Chapter 41 - you don’t

Chapter 41: 41 - you don’t 41 ~Lisa’s POV I was hot one second and freezing the next. The drugs they gave me just made me more tired. And I knew why, because I hadn’t eaten anything good. Just scraps. Leftovers. Sometimes not even that. And without real food, the medicine couldn’t help me. I laid on the cold bed, my arms wrapped around my stomach, trying to make the pain go away. But hunger, fever, sadness... It was too much. No one had checked on me. No one cared. Milo was gone. And I... I was just here, wasting away. I turned my face to the wall and cried. Quiet tears. The kind you cry when you know there’s no one to hear you. I thought about my father. About the way he used to carry me on his back, call me his little warrior. I had dreams once. I was supposed to make him proud. Be strong. Be happy. But look at me now. Alone. Sick. Broken. I sat up slowly, my head pounding. My thoughts were dark and heavy. What if I just disappeared? What if I stopped all this pain? I didn’t want to feel anymore. So I stood up. My legs shook, but I walked out of the room. I tiptoed down the hall like a ghost, heading toward the clinic. Maybe they had something, something sharp, something strong. Anything. But when I got close, I saw a guard sleeping by the door. I couldn’t get in. I turned back, dragging my feet through the dark hallway, trying not to fall. My vision was blurry. My heart was racing. I ended up near the kitchen. And that’s when I saw it. A small knife sitting on the counter. No one was around. The kitchen was empty. Silent. My hands moved before I could think. I picked it up, holding it tightly, staring at the way it gleamed under the light. My chest rose and fell quickly. No more pain, I thought. No more waiting to be hated. No more begging to be loved. And then I pressed it against my skin, and dragged it slowly. The pain came fast. Sharp. Real. But it was nothing compared to what I had already felt inside. Blood dripped onto the floor. And all I could think was... maybe now they’ll notice me. Before everything went dark. I opened my eyes slowly. The light above me was too bright. Everything looked white and blurry. My body felt heavy, like I had been sleeping for days. My arm stung, and something cold was wrapped around it. I blinked, trying to sit up, and that’s when I saw them. The triplets. Standing by my bed. Their faces were hard. Cold. Not worried. Not caring. Just... angry. Damon stepped forward first. His voice was loud and sharp. "Are you serious, Lisa? You tried to kill yourself? Because of a guard?" Kael’s jaw was tight. "Is this how you want to get attention now?" I couldn’t speak. I just stared at them. My mouth was dry, and my chest ached. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know why they were there. Rowan folded his arms. "Do you think hurting yourself will bring him back? Or make us feel sorry for you?" Tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly looked away. I didn’t want to cry in front of them again. I was tired of begging. Tired of feeling like trash under their feet. Damon scoffed. "You’re a disgrace." Without waiting for another word, they all turned and walked out, one after the other. Not a single kind word. Not even a glance back. The door slammed shut behind them. But I wasn’t alone. Belinda stepped forward from the corner of the room. I hadn’t even seen her there. Her arms were folded, her lips twisted in a cruel smile. "Well done," she said sweetly. "That was quite the performance." I blinked at her, confused and weak. She came closer, slow and steady like she had all the time in the world. The smell of her perfume hit me before she even spoke, sweet and sharp, like fake flowers. She leaned in so close I could feel her breath on my cheek. Her eyes locked onto mine, and her voice dropped into a cold, quiet whisper. "Did you really think they’d care?" My heart stopped for a second. I couldn’t look away from her face. I felt so weak, so small. She smiled, but it wasn’t kind. "Did you think," she continued, "that hurting yourself would make them love you?" My lips parted, but no sound came out. I wanted to speak. I wanted to fight back. But I was too tired. My throat burned. My chest ached. Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them. Belinda laughed quietly. Not a loud laugh, but the cruel kind. The kind that makes you feel like nothing. "You’re pathetic, Lisa," she said, straightening just a little. "And honestly? If you want to die... do it right next time." Her words hit like a slap. My mouth opened again, but still, no voice came out. Only air. Only pain. I stared at her, heart pounding so loud I thought the machines beside me could hear it. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell her to stop. But I couldn’t even move. She didn’t care. She looked down at me like I was a bug on the floor. "They’re tired of you," she said, almost happily. "You’ve become nothing but a stain to them. A shadow. And me?" She placed a hand on her chest. "I’m tired of pretending you matter. You don’t." I turned my face away, wishing I could disappear right then. But she wasn’t done. She bent again, her voice turning softer, deadlier. "If you really want to disappear, I won’t stop you. In fact..." Her smile widened like she was giving me a gift. "I encourage it." I flinched, my tears now soaking the side of my pillow. She stood tall again, like she had won something. Like she had broken something that wasn’t already broken. Then, without another word, she turned around and walked away. The sound of her heels echoed through the clinic, click, click, click, until the door shut behind her.