Chapter 42 Chapter 43

Chapter 42 Chapter 43
Vanessa

It happened so fast I didn’t even understand it at first.

One second, Emma was standing at the top of the marble staircase.

The next—

She was falling.

Or… pretending to fall.

I don’t know which one my brain believed first.

All I knew was the sound.

The gasp.

The sudden silence that followed.

Then her body hitting the lower steps with a soft, dramatic collapse that didn’t feel real.

“Emma!”

Servants screamed.

Footsteps erupted everywhere.

And I stood frozen halfway down the corridor.

My heart dropped.

“I didn’t—” I whispered immediately, even though no one had spoken yet.

But it didn’t matter.

Because already people were looking at me.

Not her.

Me.

Alaric appeared within seconds.

Like he had been summoned by chaos itself.

His eyes went straight to Emma on the floor.

Then slowly—

to me.

Something in his expression changed instantly.

Not concern.

Not confusion.

Recognition.

Like something inside him had already decided what story was true.

“No…” I whispered again.

My hands started shaking.

“I didn’t touch her.”

But no one was listening.

Emma let out a soft, broken sound.

Barely audible.

“Alaric…”

Just his name.

Weak.

Perfect.

A few drops of tears slipped down her cheeks.

I stared at her.

This didn’t feel real.

This felt staged.

Carefully placed.

Like a performance I had unknowingly walked into.

The grandmother arrived next.

And the moment she saw Emma on the ground—

her expression sharpened.

Cold.

Certain.

“What happened?” she demanded.

No one answered immediately.

Then slowly—

Emma lifted her trembling hand.

Pointed.

At me.

That was it.

One finger.

That was enough.

Everything changed.

Gasps filled the air.

Whispers followed immediately.

“She pushed her…”

“I saw her near the stairs…”

“No wonder she never fit in…”

My stomach twisted violently.

“No,” I said loudly this time. “That’s not what happened.”

My voice cracked slightly.

“I swear—she fell on her own.”

Alaric stepped forward.

Slowly.

His presence made the entire hall feel smaller.

Colder.

More dangerous.

“Vanessa,” he said.

Just my name.

But it didn’t sound like mine anymore.

It sounded like judgment.

“I didn’t touch her,” I repeated again, desperate now. “I swear I didn’t.”

Emma let out another soft cry.

Perfect timing.

“Don’t lie,” someone whispered.

I turned sharply.

“I’m not lying!”

My voice echoed through the hall.

Too loud.

Too emotional.

Exactly what they would use against me.

The grandmother stepped forward.

Her voice calm.

Too calm.

“You were seen near her,” she said.

“I was walking down the corridor!”

“Convenient,” she replied.

My breath hitched.

Alaric said nothing.

He just watched me.

Like he was trying to decide which version of me to believe.

And I hated that.

I hated it more than anything.

Emma was lifted gently by servants.

She winced dramatically.

Like every movement was agony.

Her eyes met mine briefly.

And something inside them flashed.

Not pain.

Victory.

My stomach dropped completely.

No.

No, no, no.

This was planned.

This was—

“Take her to the medical wing,” the grandmother ordered.

Doctors appeared immediately.

Too quickly.

Like they had been waiting.

Like they had already been prepared.

I took a step forward.

“Please—someone listen to me.”

But no one moved toward me.

Not a single person.

Even the servants avoided my eyes.

Alaric finally spoke.

Cold.

Sharp.

“Enough.”

I froze.

That one word shattered something inside me.

I looked at him.

“Alaric…”

But he wasn’t looking at me anymore.

He was looking at Emma being carried away.

Like she mattered.

Like I didn’t exist.

“Stay here,” he ordered me.

My breath caught.

“What?”

“You will not leave this room.”

The words hit harder than any shout.

I stepped back slightly.

“You think I did this.”

He didn’t answer immediately.

And that silence—

was worse than yes.

The grandmother spoke softly beside him.

“She has always been unstable,” she said.

My head snapped toward her.

“What?”

“She is human,” she continued calmly. “Emotional. Uncontrolled.”

My hands clenched.

“I didn’t touch her!”

No one reacted.

No one cared.

Alaric finally turned away.

“Bring me updates,” he said to the guards.

And just like that—

he left.

Without looking at me again.

Vanessa

The room I was locked in felt smaller than before.

Like the walls were leaning in.

I paced.

Once.

Twice.

Then stopped because my ankle still hurt from before.

Everything hurt.

My chest.

My throat.

My pride.

A knock came at the door.

I rushed forward immediately.

“Please, I didn’t do it—”

A guard opened it slightly.

“Doctor is here.”

Relief flooded me.

Finally.

Someone would listen.

But when the doctor entered—

his expression wasn’t neutral.

It was serious.

Too serious.

My stomach tightened.

“Is she okay?” I asked immediately.

He hesitated.

“She is stable,” he said.

My breath caught.

“Stable?”

“Yes.”

I exhaled shakily.

“She fell, she just—she slipped, I swear—”

He interrupted me.

“There is something else.”

My body went cold.

“What?”

He avoided my eyes.

“Miss Emma’s condition has worsened.”

I blinked.

“What condition?”

He paused.

Then carefully—

“Her lung capacity is failing.”

I stared at him.

“No…”

“Yes.”

My voice shook.

“That’s not true.”

He didn’t respond.

Because he wasn’t the one deciding.

Someone else was.

“Alaric has been informed,” he added quietly.

My heart dropped.

“No,” I whispered.

“He has approved further medical intervention.”

My breath stopped completely.

“What kind of intervention?”

The doctor hesitated.

Too long.

Then—

“She will require a transplant evaluation.”

My knees weakened slightly.

“No…”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “That is all I know.”

And he left.

Just like that.

Vanessa

When the door closed again—

I felt something inside me break.

Not loudly.

Quietly.

Like glass cracking under pressure.

This wasn’t real.

It couldn’t be real.

Emma was fine.

I knew she was fine.

I had seen her smile.

That wasn’t someone dying.

That was someone winning.

I pressed my hand against my mouth.

“No…” I whispered again.

My eyes burned.

But I refused to cry.

Not here.

Not for them.

Footsteps sounded outside again.

This time heavier.

Faster.

The door opened without warning.

Alaric entered.

His expression was unreadable.

But his eyes—

his eyes were different.

Colder.

Harder.

I stood immediately.

“I didn’t do it,” I said instantly.

He didn’t respond.

Just closed the door behind him.

Silence filled the room.

Then he spoke.

Quiet.

Final.

“You hurt her.”

My chest collapsed.

“No.”

“You were the last person near her.”

“That doesn’t mean—”

“Enough.”

The word cut through me again.

I froze.

He stepped closer.

Not fast.

Not angry.

Worse.

Controlled.

“I trusted you,” he said.

My throat tightened painfully.

“I didn’t push her.”

His jaw clenched.

“She is in medical care because of you.”

My hands trembled.

“You don’t believe me.”

Silence.

That was my answer.

Something inside me shattered completely.

I whispered—

“I didn’t do anything.”

But my voice sounded small now.

Lost.

Unheard.

Alaric looked at me for a long moment.

Then turned away.

And in that moment—

I understood everything.

I wasn’t just accused.

I was already convicted.