Chapter 22%
I pressed my hand to my forehead as a sharp pain slammed through my head. It felt like my skull was being pounded from the inside. My mind was a whirlwind of voices and memories crashing in on me like waves, relentless and unforgiving.
“Hestia, are you okay?” Lucian’s voice, full of panic and worry, cut through the noise.}
I heard the shrill beeping of the hospital’s call button, like a cruel reminder of my reality.”
“Hold on. You’re at it again. Shit! Don’t faint on me, wife.” His voice trembled as he muttered under his breath, frustration mixing with his fear.
“It hurts…” I cried out, the words barely making it past the rawness in my throat.
The memories flooding my mind were cruel, jagged, tormenting. They replayed in front of me, each image cutting deeper, until I thought I might drown in them.!!
Flashback
“Just hold on. We’re almost there.” She’s panting slowly, panic growing with each desperate second.”
The pain was unbearable, unlike anything I’d known. It wasn’t just the physical agony, it was the realization that this was the price of one terrible mistake. The child from a night I could barely remember was forcing its way out, taking everything with it.”
“Hold on, baby…” Chesca’s voice was soft but strained as she caressed my stomach, her eyes frantic. She locked her gaze with mine, a desperate plea in her eyes. “You can make it, please. After this, you won’t suffer anymore,” she promised, trying to soothe me.
The words barely reached me. My body was betraying me, my chest tight with more than just pain. Dad always said I couldn’t handle extreme discomfort, that I’d faint at the first sign of it. He wouldn’t let me take part in anything risky.”
I’d never dreamed of becoming a mother, terrified of this exact moment, yet here I was, suffocating under the weight of it.” “Chesca, I think I’m going to faint,” I whispered, my breath shallow.
The blackness in my vision spiraled outward as my body struggled to stay conscious. I barely heard her pleading voice before everything went dark.
Then, the world flipped.”
The sound of tires screeching jerked me from oblivion, and my vision remained a blur. I saw Chesca’s hands gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles white as she wrenched the car in a desperate attempt to avoid the tree. But it was too late. Instead of me, it was her who crashed into it.”
The world around me felt like it was tilting, and in my hazy state, I screamed for help. My voice, raw and desperate, echoed into the night, but no one answered. Only the sound of the car’s crumpling metal and the sickening thud of the crash filled my ears.
Chesca’s bloody, unconscious hand fell limply into mine. I begged her to wake up, to not leave me alone in this endless, suffocating darkness.
“Please, wake up!” I cried, my voice breaking, the words torn from me in a desperate plea.
I looked around frantically, but it wasn’t until I saw the shadow, large, menacing, that my scream grew louder. But the shadow didn’t come toward us. No, it moved behind us, and suddenly, the car lurched downward. The world spun faster, a downward spiral, until we were tumbling off the hill, the earth rushing toward us.”
I don’t know if the crash was truly an accident or if someone had pushed the car, but I knew one thing for sure: Chesca would still be alive if they hadn’t.”
End of Flashback
My eyes fluttered open, the bright white ceiling glaring down at me. It felt sterile, impersonal. The realization hit me that I was still in the hospital, though not in the same room where I’d been with Lucian.
I tried to sit up, but a stabbing pain shot through my head. The world tilted, and I collapsed back onto the bed, my breath catching. “Don’t try. Rest first,” my stepmother’s familiar voice soothed me.§
Her face appeared beside me, filled with concern as she reached out to stroke my cheek. But before she could, the door creaked open, signaling someone else entering the room.”
Lucian stepped into view. His eyes were heavy, his face drawn with exhaustion. I’d never seen him look this way, not even when things had been bad between us.
“How are you feeling?” His voice was raw, worn out, as though asking the question had drained him.
I swallowed hard, but the words stuck in my throat. There was so much I wanted to say, but all I could think of was the conversation we’d had before my memories returned.}
“How’s… Horde?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Mommy smiled gently as she took my hand. “He’s getting better. He’s out of emergency, hija.“}
A tear slipped down my cheek. Relief flooded me, but it was a bitter relief. Lorde was safe. He had made it through. Chesca… she died trying to save him, trying to save me. And I was still here, broken, but alive. I had to live for him. For Lorde. For Chesca, who had given everything.
“I remember everything…” I whispered, my voice trembling with the weight of the truth. “It’s not an accident. S–someone pushed the car.” Lucian’s face tightened, his gaze steady. “Are you sure, Hestia? Everything?”
I nodded, a cold dread settling in my chest. “E–everything…”
