Chapter 43: Chapter 0043

•RAFAEL•

"How is she?" I asked as I jumped to my feet when I saw the doctor. "Is she awake?"

"Mr. Sterling, the baby is—"

"I don't care about the baby," I snapped. "I want to know how Aneira is. Is she okay?"

"She's fine, sir. She's stable now, but she lost a lot of blood and lost the baby," the doctor answered. "We tried everything we could to save them both."

"Can you take me to her?"

The doctor nodded before she took me to her room. When we walked in, Aneira was crying, looking the other way.

"I'll leave you both to talk," she said as she gave me a small smile before she walked out and closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "My mother never told me that my sister was alive. I can't even imagine—" she paused. "You and your sister can do whatever you want with us."

"You and your mother are free," I answered, exhaling. "The marriage contract between us will be annulled. You're free now, Aneira."

She looked at me, shocked. "What?"

"I will provide you with enough money to start your life wherever you want," I replied. "You don't owe me anything anymore."

I turned to the door and when I was about to twist the doorknob when she stopped me.

"Why are you letting me go now?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You've taken everything from me, Rafael. I have nothing, and you think money is going to fix it? Why don't you finish what you started?"

"I am giving you your freedom back, and you're asking me why now?" I scoffed, turning to her. "You've been begging to let you go, remember? What has changed now?"

"My father is dead," she snapped. "You killed him and Chris as if they weren't humans. And now you're offering me money to go on with my life as if nothing happened?"

"The score is even."

"Oh," she scoffed. "I've lost the baby and now the score is even? You know what? Get out of here, Rafael! Keep your money, I want none of it!"

I looked at her one last time before I walked out the door and left. All her hospital bills were paid for, and regardless of her stubbornness, I allocated a reasonable transaction to her bank account.

She deserved every penny, and I hoped she'd use the money to get as far away from me as she could. That was the only way for her to be happy. And safe.

"Finally, you're home," Amari said before I could close the front door. "I've waited all night for you."

"Where’s Emma?"

"Your sister and I took care of her," she answered, scoffing. "We tied her up in the basement until she agreed to tell us where Narra is."

I exhaled as I ran a hand through my hair. They were taking things too far and not doing anything I asked them to do.

I didn't care about Narra and her family anymore. My obsession to get back at them had cost me a child.

"This is the reason I told you to go home, Amari!" I snapped as I walked past her, trying to find Polly and stop whatever she was doing. "You're always trying to ruin things for me. This wasn't the plan when I married Aneira."

"They lied to you and made you think you were marrying Narra, remember?" She scoffed behind me as I walked down the hallway to the basement.

"Aneira was carrying my child and lost the baby because of you!" I growled as I turned and pointed my finger at her. "So you better pray Aneira doesn't have any complications because of your foolishness!"

"It was your baby?" She asked, pretending as if she didn't know Aneira was carrying my child. She knew she had been trying to get me to send her away because of that.

The basement door opened before I could reach it. Polly stepped out with a rope and a knife in her hands.

I was shocked when I saw the items in her hands. My sister was big on proving a point, and I regretted ever thinking she could sit and do nothing to Emma when I was gone.

"What did you do to her?" I asked, stepping forward.

"Oh, please, brother," she groaned. "I told you I'd take care of them for us since you were failing. But Narra is alive."

My chest tightened.

"Narra is alive?" I scoffed. "And Emma?"

"She lost the game, poor thing. Ugh." She rolled her eyes. "But don't worry, Narra will be of much use to us. She still has to tell us why her mother hid her away and made you marry her sister."

I didn't even want to know why she killed their mother as I walked past her and went down to the basement.

Narra was kneeling beside her mother on the floor, crying and begging her to wake up. It reminded me of Polly when our parents died when she was eight.

But when Narra tilted her head, I realized she wasn't crying, but laughing. I furrowed my brow in confusion.

"Rafael," she breathed when she tilted her head and saw me. "My mother is gone now," she said as she got up from the floor and leaned toward me. "She wanted to keep us apart and made you think I was dead. But I am here now."