The MC President’s Poisoned Princess

AOIFE “Kidney failure.” I stared at the paper, my fingers trembling. Everything else faded into the background. My stomach tightened, and bile rose up to my throat. I looked up at the doctor, shaking my head, “I only have TMAU. I don’t… where’s Doctor Stephen?” I shot off the chair so fast, nearly knocking it over in the process. The doctor stood too, extending his hands as though he was afraid I might collapse. “Please, calm down. I need you to listen to me.” “Where. Is. Doctor. Stephen?” I demanded, my voice rising with every word. “He isn’t here, and I don’t think you should see him again.” The doctor glanced at the results on his desk before looking back at me. “I reviewed your medical history and the samples you provided the last time you came. Your results don’t support the diagnosis you’ve been given, and the medication you’ve been taking appears to be the cause of the symptoms you’ve been experiencing.” “What are you talking about?” The question was meant to be rhetorical, a mirror of my panic, but he answered anyways, “I had the medication examined, and your test results show early kidney damage. I can’t tell you everything about what happened until further tests are done, but I have reason to believe you’ve been given substances that are making you sick.” My fingers tightened around the paper. “No.” “I’m sorry, but I need you to understand that this is serious. There is a good chance of recovery if you stop taking those pills and receive the right treatment immediately. But first, you need to get away from whoever has been giving them to you.” A laugh escaped me, and I laughed until tears were rolling down my cheeks. “This is a lie. Davis wouldn’t do this to me.” I shook my head, looking down at the results as though the words might change if I read them again. “He was the one who brought me here in the first place because I had the smell. He wanted us to fix it. Doctor Stephen said I’d be better in a few months, and Davis has been paying for everything. Why would he spend all that money if he wanted me sick?” The doctor said nothing for a moment, and the pity in his eyes only made me angrier. “You’re accusing my husband of poisoning me for two years. I came here for my medication, and you asked me to return today after taking my samples, only to tell me all this. I only hope you have enough evidence to back up your claims because I’ll make sure Davis hears about this.” The doctor sighed and lowered his hands. “Please, don’t tell him what I’ve found yet. I’m asking you to get another medical opinion at a hospital outside this city, where you can have your results independently reviewed and receive treatment without interference. If someone has deliberately been making you sick, confronting them before you’re safe could put you in danger.” I stared at him, my heart pounding even more now. The thought that Davis had been making me sick was too horrible to accept, and yet I couldn’t ignore the results in my hands. I wanted to scream at him and demand that he take back everything he’d said, but the fear crawling up my spine made it difficult to speak. After another moment, I grabbed my purse off the table and slipped the result inside. Without another look at him, I whipped around and exited his office, half-running outside the hospital. I slipped into the backseat of my G Wagon and slammed the door shut. “Take me to New York. Now.” Fabio’s jaw dropped as he stared at me through the rearview mirror. “Ma’am?” “Did I stutter?” I snapped. He shook his head frantically, starting the engine. “That would take quite a few hours, ma’am. Are you sure you don’t want me to—” “I don’t care. Drive!” Fabio started to move, but before he could get far, I noticed him trying to get his phone out of his pocket. “Tell Davis anything, and I’ll make sure you lose your job.” My voice came out harsher than intended. “I know you’re messing around with his cousin.” Shock crossed his features. Of course, he hadn’t known I knew that. His throat bobbed, and he slipped the phone back into his pocket. ** Days later, I sat on the floor of our bedroom in Florida, the medical results from New York spread out in front of me. My vision blurred as I read them for the third time. It was true. The tests had been repeated at different hospitals, and the results were the same. I had never suffered from TMAU. The symptoms I’d spent years trying to hide had been caused by the very medication I’d trusted to cure me, and my kidneys had already begun to suffer the consequences. My own husband, the man I’d trusted with my life for almost four years, had been poisoning me for a little over two. Davis, Iron Vulture MC’s Vice