She let out a laugh that we both knew was completely fake. “Ha. Ha.”
I wanted to get up and leave right then, or maybe practice some of the fighting techniques Kiara had
taught me.
But I forced myself to stay calm and focused on my phone instead, refusing to take the bait.
She was clearly trying to start something, hiding behind her victim status like it gave her permission to be cruel. I wasn’t going to engage in whatever game she was playing.
“You love him,” she continued, her voice taking on a mocking tone that made my skin crawl. “I know you
have feelings for Tri I can see it in the way you look at him.”
My jaw clenched, but I kept my eyes on my phone screen. She was definitely trying to provoke me, and I knew Tristan would be furious if I caused a scene with an injured woman in a hospital bed.
–
Besides, I’d been working on controlling emotions, learning to stay calm in difficult situations. I’d heard worse things than this. Whatever poison she wanted to spill couldn’t possibly hurt me if I didn’t let
- it.
“But I pity you, you know why?” she asked in that same mocking tone.
I continued ignoring her, scrolling through social media posts I wasn’t actually reading.
“Because he’ll never see you as anything but his baby sister,” she said with obvious satisfaction. “You could throw yourself at him naked, and he’d just wrap you in a blanket and send you to bed like a good big brother would.”
The words stung, probably because there was a grain of truth in them that I didn’t want to acknowledge. But I’d survived worse attacks on my self–worth. I could handle this too.
Then she said something that made all my rational thoughts disappear in a blaze of fury.
“I know you’re happy he lost his mate and baby, because now you think you can take their place.”
The phone slipped from my numb fingers and clattered to the floor.
The accusation hit me like a physical blow, so cruel and twisted that for a moment I couldn’t even process what she’d said.
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The suggestion that I could ever, in any universe, be glad that Tristan had suffered such devastating loss –
that I could celebrate the death of an innocent woman and child for my own selfish purposes – was so far beyond anything I could have imagined that it left me speechless.
I turned to look at her fully for the first time since this conversation started. She was smiling, clearly pleased with herself for finally getting a reaction out of me.
“How dare you,” I whispered, my voice shaking with rage. I really wanted to hit her so bad, I could feel
Claire moving angrily.
She wasn’t Daxon, so of course she doesn’t stand a single chance. Even if she’s completely okay, she
wouldn’t dare stand in a fight with me
I’ll detach her from her wolf and she knows it.
“Hit a nerve, did I?” she asked sweetly. “The truth usually does.”
I stood up slowly, every muscle in my body tensing for action. The rational part of my mind was screaming warnings about hospital security cameras and assault charges, but I was past caring about consequences.
Nobody, absolutely nobody, had the right to suggest I was happy about Tristan’s pain. Nobody could accuse me of celebrating death and trauma for
or my own benefit
“You know nothing about me,” I said, my voice deadly quiet. “Nothing about what I feel or what I want or what kind of person I am.”
“I know enough,” she replied, looking far too satisfied with herself. “I know you’ve been waiting in the wings your whole life, hoping something would happen to clear the way for you.”
“You’re sick,” I breathed. “You’re actually sick in the head if you think anyone could be happy about something so horrible.”
“Am I wrong?” she challenged. “Tell me you weren’t at least a little bit relieved when you found out his perfect wife was gone. Tell me you haven’t been hoping he’d finally notice you now that she’s not in the picture anymore.”
I took a step toward her bed, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” she laughed again, and the sound was like nails on a chalkboard. “You think I can’t see what’s happening here? You think I’m stupid?”
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“I think you’re a manipulative, hitter woman who’s trying to drag everyone down to her level,” I shot back.
“And I think you’re using your trauma as an excuse to be cruel to people who’ve done nothing but try to
help you.
Her smile faltered for just a moment, but then she recovered and pushed even harder.
“At least I’m honest about what I want,” she said. “At least I’m not pretending to be the grieving sister while secretly celebrating my competition’s death.”
That was it. The last thread of my self–control snapped completely.
I lunged toward her bed, ready to show her exactly what I thought of her accusations, when the door opened and Tristan walked back in.
“What’s going on?” he asked, immediately sensing the tension in the room.
I froze halfway to Seraphine’s bed, breathing hard, my whole body shaking with fury.
Seraphine’s expression instantly shifted to innocent confusion. “Nothing’s wrong,” she said in a small,
frightened voice. “Athena S
got a little upset about something. I think she might need some air.”
I stared at her in complete disbelief.
actually impressive in its calculated” speed with which she’d transformed from vicious to victim was
cruelty.
Tristan looked between us, clearly trying to figure out what had happened in the few minutes he’d been
gone.
“Athena?” he asked gently. “Are you okay?”
I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what his precious Seraphine had just accused me of, but then I saw the concern in his eyes and realized how this would look.
Me, standing over an injured woman’s hospital bed with clenched fists and fury written all over my face, while she cowered like I’d been threatening her.
Who would he believe? The woman recovering from near–fatal injuries, or his supposedly unstable sister who’d already shown a tendency toward dramatic emotional outbursts?
“I need some air,” I managed to say through gritted teeth.
Then I turned and walked out of that room before I did something we’d all regret.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
