Amber’s Pov

“What is going on here?” My voice shook as my eyes darted from Jason to my sister tied up in the chair.

Jane’s cheeks were streaked with tears, her hair messy, her clothes ripped. She looked so small, so helpless.

Jason leaned against the wall, calm as though the sight before us was nothing. A cruel smile tugged at his lips.

“You pissed me off, Amber, even when I tried to be nice,” he said flatly. “So I pulled your sister out of her boarding school. I thought she’d help me teach you a lesson.”

Jane whimpered, “Amber… please…” Her voice was barely a whisper.

My knees weakened, but I forced myself forward. “Why, Jason? Why would you do this to her? She’s just a child!”

Jason’s eyes darkened. “Don’t act innocent. You think I’d just let you get away with what you did to Chloe?”

I frowned. “What I did to Chloe?”

He pushed off the wall, his face twisting with rage. “Because of you, Chloe’s jaw is broken. She’s in the hospital getting stitches as we speak.”

I scoffed. “She killed my son, Jason, she deserves more than that!”

“And you know what’s worse?” Jason’s voice dropped. “She was pregnant with my child. She lost the baby because of you.”

I arched my brow and tried to act surprised, “Your child? How is that possible? Didn’t you say you took her as your sister because she saved your life?”

Jason laughed. It was hollow, bitter, full of scorn. “You’re so stupid, Amber. Chloe took care of me and saved my life while you were partying and too busy to come see me. If she hadn't been there that night when the doctors tried reaching you all to no avail I would have been dead!”

My lips parted, but no words came. My chest squeezed painfully even though I've tried to tell him the truth countless times he's never believed me.

“It’s been four years and yet you still worship her,” I smiled bitterly.

He stepped closer, his eyes burning. “If you hadn't neglected me then I would be worshipping you and not her!”

My stomach twisted but I said nothing. I just realized that my parents had been right all along.

“And you—” he sneered, “you went ahead and got pregnant. You betrayed me and ruined everything!”

Tears blurred my vision. “Ruined everything? Jason, he was our son. Our baby boy—”

Jason’s voice rose, harsh and cruel. “He wasn’t my son! I’m glad he’s dead. The only children I’ll ever have will be with Chloe.”

The words struck like blades. My heart split wide open. I could barely breathe.

“How… how can you say that?” I whispered, tears clouding my eyes.

He threw a piece of paper at me. “Thanks to Chloe, I found out what you were really doing that night.”

My eyes widened and I shook my head when I saw the paper was a DNA test, “No… this is fake, Jason, you can't believe this.”

He scoffed, “You think I’m a fool? This is the same result I got after running the same test in 4 various hospitals!”

“Fine, you've always believed whatever Chloe tells you. Just let Jane go, she has nothing to do with this,” I whispered.

Jason shook his head slowly, smiling like a madman. “No, darling. She has everything to do with this. If you want her safe, you’re going to do exactly as I say.”

My heart sank. “What do you want?”

“You’re going to make a video,” he said coldly. “You’ll post it online, apologizing to Chloe. You’ll tell everyone it was an accident. That you’re not blaming her for your son’s death. The trolls will stop. The hospital will reinstate her. Everything will be fine again.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Never. Never in this life will I defend her. She killed my son, Jason! She doesn’t deserve sympathy, she deserves prison or worse!”

His eyes gleamed dangerously. “That’s why Jane is here. To motivate you.”

Jane sobbed harder, shaking her head. “Amber, please… don’t let him—”

Jason leaned in close, whispering like poison. “If you don’t do the video, I’ll post her naked pictures online.”

Jane gasped. “No!” She broke into hysterical sobs, thrashing against the ropes.

Jason laughed cruelly. “Just imagine it. Your sweet, innocent sister is barely eighteen. Everyone at her boarding school seeing her like that. Her reputation will be destroyed. She’ll never recover.”

I felt sick. My whole body trembled. “You’re bluffing.”

Jason smirked. “Am I?”

He pulled out his phone, tapped a few buttons, and Jane let out a bloodcurdling scream. “No! Don’t! Amber, stop him!”

The horror in her voice told me it was real. Jason wasn’t bluffing.

My world collapsed. I could not let her suffer. “Stop! I’ll do it,” I shouted. “I’ll do the video!”

Jason grinned, victorious. “Smart girl.”

He shoved a phone into my hand and forced me to sit. My tears blurred the camera as I spoke, my voice hollow.

