Chapter 7: The First Doubt

I sat up slowly in bed as Ethan continued answering Lily’s call. The room felt smaller all of a sudden, like the walls were closing in on me.

He stood by the window, his shoulders stiff while Lily’s voice poured out of the phone.

“She’s always been manipulative, Ethan. Don’t let her fool you, Ivy has been pretending to be weak since we were kids.”

I lowered my eyes, my hands found the blanket and gripped it tight.

Normally, Ethan would have agreed with her.

Normally, he would have blamed me too.

Normally, he would have reminded Lily that he was trapped in this marriage because of me. But tonight was different, tonight he said nothing.

The silence went on, long enough that Lily noticed it. Long enough that I noticed it too.

Then Ethan looked at me again, his eyes moved from my pale face to the food beside my bed that I hadn’t touched.

You said Ivy would do anything for money?

Yes, Lily answered quickly because she would.

His voice stayed calm. Then why is she living like this?

Silence.

A long one.

My heart skipped, even Lily sounded shaken now.

“Ethan?” The name slipped out before she could stop it.

He continued. So why is she barely eating?

Another silence.

“She’s pretending”

Ethan’s mouth curved, not a real smile the kind that said, So this is the lie you’re going with.

Then his jaw tightened, I could see it from across the room. Then he asked “For weeks?”

Lily laughed, but it came out shaky. “She’s good at acting.”

Something shifted in Ethan’s face. It wasn’t trust, It wasn’t belief, It was doubt — small, but real. And Lily heard it in his silence.

For the first time since our wedding, Ethan ended the call first, not Lily, Him.

The room went quiet. I looked away, my chest tight, not knowing what to do with this new version of my husband.

A few seconds later, he spoke. “Get some rest.”

Then he walked out, and I sat there staring at the space where he’d been, Confused. My hands were still shaking a little.

The next morning, I woke up feeling a bit stronger my fever had gone down. My legs still felt weak under me, but at least I could stand without the room spinning.

I walked downstairs slowly, one hand on the wall. The moment I stepped into the dining room, I froze.

Lily was there.

My stomach dropped like a stone.

She was smiling, that sweet smile. The same one she always wore right before she destroyed something.

“Good morning, sister.”

I knew right away she hadn’t come for me. She had come because Ethan doubted her, and Lily hated losing control of anything.

Ethan sat across from her, his face unreadable. His mother looked thrilled to see Lily — of course she did, everyone loved Lily, everyone except me.

I took my seat quietly, my legs still a little unsteady.

Lily stood and rushed toward me, grabbing my hand. “Oh my God, Ivy, you look terrible.”

I almost laughed, last week she called me expendable. Today she was playing the caring sister.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Her smile stiffened. “I came to check on you.”

“No.” The word left my mouth before I could stop it.

The whole room went still.

Lily blinked. “What?”

I continued. “You came to check on Ethan.”

Her face slipped for half a second. Then the smile snapped back into place. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I looked straight into her eyes. “Yes, you do.”

The air in the room turned sharp, heavy, hard to breathe in.

Ethan didn’t say a word he just watched. And that was worse — because Ethan never just watches. He judges fast, usually against me. But today he was paying attention, really paying attention.

Lily noticed it, I noticed it. Everyone did.

“Ivy.” She laughed, nervous now. “Why are you attacking me?”

I almost admired her in that moment, almost. She could cry on command, she could turn herself into the victim in seconds. Right on cue, her eyes went red.

“I came here because I was worried about you.”

I looked away, I was tired. Too tired for her games, too tired to keep swallowing lies like medicine that never healed anything.

But Lily wasn’t finished. “You’ve always hated me.”

That made me laugh, a real laugh It surprised everyone in the room, even me.

Lily stared. “What is funny?”

I looked at her, for years I stayed quiet. For years I carried every accusation like a stone in my chest but not today.

“Hated you?” My voice shook, but I kept going. You’re the one who ran away, you left me to marry your fiancé. You lied. You watched everyone blame me for it.”

Silence.

The smile fell completely off her face. For the first time, she looked uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable.

Then Ethan asked one question, but it changed everything.

“Lily.” She turned to him fast. “Yes?”

His eyes stayed on her, steady. “You said Ivy locked you up?”

“She did.”

“How?”

The color drained from her face, I saw it happen. So did Ethan.

“What do you mean?”

“You said she locked you in the basement, his voice was still calm. Too calm “How?”

Lily opened her mouth, then closed it. No answer came.

The room went dead quiet Ethan kept staring at her, waiting.

“I…” For the first time, she had nothing to say, because there was no answer. Her lie had a hole in it — a big one, and Ethan had finally found it.

Then his phone rang.

Everyone turned as he looked at the screen: an unknown number, he stood and answered “Hello.”

Nobody spoke while he listened. I watched his face change — confusion first, then shock, then something darker.

“What?” His voice went sharp. Lily flinched.

“When was this discovered?”

Silence.

“Send everything to me.”

The call ended, my heart started pounding. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Ethan lowered the phone, Lily looked scared now. His mother looked lost, I felt terrified, because Ethan’s eyes had landed on Lily again — the same way they had during last night’s call. Like he no longer knew who she was.

“What happened?” his mother asked.

No one answered.

Then his phone buzzed again, a message this time. He opened it, and his whole body went stiff, like something inside him had locked shut.

His eyes moved from the screen to Lily, then to me, then back to the screen.

Finally, he spoke. One sentence that made my blood run cold.

“This says the person who ran from the wedding wasn’t the only one hiding something.”

Lily’s face turned completely white.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened “What secret were you keeping three years ago, Lily?”

No one moved, no one breathed.

Lily wasn’t just nervous anymore, she was terrified. And for the first time since I had known her, I saw real fear in her eyes.

Then his phone rang again, the same unknown number. He answered right away.

Whatever the voice said made every drop of color leave his face.

Slowly, he turned to me. His eyes were full of shock.

“What happened to you at St. Mary’s Hospital three years ago?”

My whole body went cold, frozen in place.

Because only three people knew about that day.

Me.

Lily.

And the person who destroyed my life.