Chapter 56 Wake Up Danielle
Becca’s POV
The clinic smelled like antiseptic and lavender candles. The hum of machines filled the silence, steady and cold.
Danielle lay on the narrow bed, pale and fragile, her hair sticking to her forehead. Her hand was small in mine like she might break if I held on too tightly.
Her eyelids fluttered, lashes trembling. “Bec…” Her voice cracked, dry and unsure. “What… what happened?”
My throat tightened.
I’d been holding in the tears since last night, but they burned hotter now. “You scared the hell out of me,” I said, my voice shaking.
I tried to laugh, but it came out broken. “You overdosed on something. They found some tin beside you.”
Her gaze shifted, shame clouding her face before the memories did. “I didn’t mean to… I thought they were candies,”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “It's okay. You don't need to explain yourself” I whispered.
She looked away, fingers gripping the blanket like it was the only thing keeping her here.
Mark stood near the door, his arms folded, his shadow spilling long across the floor.
He hadn’t said much since we got here. His silence wasn’t peaceful; it was heavy, like guilt had weight and he was carrying all of it.
“It’s okay,” he said finally, voice low and rough. “You’re safe now.”
Danielle nodded weakly.
I turned to Mark. His jaw was clenched so tight the muscle twitched. He couldn’t meet my eyes.
“Mark,” I said quietly, rising from the chair. “Do you want to tell me what really happened in that study?”
His lips parted, but no words came out. He rubbed the back of his neck, that familiar nervous tic like he could scrub away the memory.
“Not here,” he muttered. “Not with her still recovering.”
The air between us buzzed with tension and electric jolts.
I wanted to scream.
WHAT THE HECK DID YOU LET MY SISTER TAKE!!
I wanted to shake him until the truth spilled out.
The doctors weren't giving any clear explanation. It looked like he had specifically asked them not to.
Regardless, I also wanted to touch his face and tell him I still trusted him. That I still loved him, even if I didn’t understand why.
That mix of anger and tenderness made me feel sick.
I looked back at Danielle, her breathing soft and shallow. “I’ll be right outside,” I whispered, and left before the tears could win.
The waiting room was too quiet, the kind of quiet that made you hear your own heartbeat.
The door opened behind me. “Becca,” Mark’s voice came, gentler now.
I didn’t turn. “You knew what she took, didn’t you?”
He hesitated, and that pause was enough. “It wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near her.”
I faced him, anger rising like heat under my skin. “But it was. In your study. And now she’s lying in there because of it.”
He met my eyes then dark, worn, guilty. “I used to need those,” he said quietly. “After everything with Davenport. They helped me… stay steady. I thought I’d thrown them out. I swear, Becca, I didn’t know she_”
“Stop,” I cut in, pressing my hand to my temple. “Please. I can’t do half-truths right now.”
He stepped closer, slow and careful, like I was something that could shatter. “I’m not lying to you.”
“Then why do you look like a man hiding something?”
His fingers brushed my wrist, hesitant, almost apologetic. That small touch sent a tremor through me I didn’t want to admit to.
“Because I am,” he said softly. “But it’s not what you think.”
My breath caught. His hand lingered, rough and warm against my skin. The familiarity of it hurt more than it comforted.
Before I could say anything, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Milla.
I stepped back, needing distance to think. “I have to take this.”
He nodded, but his jaw tightened. “Be careful,” he warned.
When Milla arrived an hour later, the hallway lights had dimmed to a soft yellow glow.
Danielle was asleep again, her breathing steady. Mark had gone to sort things out in the office.
I sat beside her bed, scrolling through messages I didn’t want to answer.
“Hey, stranger,” Milla said softly from the doorway.
I looked up. She was flawless as ever. Herhair pulled into a sleek bun, lips painted a calm shade that didn’t match the tension in her eyes.
“You came,” I said, surprised.
“I heard what happened.” She walked in, placing a bouquet of lilies on the nightstand. “And… I needed to see you.”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. It looked practiced.
“We were ambushed that night,” she said suddenly, voice lowering. “It wasn’t safe to come back until now.”
I frowned. “Ambushed? By who?”
She blinked. “Just… some people were sending a message.”
Her tone shifted halfway through the sentence.
The story changed; first it was two men, then she was drugged , then she didn’t remember much.
I leaned back, studying her face. “You don’t have to lie to me, Milla.”
Her jaw tensed. “I’m not lying.”
“Then why do you sound like someone afraid of getting caught?”
For a moment, the silence felt alive. Danielle stirred in her sleep, and it broke the tension just enough for both of us to breathe.
Milla sighed and looked at the floor. “You’ve changed, Becca.”
I gave a small, humorless laugh. “So have you.”
She picked up her phone as she stood to leave, and the screen lit up. Gee wallpaper was quite unusual
A photo of her and some man, standing too close with wide smiles on their faces.
And the man… was Director Hale
“Nice wallpaper,” I said casually. Testing her.
She froze, just for a heartbeat, then tucked the phone away. “Old friend,” she muttered, and walked out before I could ask anything else.
“Bing,” the wall clock, clocked 4. Hours had passed since Mark left aa were as Milla.
“I will need to go and get some supplies,” I muttered to Danielle who was half asleep.
She nodded gently, I grabbed my cloak from the chair and headed out.
The hallway smelled faintly of rain and bleach.
By the traffic, I caught a glimpse of someone.
A lady with red hair.
“Kira?” My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
She turned, eyes blank, her hair pulled back tight.
For a second, I thought she’d smile, say something, anything. But she didn’t.
Her expression didn’t change.
And then she walked past me like I was no one.
I froze. My stomach twisted.
I was supposed to be angry that she betrayed me but then…
I wanted to grab her by the collar and asked why she set me up at the station?
How much did Davenport pay her to do this??
But I didn't, I watched her cross to the other side.
When I finally went back inside,Danielle was still asleep.
Mark had returned, sitting quietly beside her bed. His eyes lifted to me the moment I entered.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he murmured.
“Maybe I did,” I whispered, still shaking.
He stood and reached for me, his voice low. “You’re trembling.”
“I’m fine.”
“No,” he said softly, brushing his thumb over my wrist. “You’re not.”
His phone rang in his pocket,
“Uhm, I will need to take this,”
When he left the room to take a call, I sat beside Danielle again, staring at the lilies Milla brought.
Their petals were already wilting.