“My son’s death was an accident,” I said, the words cutting me open. “Chloe isn’t to blame. I forgive her. Please stop harassing her. She deserves peace.”

Jason ended the recording, smiling with satisfaction.

Then, without warning, his fist shot out and smashed into Jane’s face. A sickening crack echoed. She slumped in the chair, blood pouring from her mouth.

“Jason!” I screamed.

“That’s your punishment,” he hissed. “For laying a hand on Chloe.” He stormed out, leaving the door wide open behind him.

I rushed to Jane, my hands shaking as I untied the ropes. “Stay with me, Jane, please… please forgive me,” I sobbed, cradling her limp body.

Her jaw was swollen, twisted. Her breaths were shallow.

I dragged her to the car and sped to the hospital, my tears blinding me.

Hours later, I sat outside the emergency ward, wringing my hands, praying she’d survive.

“Rough night?”

The voice froze me. Chloe strolled out of the hallway, perfectly fine, no sign of injury. Her lips curved in a mocking smile.

“You—” my voice broke. “You’re not hurt.”

She laughed. “Of course I’m not. I was never pregnant either. But Jason believed it because he's madly in love with me and believes whatever I want him to even when I told him you cheated and he's not your dead son’s father.”

I scoffed, “Why am I not surprised that you're a manipulating conniving bitch.”

Chloe’s eyes gleamed with victory. “I pushed him to the edge. I wanted him to finally admit to you what he feels for me. And he did, didn’t he?”

“You’re disgusting,” I spat. “Nothing but a filthy whore, that's what he admitted.”

Her smile faltered for a second before she masked it with a glare. “Careful, Amber. You’re in no position to insult me. This isn’t over. I’ll deal with you soon enough.”

She flicked her hair back and sauntered off, her laughter echoing in the corridor.

Later, I sat by Jane’s bedside. Her face was pale, her jaw wrapped in bandages, machines beeping around her. I held her hand, guilt crushing me.

“Please wake up, Jane,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

The door slammed open.

Jason strode in, his eyes red, his face twisted with fury.

“Where is my son, Amber?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Amber’s Pov

Jason’s face was a mask of fury. He stepped into the room and his voice cut the air. “Where is my son?” he demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snapped.

He laughed, hard and ugly. “Don’t lie to me. There is evidence on the CCTV cameras showing that you took him out of the house. You hated Chloe for your dead son. You wanted to kill hers too. You took him.”

“I didn’t touch him, Jason. I swear—”

Jane moaned and opened her eyes. She looked at me with fear. Her mouth trembled, but her words were a whisper. “Amber… what’s going on…”

But before I could answer, Jason stalked forward and grabbed her chin roughly.

“If you don’t tell me where my son is, I will make you regret it.” His voice was cold.

“Jason, let my sister go, I didn't touch your son,” my voice trembled as I stared at Jane’s terrified face.

Jane started crying. “Amber, help me, please… he's hurting me…”

Her voice sounded so small. My whole body wanted to jump between them and fight.

At that second Chloe burst through the door, acting like a woman about to faint. She fell to her knees and clutched at my hand, tears flooding her face.

“Please,” she sobbed loudly. “Amber, please… give Julius back. I’ll die if you don’t. Kill me instead. Take my life, just bring my son back.”

Chloe’s tears made my skin crawl. I wanted to slap her senseless and tell her to cut the act especially when I saw the smug grin on her face but I held back because Jason had my sister.

Jason’s eyes flared. He turned to his men. “Take her sister out. Make her talk.”

My hands flew to Jane. “What are you doing?” I screamed.

The men moved in. Two of them grabbed my arms and pinned me down. I thrashed and kicked, but there were too many of them.

Jason stepped close and leaned into my face. “Since you won’t confess, maybe seeing her suffer will loosen your tongue,” he said softly. “Maybe then you’ll tell me where my son is.”

They dragged Jane out by her hair. I screamed and pulled, but the men were strong. Jane’s legs scraped the floor. Her sobs echoed in the room.

Then the men started hitting her. Blows, kicks, and her cries mingled together. It was horrifying watching the blood on her body and hearing the sound, I almost went crazy.

“Stop! Stop!” I yelled. “Please, please don’t… Jason I don't know where your son is! How can you be this heartless? She's just a child. Please stop!”

