Night Folded Itself Around Secrets by Aven Pike 5

Pervis’s eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. The word echoed in his mind, foreign and impossible.

 

“Sister?” he whispered, staring at Aria’s familiar yet strange face. “But that can’t be right. I’m an orphan. My grandmother found me at the orphanage when I was six years old.”

 

Aria leaned forward in her chair, her expression gentle but serious. “Pervis, there’s so much you don’t know about your past. I’ve been searching for you for fifteen years, and—”

 

The shrill ring of Pervis’s phone cut through her explanation like a blade. The device vibrated violently on the hospital bedside table, Anna’s name flashing insistently on the screen.

 

Pervis hesitated, his hand hovering over the phone. “I should answer it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Aria asked, concerned flickering in her eyes.

 

Pervis nodded grimly and accepted the call. “Hello, Anna.”

 

Anna’s voice came through the speaker like ice water, sharp and merciless. “Well, well. I didn’t expect you to grow so bold, Pervis.”

 

“What do you mean?” Pervis asked, though he could already sense the venom in her tone.

 

“Don’t play innocent with me,” Anna sneered. “Breaking into my villa, hooking up with some random woman. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

 

Pervis’s grip tightened on the phone. “I didn’t break into anywhere. Your bodyguards locked me in the basement, remember?”

 

“And yet somehow you escaped,” Anna continued coldly. “With your new girlfriend, no doubt. How romantic.”

 

Aria watched Pervis’s face grow paler with each word, her own expression hardening.

 

“Anna, listen to me—”

 

“No, you listen,” Anna’s voice cut him off. “Since you want to play games, I’ll show you what happens to disobedient husbands. Consider your grandmother’s medical expenses officially terminated. I’m having her thrown out of the hospital as we speak.”

 

The blood drained from Pervis’s face completely. “What did you say?”

 

“You heard me perfectly,” Anna replied with satisfaction. “The old woman will be on the street within the hour. After all, why should I continue supporting the family of a man who deliberately attacks innocent people?”

 

“Anna, you can’t do this!” Pervis shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. “My grandmother has nothing to do with what happened! Do you have any humanity left?”

 

Anna’s laugh was like broken glass. “Humanity? Why should I show humanity to a useless man who deliberately hurts others?”

 

“I didn’t hurt anyone!” Pervis protested.

 

“There is one way you can fix this,” Anna continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Kneel before Noah and apologize for what you did. Beg his forgiveness like the pathetic man you are, and maybe I’ll reconsider.”

 

Rage boiled up in Pervis’s chest, his entire body trembling with fury. “I will never—”

 

Before he could finish, Aria smoothly took the phone from his shaking hands.

 

“Who is this?” Anna’s voice demanded through the speaker.

 

“This is someone you should be very careful about crossing,” Aria replied, her voice even colder than Anna’s had been. “Pervis belongs to me now. If you dare to threaten him or his family again, you should be prepared for the consequences.”

 

Silence stretched across the line for several heartbeats.

 

“And who exactly do you think you are?” Anna finally asked, though her voice had lost some of its earlier confidence.

 

“Someone with far more power than you can imagine,” Aria replied calmly. “Consider this your only warning.”

 

Without another word, Aria ended the call and immediately blocked Anna’s number, her fingers moving across the screen with practiced efficiency.

 

When she looked back at Pervis, her expression had softened considerably, though traces of pity lingered in her eyes.

 

“I’ve investigated everything about your marriage, Pervis,” she said gently. “Anna Morrison isn’t worthy of your love. She never was.”

 

Pervis stared down at his hands, his voice barely audible. “I know. I’ve known for a long time, actually.”

 

“Then why did you stay?”

 

“My grandmother,” Pervis replied simply. “Anna controls her medical care, her housing, everything. I was preparing to leave quietly, to take Grandmother somewhere safe, but now…” He trailed off, despair evident in his voice.

 

“Now Anna’s forcing your hand before you’re ready,” Aria finished for him.

 

“My grandmother is sick, Aria. Without proper medical care, she could die. I can’t let that happen because of my mistakes.”

 

Before Aria could respond, the sound of raised voices echoed from the hospital corridor outside their room. Pervis’s head snapped up, his eyes widening with recognition.

 

“That’s Grandmother’s voice,” he whispered.

 

The voices grew louder, accompanied by the sound of wheels squeaking and items being roughly handled.

 

Pervis jumped up from the hospital bed, ignoring the IV line still attached to his arm, and rushed to the door. When he pulled it open, his worst fears were confirmed.

 

Three nurses were wheeling his grandmother’s bed down the corridor, their expressions hard and unsympathetic. The elderly woman looked frail and confused, her gray hair disheveled and her hospital gown askew.

 

“Where are you taking me?” his grandmother called out weakly. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

 

“Stop!” Pervis shouted, stepping into the hallway. “Stop right there!”

 

The lead nurse, a heavyset woman with bleached blonde hair and a perpetual scowl, barely glanced at him.

 

“Stay out of this,” she snapped. “We’re following direct orders from the bill payer. This patient’s coverage has been terminated.”

 

“You can’t just throw a sick woman out on the street!” Pervis protested, starting toward them.

 

“Watch us,” the nurse replied with a cruel smile. “The old lady should have raised a son who could actually afford her medical bills instead of relying on charity from others.”

 

“How dare you speak about my grandmother that way!” Pervis’s voice shook with rage as he took another step forward.

 

“Pervis, dear, is that you?” His grandmother’s voice was weak but filled with relief. “What’s happening? These people are being very rough with me.”

 

“Don’t worry, Grandmother,” Pervis called to her. “I’ll fix this.”

 

The lead nurse laughed harshly. “Fix it? With what money? Face the reality, boy. Your sugar mama cut you off, and now grandma pays the price.”

 

Pervis clenched his fists, ready to fight all three nurses if necessary, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.

 

“Don’t worry,” Aria said calmly, stepping up beside him. Her voice carried a trace of coldness that hadn’t been there moments before. “I’ll take care of everything here.”