Hours have passed.And still… Sebastian hasn’t returned.The room is quiet, too quiet. The walls feel like they’re closing in on me, and the silence? It’s not peaceful. It’s heavy. Suffocating.All I hear is the unending beeping of these machines. It’s a constant rhythm, like a slow ticking clock dragging time itself. I’ve memorized the pattern already. Beep… beep… beep. It’s all I’ve had for company. Just wires and noise.The IV drips steadily beside me. And the tubes against my skin feel like chains…binding, and unnatural. I haven’t even stepped out of this bed. My body won’t let me. I try to move, but it’s like dragging weight through water. I feel paralyzed. Useless. Helpless.A vegetable.That’s what I’ve become.Still breathing, still here, but not fully alive.And for what? I’ve lived my life quietly. I’ve worked hard. I’ve kept my head down. I never tried to take more than I was given. I was careful….so careful to stay in my place. To never cross lines. To resp
~ Mena's POV ~She dared to regain consciousness.She dared to open those filthy, pathetic eyes of hers again…..as if the world missed her, as if anyone was begging for her to return. Just when I finally start to breathe, finally feel like maybe I’ve won my family back, that thing decides to rise from the dead.The joy I felt earlier now feels poisoned.She has the audacity to come back. How dare she? How could she?Just when the world starts aligning in my favor, just when I was starting to believe that maybe….just maybe fate had sided with me once again, her presence slices through my happiness like a dull, rusty knife. Everything about her existence irritates me. The very mention of her name makes my blood boil. And Sebastian? He’s the match to my fury."She’s regained consciousness," he said, like it was the best news in the world.Like it's a miracle.A miracle?She's a curse. One that should have been silenced the moment it arrived in our lives.Arrived?Of course not, i had the
~ Sebastian's POV ~I arrived home just as the golden rays of the setting sun spilled across the driveway. The sky brushed with streaks of soft orange and fading blue…..calm, like the end of a long day. The tires crunched gently against the interlocked stones as I slowed to a halt in front of the mansion.The moment the engine purred to a stop, I stepped out and adjusted the cuffs of my shirt, slightly tugging them down my wrists. The warm breeze teased my collar, but I barely felt it. As I stepped away from the car, the standby driver walked briskly over to take over.“Welcome, sir,” he greeted with a slight bow. Behind him, a few of the staff echoed the greeting from different corners.I gave a small wave of acknowledgment, already halfway up the steps to the front door when it suddenly hit me.The box.I stopped in my tracks and turned back around. “Bring in the box from the trunk,” I instructed.“Yes sir,” the driver replied swiftly. He turned and made his way to the car.My gaze
~ Sebastian's POV ~Watching them say goodbye….Ashley and Helen in the cutest way possible, made something stir inside me. Something soft. Something warm.Ashley had wrapped her arms around Helen like she never wanted to let go. And Helen, even in her weakened state, had managed to hold her just as tightly. The moment between them wasn't loud or dramatic, but it carried more weight than most conversations I’ve ever had. It’s wordless love…..pure and raw.They meant so much to each other. That much was clear. And it made me think: family, when held close, heals even the deepest wounds.As Ashley and I walked out of the hospital together, the silence between us wasn’t awkward…it was reflective. She seemed calmer now, visibly relieved after seeing Helen alive, speaking, and slowly recovering. Her steps were lighter, her expression no longer tense. And I could tell that part of her heart was patched just by that visit.At least she gets to have that relief. At least she knows her sister i
~ Helen’s POV ~“Honestly, I don’t feel like eating anything,” I muttered, my eyes glued to the tray of vegetable salad in front of me like it was some unsolvable equation.The colors were vibrant…bright orange carrot slices, cucumber spirals, lettuce, tomatoes. It was the kind of plate that looked like a health advertisement. And yet… I felt nothing for it. My stomach was unsettled, my tongue dry, and my body weak. Even lifting a spoon felt like a chore I wasn’t ready for.“Hungry or not, you have to eat to gain strength,” Ashley said with that stubborn tone I knew too well. She didn’t even wait for my argument….she just picked up the fork like a soldier ready for war.I let out a long breath, leaning back slightly against the pillows. The hospital sheets rustled under me. The room smelled faintly of antiseptic and flowers…..someone must have sent them. Probably Sebastian. He wouldn’t say it, but I could feel his care in the little things.“I’m serious,” I said weakly, pushing the tr