Lyra'S POV"What?!" I blurted, my eyes wide as I spun around to face her.The nurse gave a small nod, her eyes not flinching from mine. My hands curled into fists at my sides. I wanted to strangle her for daring to say that—how dare she? Did she think tossing this lie would magically make me forgive or believe her? I turned sharply toward Lucian, and there he was, watching me again with those unreadable eyes. I hated the way his gaze made me feel—cornered and confused."Please," came Barrister Kuti’s voice, stern and laced with exhaustion, "you have done what brought you to this court. Kindly leave Lyra alone."I shifted my glare to the nurse, scanning her from head to toe with disgust before letting out a sharp hiss. "Mtssw," I scoffed under my breath, brushing past her with cold determination. My heels echoed against the courtroom floor, each step deliberate. Rafi followed right behind me, her hand lightly brushing my arm for support."Can you wait—please, just hear me out!, Please"
NYX'S POV"Ahem," the barrister cleared his throat.facing the courtroom. "I'm Mila's personal nurse. I've been caring for her since before she married Mr. Lucian. He knows that."Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to stay composed. "That morning, Mila called me, asking me to come to her house for her babies' check-up. I told her to come to the hospital instead, because I was busy—but really, I said that because she’s more than just a patient. She's a friend. Like a sister."She paused, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. "She insisted. 'No, I want you to come,' she said. That’s when I felt something wasn’t right. Her voice... it didn’t sound normal. I thought maybe her daughter was really sick or something terrible had happened. She sounded scared. She told me to come immediately."She went silent, and the courtroom grew quiet, expectant. Everyone stared at her, waiting. She looked down at the floor.Barrister Kuti finally broke the silence. "So what ha
Lucian looked up slowly, his jaw tightening. His eyes darkened like a storm cloud gathering force, the silence around him almost suffocating.He didn’t blink.Didn’t breathe.Just stared.“I know why she came,” he muttered, voice low and bitter, his gaze cold as stone. “You gave her money, told her to disappear, didn't you? That’s what brought her back.”The guard standing before him shifted uneasily, caught between fear and duty. He gave a slight nod, confirming Lucian's suspicion.Lucian’s voice was flat. “Go. Add more to it.”The guard turned to leave, and after a minute, he returned, but barely opened his mouth when Lucian snapped like thunder.“If she says it's small, add more!” he barked. “Just make sure she disappears!”His voice echoed through the marble hallways of the mansion like a whip. The tension in the air was thick.“And don’t disturb me again,” he hissed, waving a hand toward the door. “Get lost.”The guard didn’t dare linger. He bowed quickly and vanished.Not even f
Inside the emergency room, the light was harsh and sterile. The nurse had already laid Lyra on the white hospital bed. Her body was calm now—too calm—after that injection.A monitor beeped steadily beside her, tracking each heartbeat with chilling precision.The doctor entered the room, a tall man with greying hair and tired eyes. He walked slowly to her bedside, pulling on gloves, while another nurse handed him a clipboard.He placed his stethoscope on her chest. Her heartbeat was steady. Normal.He checked her pupils one after the other, then gently turned her head. A bump was already forming at the back. He pressed on it slightly—Lyra flinched, even in unconsciousness.“She hit her occipital lobe,” he muttered. “That could affect memory, balance... even her vision.”“Let’s run a scan,” he added firmly.They lifted her carefully from the bed onto a stretcher and wheeled her through the back corridor into the radiology unit, her arm limp at her side, her head tilted like a broken dol
Lyra didn’t say a word.The woman stood just a few feet from her hospital bed, but Lyra kept her gaze fixed on the far wall, her face blank, her body stiff.A thick silence swallowed the room.After a few minutes, her father cleared his throat. “Lyra… she’s talking to you.”Still, Lyra didn’t move. Her voice came low, flat. “Tell her to get out of here.”“Lyra!” her father, Rafi, and Barrister Kuti said at the same time, alarmed by her tone.“I said—” Lyra shouted now, her voice sharp, breaking through the tension like glass, “—tell her to get out of here!”The woman didn’t flinch. Instead, she took a breath and spoke softly, almost gently. “It’s very important information. It concerns your life… and your future.”“Ahhhhh!” Lyra screamed, bursting into a sob, hands trembling. “I don’t want the information! Go away!”She sat up abruptly and tried to get off the bed, her legs swinging to the floor as if she intended to run. Her hospital gown flared slightly as she moved.Barrister Kuti
Third person POVThe courtroom was silent except for the hum of the projector.Then suddenly—A loud slap echoed in the video.The man’s hand shot forward, his palm cracking across Mila’s cheek with brutal force. Her head snapped to the side, a gasp slipping past her lips. Before she could react, the man grabbed her by the neck.Her hands flew up in panic, clutching at his fingers, scratching, trying to pry him off—but his grip was iron.She choked, mouth opening, eyes bulging as she fought for air. Her legs kicked against the floor weakly. The camera angle still hadn’t caught his face fully.A judge’s voice—present, steady, but confused—cut through the tension in the courtroom.“How can we know who the man is if the video doesn’t show his face?”Everyone leaned forward, breathless.And then…The camera shifted.The angle tilted slightly, zoomed in—and finally, the man’s face came into focus.Lyra shot to her feet, her voice bursting out.“Zane?!”Lucian gasped, standing as well. “Zan