Chapter 91: Go Back

Chapter 91: Go Back

Ivy

It felt like I was being punished for something I couldn’t even remember doing.

What kind of day was this? What was actually happening to me? First Andy put his hands on me when I only wanted comfort. Then Leo’s news. Then the hospital. Then a nurse who looked at me like I was dirt. And now this.

Was this all because I had kissed Andy? Was this all part of a twisted divine punishment?

I stared at my sister. “What is she saying?” I pointed at myself, voice cracking. “I am Leo’s girlfriend. Not you. And you know that. Why didn’t you correct her?”

Maddie folded her arms. The look she gave me was so full of raw hate that it actually scared me. Maddie had never looked at me like that. Not when we were kids. Not when I first came back. Never.

Her dislike for me had always been subtle. Hidden behind those perfect smiles she flashes all the time.

“You’re not wanted here,” she said. “Get out. Leo wouldn’t want to see you.”

I blinked. “I beg your pardon? Who are you to decide what Leo wants? He’s my boyfriend. If anyone should leave, it’s you.”

She laughed. “You really have some nerve, Ivy. Playing the victim again? Save that pathetic act. It’s not working this time. I know exactly what you are underneath all this pretense. You slut!”

“What are you talking about?” Frustration burned up my throat. “Whatever happened was between me and Leo. Not you. I’m going in—”

I stepped toward the hallway Poppy had disappeared down. Maddie grabbed my arm and yanked me back so hard I almost lost my balance.

“Don’t even think about it,” she hissed. “You walk in there and Leo's dad will throw you behind bars. This is all your fault.”

The tears started again. I couldn’t stop them. Nothing made sense anymore.

“Why am I being blamed when you were the one with him when he had a cardiac arrest?” I screamed it. I didn’t care who heard. “If anyone should be arrested, it’s you. What did you do to my boyfriend?”

For half a second she looked surprised. Then the surprise vanished and she laughed again.

“Me?” She tilted her head. “Last time I checked, I wasn’t the one who fucked his stepbrother. That was you! Blame yourself.”

The words hit like a physical blow.

She knew? If she knew… then he knew. There was no way he didn't know. Leo knew.

How? How did he know? When did he find out? Had he seen us? Had Andy told him? Had someone else?

I didn’t get time to ask any of it because Maddie shoved me. Hard.

I hit the floor, pain exploded through my back and waist. The tile was cold and painful. For a second I couldn’t breathe.

“It’s you, Ivy.” She stood over me, voice rising. “It’s your fault Leo is in there. It’s your fault he’s fighting for his life. It’s your fault he might never step into the ring again. Ever.”

That last part made the pain in my body disappear.

“No,” I whispered. “That’s not true—”

“It is true!” she yelled. “Julia is unconscious and heartbroken. Solomon had to cut his trip short and is on his way back right now. It’s your fault my engagement was called off. Can’t you see you’re a disease? Go back to California. Go back where no one gives a shit about you. Pretentious little slut!”

I flinched like she had hit me again.

I pushed myself up off the floor. My hands were shaking. “It’s not my fault. It’s you.” My voice came out louder than I expected. “If you’re going to play the blame game, start with yourself.”

She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You were sleeping with my boyfriend.” I said it clearly so there could be no mistake. “You were having sex with Leo behind my back. That’s how you got pregnant. Don’t deny it.”

Maddie stared at me like I had grown a second head. For a moment she was completely speechless.

“What are you even saying?”

I stepped closer and shoved her back. Not as hard as she had shoved me, but enough. She was pregnant. And I didn't want to hurt her baby.

“Admit it. Don’t lie. I know everything. I know about the apartment. I know about the shopping trip. And you know what? I’m not even angry anymore. I just want to see him.”

She took a step back.

“Please,” I said, and I hated how small my voice sounded. “Just let me see him. Let me see Julia. I need to know they're both okay. I need to tell Leo how I feel.”

Something in her expression snapped shut.

“No. You’re not going in there. You’re bad for him. Look at what you’ve done.”

“Maddie, please—”

“Leo doesn’t love you.” She said it slowly, like she wanted every word to land. “He never meant any of the things he said to you. I’m the one he loves.”

The world paused. I could hear my own blood in my ears. Then she delivered the rest.

“You’re right. Leo is the father of my baby. Is that enough to make you get the hell out of his life? Don’t you have any dignity left?”

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. The words just sat there in the air between us. She was lying. She had to be. Leo is not a jerk. He meant every word.

“Enough, Maddie.” The voice came from behind me.

I turned.

Julia was walking toward us slowly, an IV pole in one hand, Poppy hovering right behind her like she was afraid Julia would collapse.

Julia looked smaller than I had ever seen her. Pale. Exhausted. But her eyes were clear.

“Don’t speak to your sister that way.”

“Julia.” Her name came out of my lips like it was my last hope. I wiped my face with both hands and went to her. The nurse at the desk looked like she was dying to call security, but she couldn’t.

Not with Leo’s mother standing there.

Julia took one look at me and her face softened. She reached out and rubbed my arm. “Oh, dear. You look worse than I do.”

“Can I see him?” I asked. “Please, Julia.”

She shook her head, eyes filling. “You can’t see him right now. The doctors are still working on him.”

I broke.

“I’m so sorry,” I kept saying it, over and over. “I swear nothing happened the way they think. It was a misunderstanding. Leo needs to know that.”

Julia pulled me into a careful hug. I could feel how fragile she was. “It’s not your fault,” she whispered.

Maddie didn’t accept that.

“It is her fault, Julia. Leo watched her kiss and sleep with my fiancé—”

“That’s not true!” I pulled back, desperate. “I never slept with Andy. He can confirm it. Leo is the only man I’ve ever been with. It’s a misunderstanding.” I pointed at Maddie. “And it’s not like you’re innocent either. So, shut up!”

“I believe you,” Poppy said quietly from behind Julia.

“Liar,” Maddie snapped. “I saw you—”

“Enough.” Julia’s voice was sharp now. She glared at Maddie in a way I had never seen her glare at anyone. “I don’t know you for being this cruel, Maddie. Speaking about your sister like this in public says more about you than it does about her. Perhaps it’s time you got some rest. Think about your child.”

Your child. So Julia knew. She knew about the baby and she had never said a word to me.

Who else knew? Poppy? Marcel? Solomon? Had everyone been walking around with this secret while I was falling in love with a man who already belonged to someone else?

Maddie lifted her chin. “I’ll leave once I’m sure Leo is out of danger.”

Julia didn’t answer her. She just turned and started walking, slow and careful, toward the hallway. I followed because I didn’t know what else to do. My heart was beating so hard I thought it might crack a rib.

We stopped in front of a closed door.

“We can’t go in,” Julia said softly. “We’ve all been waiting here.”

Anton appeared at the end of the corridor carrying two cups. When he saw me, he stopped walking.

The look he gave me was pure hate. It was worse than Maddie’s. Colder. More vicious.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. His voice was low and sharp. “Leave. Now. You don’t want to be here when Solomon arrives.”