“Jason, please! Don’t hurt her. It won’t bring Julius back. It won’t help,” Chloe suddenly begged even though her eyes still had that victorious smirk.

Jason didn’t listen. “Not until Amber tells me where my son is!”

The blows kept coming. I could hear Jane’s voice break, small sounds turning into nothing. I clawed at the men holding me.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

Finally there was a sickening silence. Then a heavy thud. I heard a faint gurgle. Jane’s moans slowed. I felt my world tilt.

They released her and I saw her clearly. Her face was swollen and purple. Blood pooled at the corner of her mouth. She could not focus. Her eyes were glassy. She whispered something and then slumped. Her breathing grew shallow. She was barely with us.

“No!” I lunged. I tried to catch her head, but my wrists were tied. One of Jason’s men shoved me back.

Jason turned away, angry and cold. “You’re wasting my time,” he said, “Why won’t you confess, Amber? Do you like seeing your sister suffer?”

“I don't know where Julius is, please stop, you'll kill her,” I sobbed.

He turned to Chloe. “You wanted corneas for your experiment, right?”

My blood froze. I felt the ground disappear.

“No,” I croaked. “You can’t. She's just a child —”

He cut me off. “I’m not a monster, Amber, I won’t touch your sister, it’s your mother. That old cow has lived long enough, don't you think? Or will you tell me where my son is now so I can spare her?”

“I didn't take your son, Jason, stop this madness!” I screamed.

“You won’t confess? Fine,” He pulled out his phone and barked an order. “Doctor, prepare the OR. Take her corneas. Start now.”

His men pushed me down a chair and shoved a phone into my face. They showed me a live video feed from the hospital OR.

My mother lay on the table, tubes in her nose, her hand pale under the light. Doctors were preparing instruments. The sound of a monitor beep raced in my ears.

“No! Stop that camera—” I screamed.

I scrubbed at my eyes and pounded on the table. “You can’t do this. Please. She’s sick. You’ll kill her.”

Jason yanked my hair, “Just watch, Amber. Watch what happens when you refuse to cooperate.”

I begged. I shouted. I clawed at their arms. I tried to break free. But my body was weak and the room closed in.

Then a man burst in and yelled, “We found Julius! He’s in one of Amber’s cars. He was locked inside. He’s alive but barely, he almost suffocated.”

Jason spun on him, “Where is he? Bring him here now. Doctor, do everything! Save my son!” Jason roared.

All at once the men and the doctors obeyed him. Nurses rushed away from my phone feed. The live image of my mother’s surgery was cut off. The room emptied. They ran out to save his son.

“Wait!” I cried. “My mother—she—” but my voice was swallowed by the rush of shoes on the floor.

The monitor on my mother’s feed started to falter. I realized in my chest that they had left the surgery mid-cut. The sound went flat in the feed. I watched with bare horror as the line on the monitor slowed.

“No—” I whispered.

I staggered to my feet, banging at the door. “Please! Someone! Come back!”

They did not. The paramedics ran past with Julius. Jason followed them like a shadow.

The live feed showed the operating room in frozen detail. The monitor’s beeps slowed, then paused. The screen went empty.

My mother’s heart stopped. I heard a sound then the flatline. It felt like a punch to the ribs. My legs gave out.

I sank to the floor and could only stare at the lifeless body of my mother on the live feed and the unconscious bruised battered body of my sister before me.

My face went numb. It felt like someone rewired me to nothing. I could not move. I could not breathe. The world had narrowed to one point: my dead mother and my bloody sister.

My phone buzzed. A simple message lit the screen. It was the lawyer. Divorce papers sent. Found a loophole.

Amber’s Pov

It had been three days since my mother died. Three days since I watched her heart stop on that screen.

I hadn’t left the hospital since then. I couldn’t. Not while Jane lay motionless, her face swollen, tubes running from her nose, machines keeping her alive.

The doctors had told me the truth in quiet voices. They didn’t know if she would ever recover. The beating had caused internal bleeding in her brain. She might never wake up.

I sat by her bed, my fingers wrapped around her cold hand. I whispered to her every night. I told her I was sorry. I told her to fight. But she never moved.

My phone buzzed. I wiped my eyes and picked it up.

“Princess,” a voice said. It was Roy.

His tone was firm, “Are you ready to leave? Do you have the divorce papers? I gave you seven days. Your time will be up tomorrow.”

