Stay Here

Selena’s POV

When I arrived at the hospital, Theo and Mrs. Ashford were already waiting in the corridor. They didn’t speak a word to me—just turned and walked ahead like I was a nuisance to be escorted. I followed in silence.

The ward was quiet when we entered. Olivia lay on the hospital bed, pale and delicate, like someone who had been battling illness for years. It was laughable. She’d always wanted to be an actress—turns out, she didn’t need a camera to play her biggest role.

“Olivia, Selena is here,” Mrs. Ashford said softly, taking a seat by her bedside.

She tucked Olivia’s hair behind her ear, stroked her cheek with trembling fingers, and whispered words of comfort. I watched as she doted on her like she was a fragile porcelain doll. Her touch was tender. Her voice broke with worry.

My chest tightened. No matter how much I told myself I didn’t care, watching her pour all that motherly affection onto someone else—onto the girl who destroyed me, hurt more than I wanted to admit.

“Olivia, nothing must happen to you,” she murmured, kissing her forehead. “Please, open your eyes.”

Eventually, Olivia fluttered her lashes, slowly waking as though from a dream. Her gaze landed on me. Her voice was soft, trembling, too perfect to be real. “Selena, I…”

“I apologize,” I cut in, my tone dry. “For ruining your fairy-tale wedding and triggering your dramatic fainting performance.”

Mrs. Ashford’s face twisted with rage. Theo clenched his fists at his sides like he was ready to punch a wall. Their outrage was almost comical.

Olivia blinked weakly, voice trembling. “I’m not angry with… you,” she said with a practiced stutter. “It wasn’t your fault. It was the waiter who spilled that cold drink on you… which made you cough… and everything else just escalated. I couldn’t bear it all. That’s why I collapsed.”

She looked like she might start crying any moment, but her eyes glinted with something else—triumph. The same eyes that had smirked at me from across the wedding hall just before I stormed out.

What I still can’t understand is why Olivia would cancel her own wedding. She once looked me in the eye and said, “Selena, even though I don’t love Mateo, I will still take him from you.”

She never loved him—that much was clear. So why go through the trouble of planning the wedding in the first place? Was it all just to hurt me? To prove she could take whatever I once had?

I turned to Mrs. Ashford. “I’ve apologized. Am I free to go now?”

Mrs. Ashford glanced at Olivia like she needed her approval. Olivia’s voice quivered, “Mom… where’s Selena going?”

“She’s leaving us,” Theo answered coldly. “We don’t need her anymore.”

“No!” Olivia cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Please don’t send Big Sister away!”

Mrs. Ashford immediately softened. “Oh, my sweet baby… see how much she loves her sister.” She wiped Olivia’s tears with trembling fingers, kissed her forehead, and cradled her face like she was something sacred. “But Selena has only brought us pain. She really must leave.”

“No, Mom. Please let her stay. I’ll be bored without her…”

“I’m not staying,” I said firmly. “I’ve had enough.”

“Shut your filthy mouth!” Theo shouted, his voice cracking with fury. “Can’t you see your sister is in pain? And you—you have no heart at all!”

I let out a cold laugh. “Heart? Did this family have a heart when they made me take the fall for a crime I didn’t commit?”

“Selena—” Olivia began to cough violently.

Blood sprayed from her mouth.

“Olivia!” Mrs. Ashford screamed. “My baby!”

She turned on me like a wild animal. “You witch! You really want to kill my daughter!”

Her hand flew toward my face, but I caught her wrist mid-air.

Her eyes rolled with fury. “Let me go! I’ll kill you today!”

“You should be worried about your dying daughter, not attacking me.”

“Let go of Mother’s hand!” Theo barked.

I shoved her arm away. She stumbled back, and Theo rushed to steady her before she could fall.

“This bitch has really grown horns!” Mrs. Ashford shrieked. “Lock her up in that shack until I decide what to do with her!”

“I’ll call the doctor first,” Theo muttered and stormed out.

He paused to glare at me. “Stay here.”

The moment he left, I looked Mrs. Ashford in the eye and said, “I hope we never see each other again.”

“You—!” she hissed. “Don’t you dare move!”

But I already had. I stepped out of the hospital and into the open air, my heart pounding—not with fear, but with something else. Freedom. Rage. Maybe even hope.

A new chapter of my life had begun. Still, as I thought of Mr. Ashford, a sharp ache bloomed in my chest. His words echoed in my ears: “Selena, if you stop coming to visit me, I will stop living.”

I wish I hadn’t sold my violin to buy medicine for Olivia when she fell ill five years ago. It was the last gift Mr. Ashford gave me before his health began to decline. Back then, the family company was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. His illness had worsened, and managing the business became nearly impossible. He didn’t trust either of his sons to take over, so he kept working despite his failing health.

With the company crumbling, the Ashfords could barely afford food. Mrs. Ashford was struggling too—everyone relied on the money I made from working double shifts because none of them were willing to lift a finger. When they could no longer afford Olivia’s medication, I made the painful decision to sell the violin. I did it for Olivia. For them.

I thought that sacrifice would finally earn me a place in their hearts. That they would see me as one of them. But I was wrong. Their hearts were made of stone. No matter what I gave, no matter how much I bled for this family, they hated me all the same.

Even if I never set foot in that house again, I would still visit Mr. Ashford. He was the only one who truly cared.

I reached for my phone, pulling it from my bag as I searched for job listings—anything that wouldn’t reject me for being an ex-convict. That label would follow me forever, but I had to start somewhere.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm.

My phone slipped from my fingers, crashing to the pavement.