Elena’s POV

At 7:00, I walked downstairs wearing a simple black dress.

Adrian was in the living room with Celeste. When he saw me, he frowned.

"You're wearing black?"

"I have no reason to celebrate," I said quietly.

His jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

Celeste, meanwhile, was wearing a flowing pink dress that made her look radiant and glowing.

"You look beautiful," Adrian told her softly.

She beamed. "Thank you."

He didn't even glance at me.

The doorbell rang.

"That'll be your parents," Adrian said, heading to the door.

I watched him greet my mother and father with warm hugs and handshakes.

My mother spotted me and frowned. "Elena, why are you wearing black? This is a celebration."

"I cannot celebrate when Clara is still fighting for her life," I said simply.

"Oh." My mother's expression didn't change. "Well, that's unfortunate. But tonight is about Celeste and her good news."

Of course it was. They didn’t care about anything else.

We moved to the dining room.

I sat at the far end of the table. Adrian sat at the head, with Celeste on his right and my parents on his left.

They chatted and laughed amongst themselves, completely ignoring me, almost like I was invisible.

Halfway through the meal, Celeste stood up.

"I have an announcement," she said, her voice shaking with excitement.

Everyone turned to look at her. Adrian was beaming.

"I'm pregnant," Celeste said softly.

My mother gasped, jumping up to hug her. "Oh, sweetheart! That's wonderful!"

My father grinned. "Congratulations, Celeste."

"Who's the father?" I asked quietly.

The room went silent.

Celeste's eyes widened. "What?"

"I asked who the father is," I repeated. "You're not married. You don't have a boyfriend that I know of. So who got you pregnant?"

"Elena!" my mother snapped. "How dare you—"

"It's a reasonable question," I said calmly.

Celeste's eyes filled with tears. "I... I was seeing someone. He died a few months ago. This baby is all I have left of him."

The lie rolled off her tongue so easily.

I glanced between my father and my mother. They looked very uncomfortable, avoiding my eyes.

And that's when it clicked.

They knew.

They all knew whose baby it was.

My own parents knew my husband was having an affair with my sister, and they were celebrating it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said flatly. "Congratulations on the baby."

Adrian cleared his throat. "As I mentioned earlier, I'm throwing a celebration party this Saturday. A big one. All my business partners, investors, and friends will be there to celebrate this wonderful news."

My mother clapped her hands together. "How exciting! Celeste, you'll need a new dress—"

"Already ordered," Adrian said with a smile. "Only the best for my... for Celeste."

He had almost said something else. I saw him catch himself.

"Elena, you'll need something appropriate too," my mother said, eyeing my black dress with distaste.

"I have plenty of dresses," I said quietly.

"Nothing suitable for a celebration," she countered. "Tomorrow, you and I will go shopping."

"I would rather spend tomorrow at the hospital with Clara."

My mother's expression hardened. "Elena, that woman is dying. There's nothing you can do for her. But you can support your sister during this happy time."

That woman. Not even your foster mother. Just that woman.

"If you'll excuse me," I said, standing to my feet. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to bed."

"Elena, sit down," Adrian said sharply.

"No."

"I said sit down!"

"And I said no." I looked at him coldly. "I came to dinner like you asked. I heard the announcement. Now I'm leaving."

I turned and walked out of the dining room.

Behind me, Celeste’s voice wobbled with fake tears. “She hates me, Mom.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” my mother soothed. “At least, thanks to her, you’re now…” Her voice dropped, too low for me to hear.

My breath caught.

They knew. My parents knew what Adrian had done—and they supported it.

I went upstairs and shut the bedroom door. I lay there, staring at the ceiling while laughter, clinking glasses, and music drifted up the stairs. They were celebrating my pain.

Soon, they would have nothing left to celebrate.

Elena’s POV

Hours passed and the noise faded and the house went quiet. My parents took one guestroom. Celeste took the other. And Adrian… I knew exactly where he’d be.

My throat was dry. I needed water, but I waited another half hour, just to be sure.

I slipped out of bed, crept down the stairs, and entered the kitchen, and filled a glass from the tap.

I heard Adrian’s low voice coming from his office. “I don’t care what it takes. Keep her sedated.”

I froze, the glass halfway to my mouth.

“No, I’m not interested in her waking up,” he said. “I’m paying you enough to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“The monitoring showed brain activity? So what? Increase the dosage. I don’t want her to be conscious. Ever.”

I set the glass down and crept closer. The office door was slightly ajar.

“You don’t understand,” Adrian hissed. “Clara is dangerous. If she wakes up, everything falls apart.”

A pause. Then: “Yes, I know it’s illegal. That’s why I’m tripling your fee.”

Another pause.

