Chapter 118

Chapter 118
Eloise

The slam of the front door rattled through the hallway like an echo of my heartbeat. My shoes struck the marble floor too hard, the sound sharp and defiant, but I didn’t care if it woke the neighbors or if the guards outside thought I was running away. Mike’s voice followed me, calling my name once, twice, louder on the third time.

“Eloise! Wait—”

I didn’t. My keys were already in my hand, fingers trembling so violently I nearly dropped them as I shoved them into the ignition of my car. The engine roared to life, swallowing his voice as I pulled out of the driveway, tires screeching, headlights cutting through the night like I was chasing something, or maybe being chased.

The steering wheel burned under my grip. My pulse was louder than the radio, louder than the wind shoving against the windows. I didn’t even notice the ache in my jaw until I realized my teeth were clenched so tightly it hurt. I wasn’t running away from Mike, not exactly. I was running toward the truth.

The hospital wasn’t far, but every traffic light felt like a wall in my path. My foot itched against the accelerator. I wanted to blast through them, consequences be damned, but somehow I kept my foot steady. The last thing I needed was to cause another accident when I was heading to confront the aftermath of one.

By the time the sterile white building came into view, my chest was heaving with impatience. The hospital’s automatic doors sighed open, releasing a wave of too-bright light and the sterile scent of antiseptic. My heels clicked against the polished floor as I approached the reception desk.

“I’m looking for Mr. Alfred Sinclair,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

The nurse behind the counter looked up, eyes flicking over my face, recognizing something, maybe the desperation, maybe the name. She typed quickly on her computer, then nodded toward the elevator.

“Room 406. End of the hall.”

I whispered a thank-you and moved, my legs carrying me faster than I thought possible. Each step felt heavier as if the hospital air itself conspired to drag me down. By the time I reached the fourth floor, my palms were slick. I wiped them on my dress, straightened my spine, and pushed the door open.

The sight nearly knocked the air out of me.

Dad sat propped up in bed, an IV attached to his hand, the faint scent of disinfectant clinging to him. His salt-and-pepper hair was slightly disheveled, but his sharp eyes were alert, assessing, as though even pain couldn’t dim his authority. But it wasn’t him who drew my focus.

It was her. Jadeline.

Seated at his bedside like she belonged there, like she had always belonged there. Her legs were crossed, one stiletto dangling lazily, her crimson matte lipstick a cruel slash across her otherwise perfect face. Her eyes lifted the moment I stepped in, and in them I saw a darkness so cold, so calculated, it almost stopped me mid-step.

But I didn’t stop. I didn't even pass a greeting first.

The words tore out of me before I could swallow them.

“Why do you hate me so much, Jadeline?” My voice shook with anger, not fear. “What did I ever do to you? What crime did my mom commit,other than having you as her sister?”

Her smirk was immediate, like she had been waiting for this exact cue.

Behind her, Dad frowned, confusion flickering across his face. He looked between us, his lips parting, ready to speak. But Jadeline got there first. She always did.

“You see?” She turned to him, her voice smooth, mocking, dripping venom. “This is what I’ve been telling you. She has no manners. Still a spoiled brat, just like her mother trained her to be.”

Something inside me snapped—no, loosened, like a knot unraveling too fast, too violently. My chest heaved as the words clawed their way out of my throat.

“Shut up.” My voice cracked. My fists clenched at my sides. “Shut up!!!”

The room stilled, air thick with the echo of my scream.

My throat burned, but I wasn’t done. I took one step forward, my body shaking so badly my knees nearly gave out.

“You murderer,” I spat, the word tasting like poison and release at once. “Shut up because I’m not done.”

Jadeline’s expression faltered for the briefest second, a flicker of something raw flashing behind her eyes before her mask slipped back into place.

“Don’t you dare accuse me of something so vile,” she hissed, leaning forward, her nails tapping against the chair’s armrest in perfect rhythm, as if she were keeping time for her lies.

But I was ready.

My hand dove into my bag. The phone was already cued to the video. The screen lit up, casting a pale glow across my trembling fingers. I pressed play.

The sound filled the room, grainy but undeniable. I didn’t look at the screen. I looked at their faces.

Jadeline’s smirk faltered again, though only for a heartbeat before she laughed, a sharp, brittle laugh that didn’t reach her eyes. But my father…

He didn’t look shocked.

He didn’t look broken or betrayed, the way I had prayed he would, the way I had clung to hope imagining he might. He looked tired. His lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes refusing to meet mine.

The realization hit harder than any slap.

He knew. He had known.

The phone slipped in my hand. My chest constricted so tightly I thought I might collapse right there. My breath came out ragged, a whimper escaping despite my effort to hold it back.

“You knew…” My voice was hoarse, trembling. My knees buckled, and I caught myself on the side of a chair before I could fall completely. “You knew all this time?”

He said nothing. His silence was worse than her laughter.

Because she laughed again, low, triumphant, the sound of victory ringing in the sterile hospital room.

I felt my heart shatter in slow motion, shards piercing through me one by one, each breath dragging them deeper. My father had always been my anchor, my only safe place since my mom left me, the man I thought was incapable of turning his back on me. But here he was, his silence betraying me more than any word could.

Tears blurred my vision, but I forced myself to stand tall, even as my body trembled. I refused to let her see me break completely.

“Why?” I whispered, voice cracking but louder this time. “Why would you cover for her? Why would you let her, after everything she’s done…”

My father finally looked at me. His eyes were weary, filled with guilt or maybe resignation. But he still didn’t speak. And that silence crushed me more than if he had screamed in denial.

Jadeline leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs again, her smirk restored, red lips gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

“There it is,” she murmured. “The truth you wanted so badly. And look, it’s killed you more than the lie ever could.”

I wanted to claw the smile off her face, but my body wouldn’t move. I was frozen, drowning in betrayal.

The room spun around me, white walls closing in, machines humming indifferently as though my world hadn’t just collapsed. I clutched my chest, trying to hold myself together, but it was too late.

My heart was already in pieces.

Cha