Chapter 3
547 Words
The reporters nodded in sudden understanding, their eyes now dripping with disdain. "Captain Vance truly understands the bigger picture."
My brother gestured for everyone to quiet down. "I’ve already hired a caregiver for Audrey. Her follow-up treatment will be taken care of, so please, let’s not disturb her rest any further." Then, he threw a final glance my way. "Audrey, stop acting out. You are being incredibly childish."
He turned and walked out, the herd of reporters following tightly on his heels.
The room fell dead silent again, and I just lay there on the bed, tears silently soaking my pillow. In that single moment, I felt completely abandoned by the entire world. Only the total numbness in my legs remained as a brutal reminder that my career was dead.
As night fell, the anesthesia gradually wore off. I gritted my teeth, but I couldn't stop the moans of agony from escaping my throat. Cold sweat drenched my hospital gown, and I white-knuckled the bedsheets.
Right then, the door was gently pushed open. My brother stood in the doorway. I froze for a second, and a sudden surge of hope flared up inside me. Was he worried about me? Did he finally realize he was wrong and come to comfort me?
"David, it hurts so bad." I couldn't help but break down, like a frightened kid running to a parent for comfort.
My brother didn't turn on the light, nor did he walk over to my bedside. Standing there in the shadows, his voice sounded even colder than it had during the day.
"Stop the pathetic whining."
I gasped, stunned.
"If you keep screaming like that, you're going to wake Valerie. It took me forever to finally get her to sleep."
At that exact instant, every drop of blood in my body turned to ice.
"You're the one taking care of her?"
"Well, yeah." My brother’s tone was completely matter-of-fact. "When you save a life, you see it through to the end. She’s an orphan, she’s terrified, and she has zero family to look after her. If I don’t step up, who will?" With that, he turned to leave.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, "David, I am your real sister!"
He paused for a beat, but he didn't look back. "I know that. Which is exactly why you need to be the mature one here."
I lay there in the pitch black as waves of agony crashed over me. But compared to the physical pain destroying the lower half of my body, the suffocating ache in my chest was so intense I could barely breathe.
With trembling fingers, I reached for my phone on the nightstand.
My name was already trending on social media, dragged through the mud with vicious comments.
A: [Audrey Vance is toxic as hell, trying to pull rank just because her brother is the rescue captain.]
B: [Throwing a massive tantrum just because she got saved a little late is peak entitlement.
She wanted to be a champion? Yeah, maybe the champion of Princess Syndrome!]
I stared at the tidal wave of online hatred, my eyes filling with a bottomless, crushing sorrow. Not a single soul believed me. People will always blindly side with whoever they think is the underdog.
- Writer
