Chapter 81 The Actress
[Nyx]
I'd seen this footage three times already. Studied every angle. Every timestamp. Every damning second.
But watching it with the culprit herself—
That was different.
The screen showed Selene's hospital room. Time stamp: 15:10. Her rising from bed with no hesitation, no pain. Walking to the nightstand. Opening the drawer. Pulling out the pre-filled syringe.
Then the hallway. Time stamp: 15:12. Selene checking outside Lilith's door. Slipping inside.
The injection. Slow. Deliberate. Professional.
The careful cleanup. Making everything look normal.
All of it.
Undeniable.
Behind me, Selene's sobs grew louder. More desperate. Like she was trying to drown out the truth playing on that screen.
But nothing could drown this out.
Nothing.
The footage ended.
The monitor went dark.
Silence hung heavy in the monitoring room. Only Selene's suppressed sobs and Damon's increasingly labored breathing filled the space.
Damon stood frozen before the screen. His hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. Veins stood out on his forearms.
"Selene."
His voice came out soft. But every word cut like a blade.
"Tell me this isn't real."
Behind him, Selene shook her head frantically, fresh tears streaming down her face. "Damon, I—"
"Tell me they faked this footage." His voice rose with each word. "Tell me you didn't just—"
He couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't say it out loud.
"Tell me!" He spun around, facing her. "Tell me you didn't inject something into Lilith! Tell me this is all some elaborate setup!"
Selene knelt on the floor. Head bowed. Tears dripping onto the cold tile.
One drop. Another. Another.
She said nothing.
That silence was more damning than any confession. Because it meant—
This was real.
All of it was real.
His sister had really done these things.
---
Just when Damon was on the verge of complete breakdown—
"I did inject her."
Selene's voice came out hoarse. Shaking. But unexpectedly calm.
Damon froze. I froze. Everyone in the monitoring room froze.
Selene looked up at Damon, eyes red and swollen, but her gaze steady. "But it wasn't to hurt her."
---
"It was ceftriaxone. An antibiotic." Selene's voice trembled as tears continued to flow. "Damon, you know how badly she was hurt in the avalanche. So many cuts on her back. Her arms too. I was worried... worried about infection."
She looked at Damon, eyes pleading. "I saw the medication at the medical station earlier. I know it prevents infection in trauma cases. So I... I took a dose."
Her voice dropped lower. "I really just wanted to help her. I know how worried you were about her. How scared you were that something would happen to her. I just wanted to do something. To help her get better faster. So you wouldn't have to be so anxious."
She looked at Damon, desperation in every word. "Damon, you have to believe me. How could I possibly hurt her? She's your fiancée. She's going to be part of our family. Why would I hurt her?"
I saw Damon's expression soften slightly.
Of course.
He probably wanted to believe her. Needed to believe her. She was his sister—they were family, and from what I'd seen, he protected her fiercely.
I understood that. I'd protect Lilith the same way.
But that's exactly why I wouldn't let this slide. Lilith was my sister. And someone had tried to kill her.
The questions cut like knives toward Selene. But she answered.
"Because I knew you'd worry. You'd say I shouldn't interfere. You'd say I should focus on my own recovery. You'd say I shouldn't leave my room. You'd say it would make my knee worse. I just... I didn't want you to worry about me."
Selene lowered her head, voice full of guilt. "And I know the doctors are busy. Lilith's condition was stable then. They wouldn't think additional antibiotics were necessary. But I've read so many case studies. Some people didn't get prophylactic treatment, and later their wounds got infected and became really serious. I didn't want her to end up like that. I didn't want to see you suffer because she got infected."
She raised her head, tears flowing harder. "I really just wanted to help. I swear, I had no ill intent. If I'd known something would go wrong, how could I possibly do this?"
What an actress, Sylva snarled in my mind.
The trembling voice. The desperate tears. The innocent explanations wrapped in just enough medical terminology to sound credible.
She knew exactly what buttons to push. Knew exactly how to make herself look like a well-meaning sister who'd made a tragic mistake.
If I hadn't seen the footage of her deleting evidence and threatening the guard—if I hadn't heard her screaming about how Damon belonged to her—I might have believed it too.
But I had.
And I could see the lie beneath every tear.
"Selene..." Damon's voice softened. "You... you really just wanted to help her?"
"I swear! I really just wanted to help her!" Selene nodded frantically. "Damon, how could I hurt her? She's your fiancée. I know how important she is to you. I just wanted to help her get better faster."
She was crying so hard she could barely speak. "I didn't... I really didn't want to hurt her..."
Damon's shoulders dropped slightly. His fists loosened.
"Selene—"
"It's quite a touching story," I said.
Both of them turned to look at me.
"If it weren't completely fabricated."