“Because she saw me,” he snapped. “She saw me with Celeste months ago. She threatened to tell Elena. So I handled it.”

My hand flew to my mouth.

“The car accident wasn’t an accident,” Adrian said coldly. “I ran her off the road myself. She should’ve died, but the old woman was tougher than I thought. Now she’s in a coma, and I need her to stay that way.”

No. No, no, no.

“If she wakes up and tells Elena what she saw, my entire plan falls apart. Keep her sedated until after the party. After that... I don’t care what happens. Let her die naturally, just make sure it can’t be traced back to me.”

The call ended. His chair scraped back.

I ran.

I flew up the stairs, heart pounding, and shut the bedroom door just as his footsteps echoed down the hall. I pressed my back against it, trembling.

Adrian had tried to kill Clara.

He was keeping her sedated.

He was going to let her die.

I grabbed my phone with shaking hands and dialed Ivan.

He answered on the second ring. “Mrs. Moretti. It’s late.”

“I need your help.” My voice cracked. “Please. It’s Clara—my foster mother. Adrian ran her off the road months ago because she caught him with Celeste. Now he’s paying her doctor to keep her in a coma. She’s showing signs of waking up, and he’s—he’s going to let her die.”

Silence.

“Please,” I whispered. “I need to move her somewhere safe. But I can’t do it alone. He has people everywhere.”

“Where is she?”

“Mercy General Hospital. Room 304.”

“I’ll have her moved by morning,” Ivan said. “She’ll be safe.”

Relief flooded through me. “Thank you. Thank you so much—”

“But you know what this means, Elena.”

I closed my eyes. “Yes.”

“Say it.”

“I accept your offer,” I whispered. “I’ll marry you.”

“Good. You have four days.”

The call ended.

I sat there in the dark, phone clutched in my hand.

I had just agreed to marry a man I’d never met. My husband’s worst enemy.

Adrian didn’t know it yet, but I just became his reckoning.

***

I couldn't sleep. My mind kept replaying everything I had just heard in Adrian’s office.

Then I heard footsteps approaching, and a knock on the door.

"Elena?" Celeste's voice was sweet, concerned. "Can I come in?"

I didn't answer.

"Elena, please. I just want to talk."

I stayed silent.

"Elena, open the door."

She turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping inside.

There was a pause. Then her voice changed, she dropped the sweet voice.

"Oh, you look so pathetic right now, sis.” She drawled.

I didn’t move.

She continued. “But I want you to know something. That child in my womb is Adrian’s. He chose me.”

I sat up slowly, turning to face her.

She had a cruel grin on her face. "He told me how boring you were in bed. How you could never satisfy him. How he had to close his eyes and pretend you were someone else."

My hands clenched into fists.

"And those babies?" She laughed. "Four chances, Elena. And you couldn't even manage to keep one alive. What kind of woman can't even do the one thing her body was made for?"

My vision turned red.

"Your body must be defective," she continued, her voice dripping with venom. "Maybe it's nature’s way of telling you that you would be a terrible mother.”

Anger burned through me at her words, and I stood up, walking towards her with clenched fists.

"Adrian loves me," Celeste said, with a nasty grin on her face. "He's having a baby with me. A real baby. One that will actually live, because I can give him what you never could—a family."

I shoved her hard.

She stumbled backward, her eyes widening in shock.

"Get out," I gritted coldly.

"You bitch!" she hissed. "How dare you—"

"I said get out!"

I slammed the door in her face and locked it this time.

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of footsteps walking down the hallway.

I walked back to the bed and sat down.

Then I heard a loud thud, and a scream.

"Adrian! Help! Adrian!"

My blood ran cold.

What did she—

The bedroom door flew open with such force it slammed against the wall. The lock of the door had been broken.

Adrian stood in the doorway, breathing heavily. His face was twisted with rage.

Behind him, my mother and father appeared, holding a sobbing Celeste.

"You pushed her down the stairs?" Adrian's voice was deadly quiet.

"What? No, I didn't—"

"She came up here to comfort you," my mother said, her voice shaking. "To try and make peace. And you attacked her!"

"That's not what happened!" I stood up. "She was inside my room, insulting me—"

"That’s not true!" Celeste sobbed. "I just wanted to talk to my sister. To make sure she was okay. And she... she pushed me!"

"I shoved her away from my door! I didn't push her down the stairs—"

Before I could say anything more, Adrian’s fist slammed into my face.

The impact sent me flying backward. My head cracked against the wall, and pain exploded through my skull.

Then everything went black.

Elena’s POV

When I woke up in the hospital, my head was pounding. My face throbbed, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't cooperate. Everything hurt.

"You're finally awake." Adrian's voice was cold, and emotionless.

