A dull ache throbbed through Allison's upper belly. Every nerve in her head twitched and jumped like a rope pulled so tight it was ready to snap.
Lucky was the stray dog she and Damian had adopted together at the shelter all those years ago. That little mutt had been there for every sweet moment they ever shared.
And now Bella had turned him into soup.
A wave of nausea slammed into her throat. Allison clapped a hand over her mouth. When she pulled it away, the bright red blood on her palm burned her eyes.
Something inside her finally snapped. She hurled the thermos across the room and lunged at Bella, fingers locking around her throat like iron clamps.
"Why would you do that to Lucky? If you hate me, come after me! Hit me! Scream at me! Why did you have to do it this way?"
Her eyes blazed crimson. Her grip tightened and tightened. Just as Bella's face started turning purple, a brutal force shoved Allison backward.
Her forehead cracked against the sharp corner of the table. Blood poured down instantly, soaking her entire face in sticky crimson.
The pain stole her breath, but through the haze she saw Damian's eyes—eyes that looked ready to murder her on the spot.
"Allison! And here I was, actually believing you'd changed, that you'd finally gotten better!" His voice shook with rage. "I didn't even want to come pick you up today. Bella begged me for ages before I agreed. And this is how you repay her? You're heartless. Worse than an animal!"
Allison shook her head wildly. "It's not like that! Bella cooked Lucky and fed him to me!”
"What Lucky?" Damian's lip curled in pure disgust. "Lucky's been running around the garden at home all day, perfectly fine. Did those four years in finishing school finally fry your brain? Turned you into a full-blown psycho?"
Whispers rippled through the other patients outside the room.
"Seriously, so young and already lying through her teeth. I saw her choke her sister first."
"Yeah, probably jealous because her little sister's prettier. She might actually be mentally ill."
"No... it's not true..." Allison stumbled backward, the blood on her face making her look even more terrifying.
A nurse finally stepped in, trying to gently wipe the blood away, but Allison screamed like she was being burned alive.
The old nightmares from finishing school flooded back—blood, whips, endless pain. She dropped to her knees on the cold floor and started slamming her forehead against the tiles over and over.
Back then, whenever the hurt inside got too big to bear, she would do this. If her body screamed loud enough, maybe her heart would stop hurting so much.
"You crazy b***h!" Damian snarled through clenched teeth. "If anything happens to Bella today, I'll make you pay back a thousand times over!"
He scooped Bella into his arms and stormed out. The rapid footsteps faded down the hall until Allison could no longer hear them. The world in front of her blurred and tilted.
Damian had already settled the bill. The hospital, terrified she would cause more trouble, made up an excuse and threw her out onto the street. Her suitcase landed beside her with a thud.
"Ugh, what rotten luck!" someone spat right at her feet.
Allison lifted her battered, blood-streaked face with empty eyes. She crouched on the sidewalk and slowly picked up every single item, one by one.
She walked for hours. By the time midnight wrapped the city in darkness, she finally stood at the gates of Schmidt Manor.
The moment she stepped inside, strong arms suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace from behind.
"Does your head still hurt?" Damian murmured. His fingers brushed her forehead with surprising gentleness as he wiped away the dried blood.
"I asked Bella about it today. She did say the soup had Lucky in it, but it was just a harmless little joke. You're her big sister—can't you let it go? Please?"
Allison stayed silent.
Damian's patience finally ran out. He stood over her bed, looking down with cold authority. "There's a party next Monday. You're coming with me. After that, I'll give you back your mother's pendant. This is my last offer, Allison. Don't make me regret it."
Aksara