Chapter Five: A Toast to My Downfall

Morning came in the blink of an eye. I stayed awake all night, unable to stop thinking about the recorded message on the phone.

Suddenly, my stomach cramped violently. It felt as if my internal organs were twisting into a knot. I gasped, holding my midsection as a wave of nausea hit me. I barely made it to the bathroom before I collapsed over the toilet, throwing up everything I had eaten the night before.

What could have caused this? I thought, wiping my mouth with a trembling hand. I only ate the vegetables from the fridge…

A cold suspicion crept into my mind. The locked pantry. The empty cupboards. The fridge stocked with nothing but near-spoiled cabbages. Was it really just negligence, or had Kira intentionally hidden the food to force me into eating whatever was left? The timing felt too convenient to be an accident.

I leaned against the sink, forcing myself to stand. Outside, the front door clicked open. Voices echoed through the foyer, and I stepped out of the guest room to see Kira walking in, carrying armfuls of fresh, packaged meals. Cole was right beside her, holding a few extra bags. They were chatting quietly, completely unaware of my presence.

I cleared my throat.

“You’re awake!” Kira exclaimed, her voice dripping with artificial excitement. "I brought food" 

I rolled my eyes and ignored her greeting. Before I could say a word, another sharp, agonizing spasm tore through my gut. I winced, doubling over as my knees gave out.

Kira rushed over, catching me before I hit the floor. “Are you okay, Quinn?” she asked, her voice laced with dramatic concern.

I was too weak to push her away. Against my will, I gripped her dress tightly to stay upright. “I think... it was what I ate last night,” I managed to choke out. “The vegetables from the fridge.”

“You ate those?” Kira gasped, turning to look at Cole with wide, tragic eyes. “Oh, poor Quinn... I told you not to eat those vegetables. Are you trying to hurt yourself? Do you want to put Cole through more stress?”

I stared at her in utter disbelief. “Bloody liar...” I whispered in agony.

She hid the real food, locked the storage, and left rotten greens on purpose… just to frame me as reckless.

“Is she putting on an act or something?” Cole asked, stepping forward with a hard, unreadable expression.

I glared at him through the pain. Is he blind? I’m literally collapsing in front of him.

Kira bent down slightly, a tiny, sinister smile flickering across her lips where Cole couldn't see it. “What did you say, sweetie?”

Before I could process her smug look, she smoothed her expression and turned back to Cole. “I’ll take care of her, Cole,” Kira said softly, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You told me you had a very important meeting this morning, so don't worry about anything here. I’ll make sure she rests and takes some drugs for her stomach. She’ll be completely fine with me.”

Cole stared at Kira for a while before his face softened.

“I don't know how to appreciate you, Kira,” he said, his usual cold tone fading. “You have really been of great help to a busy man like me.” He glanced down at his watch, then back at me. “Excuse me, ladies. I have a meeting to catch.”

“Of course,” Kira replied smoothly.

Cole stepped closer to me, his dark eyes fixing onto mine. He reached out, gently cupping my face, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll take you out for dinner when I get back,” he murmured softly, his tone gentler than it had ever been since I woke up from the hospital. “Just don't make things hard on Kira while I’m gone. Don't see this the wrong way, Quinn.”

I froze, stunned by the sudden shift in his demeanor. Before I could process the gesture, Cole handed his silk handkerchief to Kira to wipe her theatrical tears, gave us a brief nod, and walked out the front door.

The moment the door clicked shut and his car pulled out of the driveway, the soft atmosphere vanished.

Kira turned to face me, her posture instantly straightening. “You need to get your act together, Quinn,” she sneered. “Or Cole might just cancel his arrangement with you entirely. You know you stand no chance with him anyway.”

Pure rage flared through the agony in my stomach. Before she could react, I reached up, grabbed a massive fistful of her hair, and yanked her downward with all the strength I had left.

Kira shrieked in pain, her hands clawing at my wrist as she tried to free herself.

“Such lovely words coming from my 'best friend,'” I hissed, holding her down until she was practically on her knees. “I might have lost my memories, but I’m not blind to your pathetic motives with Cole. If you’re planning something stupid, keep me out of it.”

I shoved her away, and she stumbled back, crashing against the floor in a mess of disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes.

She scoffed, her eyes filling with instant, calculated tears as she pulled herself up. “Such insolence!” she sobbed, dabbing at her eyes. “Even after I offered to help you? You really think I’m trying to take Cole away from you?”

I rolled my eyes at her performance, clutching my stomach as another cramp hit. “Save the acting award for someone who cares.”

“Just let me help you,” Kira said, her voice dropping into a tight, quiet tone. “Can I get you some medicine for your stomach at least?”

I paused, doubling over with my hands pressed hard against my tummy. Sweat was already dripping down my neck.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me not to take a single thing from her hands. But as another blinding pain stabbed through my abdomen, desperation won out.

“Yes,” I rasped. “Get it.”

“I have something in my car. Don't move,” she said, turning and walking out to her vehicle.

I leaned against the sofa, my breathing shallow. I need to get out of this house, I thought. I need to find a way to the office.

A few moments later, Kira returned, holding a small white pill and a glass of tap water.

“I need to go to the company after this,” I said, testing her as I looked at the pill. “Cole didn't eat breakfast before leaving.”

Kira paused, her eyes narrowing. “Too bad, Quinn... I have to head to work myself.”

“I thought you worked as the fashion manager at Vandal’s Haute Couture?” I asked smoothly.

Kira’s hand twitched. Shock flashed across her features before she masked it. “Yes... how do you know that? Have your memories returned?”

“What if they have?” I retorted with a cold, faint smile. “I found a hidden phone in the room upstairs. I heard the recorded message.”

Kira froze. She took a slow step back, folding her arms as a cruel, slow smirk spread across her face.

“You found it?” she murmured softly. “That’s... interesting.”

Before I could demand what she meant, the unbearable cramping in my stomach flared again. Driven by pure agony, I snatched the small pill from her hand, threw it to the back of my throat, and washed it down with the water.

Within ten seconds, a terrifying, icy weight flooded through my veins.

My heart rate plummeted instantly. My knees turned to water, and the room spun on a violent axis. The stomach pain didn't go away… instead, my entire body went completely limp, my muscles turning into useless lead.

Kira didn't panic. She didn't rush to hold me. She simply stood over me, watching with a cold, amused smile as my legs collapsed and I crashed hard onto the floorboards.

“That means all my plans to show you the evidence worked,” she whispered softly, watching me struggle to draw a single breath.

My vision blurred into dark, heavy blotches. As my face hit the hardwood floor, the small prescription bottle slipped from Kira's fingers, rolling across the floor until it came to a stop inches from my face.

Through the black fog closing in on my brain, my eyes locked onto the crisp black lettering printed on the white label: PROPRANOLOL - 80MG.

The heavy oak front door was suddenly thrown open with a violent thud.

Panic-stricken footsteps sprinted across the foyer. I caught a fleeting, blurred glimpse of Fabian’s grey eyes dropping to the floor in absolute horror... and then everything went completely black.