The thought made my stomach go wild again. I took a slow step back. But the panic vanished just as fast, replaced by confusion, when I saw her. Bella! She slipped out through the side entrance in a hoodie and sneakers, clutching her phone, moving fast. She met the man right behind the bushes, right where the security cameras couldn't reach, a blind spot.
I narrowed my eyes, straining to hear through the pounding rain, my heart thudding with curiosity. What the hell? Bella had a secret lover?
"Hey, you crazy girl! Why aren't you picking up my calls? You think I wouldn't find you?"
Not a lover then! The man's voice cut through the storm. His tone was sharp, and angry, too loud for the night. My pulse jumped. What the hell was Bella involved in? He didn't even bother to lower his voice. Probably assumed the rain and thunder masked everything. But not from me. I was the quiet mouse in the wall, watching, listening, making sure to be unseen.
"Shush! What's wrong with you?" Bella hissed. Her tone snapped like a whip. "I told you I'd pay you well. And still, you did nothing. You didn't even sleep with her! You're just blackmailing me now."
I froze. My stomach dropped, then twisted. What...?
"She didn't come to that room. That's your fault," the man snapped. "You're useless. Can't even carry out a simple scheme."
"She's pregnant," Bella sneered, venom laced in every syllable. "She probably went off to someone else to get rid of the heat. My father threw her out. That wench got what she deserved."
A gust of wind slammed into me, but the chill was nothing compared to the ache that suddenly gripped my lower stomach. I couldn't breathe. She did this, planned this. And all this time… I thought I'd been dreaming. I clenched my fist, heard enough. My stomach coiled violently. The nausea hit hard, rising fast, until I couldn't hold it back anymore.
I stumbled away from the shadows, barely making it past the hedge before I doubled over and vomited, acid burning my throat, the taste sharp and bitter. My whole body shook, not from the cold, but from shock, from betrayal. From the unbearable weight of knowing the people I called family had played with me like a game piece. No tears came. Just… a laugh.
A broken, bitter, melancholic thing that escaped from deep inside me, sharp, hollow, and twisted with disbelief. A pathetic little echo of everything I'd just lost. My world had turned upside-down in a single night.
Beep! Beep!
The blare of a car horn cut through the downpour, jolting me out of the spiraling madness. I turned, breathless and dazed.
It was Lilly's car. It was good to have a successful friend to always be out there for you. At least this hilarious world didn't take it from me. She jumped out the moment she saw me, her face tight with worry, eyes scanning my soaked, shivering frame.
"You'll catch your death out here!" she cried, rushing over. Her hands were warm and frantic, tugging me gently but firmly toward the car. I didn't resist. Couldn't do it, because I needed her help. I just let her hold me as the rain kept falling.
"I told you not to confront them yet. Why didn't you listen? Why did you tell them?"
"Lilly…" My voice cracked as I leaned my head against the cold window. "Bella followed me to the bathroom. I wasn't going to tell them anything yet. I'm bleeding."
She looked at my jeans and stifled a scream.
Inside the car, it was warm and I was shivering, but not from the rain anymore. The fury building inside me was volcanic, pulsing through my veins like lava just beneath the skin.
"Why are you so angry?" Lilly asked gently, glancing over.
I clenched my jaw. My fingernails dug into my damp jeans. "It was her," I whispered. "Bella! She drugged me that night… and hired a man to slander me."
Lilly sucked in a sharp breath. "God. Sarah…"
"Let's just get to the hospital," she let out quickly, squeezing the steering wheel with rage. "We'll deal with the rest later."
I didn't answer. I couldn't. My world had already started to burn.