President. The man of the people. He was the nicest person to everyone else but me. He remembered birthdays, bought drinks for his men, and never hesitated to help someone in need when there were people watching. Yet behind closed doors, he tore me down until I began to believe there was something wrong with me. He cheated on me, raised his hand against me. Whenever I finally found the courage to leave, he would beg me to forgive him, he’d promise to change. In his words, “You smell so bad but I manage you, so you can manage my bad behavior… I promise I’ll try to be better.” Then he’d show up with flowers, sometimes enough to fill every vase in our house. And I would forgive him. I had convinced myself that I was lucky he stayed with me, despite the smell I thought made me disgusting. My cheeks were wet and sticky with tears, fingers hovering over my brother, Kenny’s name on my phone. He was my last hope. Papa and Mamma weren’t picking up. And his twin—Venus—blocked me long ago. He didn’t pick also. Clearing my throat, I decided to send him a voice message. I spent an hour pouring my heart out, then another ten minutes praying he opened my message. The door slammed open in the middle of my chattering. I jerked up on my feet. Davis strolled into my bedroom, his face twisted in a frown. “Hey!” I breathed. “You’re back. I thought you’d be away for one more day.” I was supposed to pack up some of my important stuff and leave before he was back tomorrow… “You were at Live Well?” David ignored my statement. “Doctor Stephen isn’t in.” “Uh..” I stuttered, cleared my throat. “Yes, I was. I had to get my pills.” “Your pills?” He asked. “Thought I restocked them before I left.” I disagreed with a shake of my head, “You didn’t. I had to go get them at the hospital.” His gaze swept over my face. The room was dead silent, saved for the light hum of the ceiling fan overhead. “Let me see them.” Davis said, advancing towards me. “W-What?” I choked. A deeper frown settled on his face. “The drugs, Aoife. Don’t make me repeat myself.” “Oh. Oh, yeah.” I spun around and dashed to my dresser table, pulling the drawer out. I rummaged through the drawer, shoving aside folded clothes and loose papers as I searched for it. There was no sign of the pills. I slammed the drawer shut and started to check the table. Nothing. I went to the bed, raised the pillows. No pills. Where did I keep them?! Davis’ voice came again, cold, “Aoife. What were you in the hospital for?” “I’ll find the pills. I got them. I swear, I did.” I opened the drawer again, and I was ransacking it more thoroughly when Davis’s hand wrapped around my hair and pulled hard. “Here! Here!” I screamed, holding up the bag of pills I’d finally seen. “I got them!” “Open them.” He snarled against my ear. My scalp burned. My eyes pricked with hot tears. Yet, I gathered myself together and focused on getting the small bag open. I tore it open and took out the plastic containers that carried the pills. My hand was shaking as I extended it to him. He plucked the containers off my hand and stepped back, letting go of my hair. After a moment of silence and heaving breaths, he muttered, “I’m sorry.” I nodded quickly, needing to just get this over with. “I really am.” He repeated. His palm grazed my waist and he made me face him. “Damn, you’re so beautiful. I missed you, baby. Makeup s*x?” He asked, looking into my eyes. My nose scrunched up. “Davis, I’m on my period.” I lied. His expression morphed from a naughty look to a aggressive one, “You said that last time. Are you the woman with the issue of blood?” “Davis.” “I asked a question.” “I… I don’t know. I guess it’s the PCOS.” He pushed me away. “You don’t have that s**t. Shut up.” But I did. He saw the medical reports too… Davis just loved to make me feel stupid. I decided to stay silent about it. He ran his hand through his hair. “Let’s have dinner first. We’ll talk about this later.” I swallowed. “I’ll meet you.” He lingered for a moment, then said something under his breath and exited the room. The door slammed shut so hard, the walls rattled. I shut my eyes briefly. When I opened them, my phone had lit up with an incoming call. I rushed to the phone and grabbed it. “Hello?” Kenny’s voice filtered through the speaker, “Get your ass out of that house right now, Aoife. We all f*****g warned you about that man and you cut us off…” “Kenny, I’m—” “Save it. I only called to tell you that one of Ghost’s riders is outside Davis’s house right now. Find a way to leave that place now. You’ll be under Ghost’s protection until we can get a court restraining order… and a divorce if you want.” A sob escaped my lips. He added more urgently this time, “Move, Aoife.”