I pressed my lips together, staring at Jane’s pale face. “I’ll be ready,” I whispered. “By tomorrow. I’m almost done gathering all the evidence I need.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting, Princess, I hope you keep your words,” Roy said and the line went dead.

I sighed and dropped the phone onto the bed. I kissed Jane’s forehead. “I’ll fix this, I promise.”

The door creaked open. My heart leapt, thinking it was a doctor. But instead, Jason walked in.

I stood, my hands balling into fists. “What do you want? Haven’t you done enough?”

He stopped in the middle of the ward. His face softened, as he let out a sigh, “Amber,” he said, “I didn’t mean for things to go this far.”

I laughed bitterly. “You killed my mother. You almost killed my sister. That’s your idea of not going too far?”

He rubbed his forehead. “You pushed me. You made me snap. I tried to be nice, but you hurt Chloe. You made her lose our baby. And then you kidnapped Julius… I lost control. What did you expect me to do?”

I ignored him and looked away but he kept talking.

“I know how much you love me, Amber, and I know you acted out of jealousy now. It’s alright, I forgive you.”

The audacity of this asshole to think everything is about him!

“I’ll give your mother a befitting burial. I’m arranging the best brain surgeon for Jane. She’ll recover and everything will be fine.”

“I care for you, Amber,” Jason continued, stepping closer. “I know you love me and you don't want us to be apart. That's why you fought your family years ago to be with me which is why I want us to live in peace. You can even look after Julius like he’s your son.”

My stomach churned but I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and forced a small nod.

I let my face soften. “I’m glad you apologized,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry too. For kidnapping Julius. I was upset and jealous, I wasn’t thinking straight. You know I love you too much.”

His eyes flickered with relief and a smug smile.

“I prepared a document,” I continued. “I transferred all the shares in my late son’s name to Julius. A way to apologize… for the trauma he went through.”

I pulled out the folder and slid it across the table. Jason grabbed it with greedy hands. He didn’t even stop to read it. His pen scratched the paper. His eyes shone as he signed his name.

“Good,” he said with a smile. “This is good. I can’t wait to share the news with Chloe. She’s here already, she got reinstated as resident surgeon because of the video you made.”

I watched him strut out of the room, whistling under his breath.

When the door closed, I scoffed. I pulled the folder back and flipped the page.

The bold title of the document stared back at me: Divorce Certificate.

I had hidden it beneath the false paper of transfer. Jason, in his greed, had signed away his marriage.

I pressed the paper to my chest and laughed bitterly. “Stupid bastard.”

I kissed Jane’s forehead. “I have to go do something important. I’ll be back soon.”

I left the hospital quietly.

—

When I got to the house, everything was quiet. No one was home. I went straight to my bedroom and pulled out bags. I packed clothes, important documents, jewelry, everything that was mine.

Then I gathered the marriage pictures. The frames. The wedding gifts. The things Jason had ever given me over the years. I carried them outside to the fire pit and lit a match.

The flames licked the air. It felt good finally getting rid of all the lies.

When it was done, I went to Jason’s study. I pressed in Chloe’s birthday. The safe clicked open.

Stacks of documents filled the space. I searched quickly. My fingers shook as I pulled out the two files I had been hunting.

As I slid them into my bag, another file caught my eye. My mother’s name was on it.

My heart skipped. I pulled it out. It was a consent form. A hospital document stating she had agreed to participate in an unauthorized medical drug testing.

But the signature wasn’t hers. Jason had signed it.

My knees buckled. I sank against the desk, the words blurring in my vision. Jason had given Chloe permission to use my mother as a test subject for her new drug.

A drug that caused side effects. A drug that triggered her heart attack and caused her to fall from the top floor. A drug that pushed her into a coma.

I pressed the paper to my chest, tears streaming down my face. “You monsters,” I whispered. “You just keep digging your own grave. My son, my brother, and my mother.”

I shoved the file into my bag and closed the safe.

I left the house. My phone pinged as I drove. I checked it at a red light.

Flight booking confirmed for tomorrow evening. Two passengers.

It was set. Me and Jane, tomorrow, I’ll take her away from here to where she will get better.

I reached the hospital and parked. My heart felt lighter knowing escape was close.

But when I walked into Jane’s room, my heart froze.

A shadow hovered over her bed. The figure leaned close, a syringe glinting in the dim light.

“Who’s there?” I demanded, my voice sharp.

The person turned slowly. It was Chloe.