I forced my eyes open. He was sitting in a chair by the window, watching me.

The memories flooded through my mind, and tears welled up in my eyes. In our eight years of marriage, Adrian had never hit me before, until now.

"Adrian," I whispered. "How could—"

"Apologize to Celeste."

"What?"

"You heard me." His eyes were hard. "Apologize to your sister for attacking her."

"I didn't attack her!" I tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain. "She was taunting me, saying horrible things—"

"I don't care what she said." He stood up. "You put your hands on a pregnant woman. You could have killed her baby."

"She threw herself down the stairs!" Tears streamed down my face. "She's lying, Adrian. She's always lying—"

"Apologize."

"No." I said firmly.

His expression darkened. "No?"

"I won't apologize for something I didn't do."

He stared at me for a long moment. Then he smiled. It was a cold, cruel smile that made my blood freeze.

"Fine."

He grabbed my arm and dragged me to my feet. I stumbled, my legs were too weak to hold me up.

"What are you doing?" I gasped.

He didn't answer, he just dragged me out of the room, and down the hospital hallway.

"Adrian, stop! Where are we going?"

He kept dragging me, till we approached the ICU.

My stomach dropped.

"No," I whispered. "No, Adrian, please—"

He ignored me as he dragged me to Room 304. Clara’s room.

"Adrian, what are you doing?" I was sobbing now. "Please, don't—"

He kicked open the door to Clara's room.

To my dismay, she was still lying there, pale and unmoving, surrounded by machines. Her heart monitor beeped steadily. Ivan’s people hadn't arrived yet.

A nurse looked up, startled. "Sir, you can't—"

"Turn off the life support," Adrian said coldly.

The nurse's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I said turn it off."

"Sir, I can't do that—"

"Do it."

"Sir, the patient will die within minutes if we—"

"I don't care." Adrian's voice was ice. "Turn it off. Now."

The nurse looked at me, then back at Adrian. "Sir, I need authorization from—"

"I'm Adrian Moretti." His voice was quiet but deadly. "I'm on the hospital board. I donate millions to this place every year. If you don't do what I say right now, I will have you fired. I will have your nursing license revoked. I will destroy your career and this entire hospital. Do you understand?"

The nurse's face went pale as she quickly did as he said with tears in her eyes.

"No!" I lunged forward, but Adrian caught me, holding me back.

"Please," I sobbed. "Please, she's all I have. She's my mother. Please—"

The ventilator went silent.

The heart monitor's beeping slowed.

"Adrian, please!" I dropped to my knees, sobbing. "Please don't do this! I'm begging you!"

He looked down at me. "Apologize to Celeste."

"I'll apologize!" I screamed. "I'll apologize for anything! Just please, don't hurt her!"

"Say it, then."

"I'm sorry!" I was hysterical now. "I'm sorry for pushing Celeste! I'm sorry for everything! Just please, Adrian, please don't do this!"

He stared at me for a long moment.

"Turn it back on!" I screamed. "Please, turn it back on!"

But then a voice called from the hallway. "Mr. Moretti! Sir!"

Another nurse appeared in the doorway, breathless. "It's Miss Celeste! She's having a panic attack! She can't breathe—"

Adrian released me immediately. “Gather every nurse and doctor in this hospital. Now. No harm must come to Celeste.”

Then he ran out of the room. To my horror, he dragged the nurse from Clara's room with him.

I rushed outside frantically.

"Help!" I screamed into the hallway. "Somebody help me! Please!"

But everyone was gone, running to help Celeste.

I looked at the machines, at the buttons and switches.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Clara. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how to—"

I tried pressing buttons, and flipping switches, but nothing worked.

Clara's heart monitor slowed further, and the beeping got fainter.

"No, no, no," I sobbed. "Please, Mama. Please don't leave me. Please—"

The monitor flatlined.

"No!" I threw myself across her body. "Mama! Mama, please!"

But she was gone.

I don't know how long I stayed there, sobbing over her body.

Eventually, the nurses came back. They tried to pull me away, but I wouldn't let go.

Security had to be called.

They dragged me out of the room while I screamed and fought.

Adrian was in the waiting room with Celeste. She was crying dramatically, my mother stroking her hair.

When Adrian saw me being dragged past, he didn't even look concerned.

He just turned back to Celeste and continued coddling her.

Clara was dead. Adrian had murdered her.

Just like he had murdered my babies.

I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and texted Ivan.

— He killed my mother. It’s too late.

His response came immediately.

— What happened?

I told him everything.

There was a long pause before his next message.

— I’ll make him pay, Elena. I swear on my life.

If Adrian thought he had broken me, he was about to learn how wrong he was.