Chapter 6: The Sister
1062 Words
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and hopelessness.
Ava stood in the doorway of room 412, her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe. Her hands were shaking. Her legs were weak. She'd driven here without thinking. Without planning. Without any idea what she would say.
She just needed to see her.
Lily.
Ethan's sister.
Her sister.
It couldn't be true. Richard was a liar. He was manipulative. He was the enemy.
But the photo in her phone—the woman in the shadows, her mother's face—it had come from somewhere. And the locket. The diary. The sealed room in the basement.
Everything pointed to one thing.
Lily Cross wasn't just Ethan's sister.
She was Ava's.
Ava stepped into the room.
The girl in the bed was small. Fragile. Her skin was pale, almost translucent. Tubes snaked from her arms. Machines beeped softly in the background. Her hair was thin—falling out from the chemotherapy.
And on her right cheek—
Ava's breath caught.
A birthmark.
Small. Dark. Faint.
But unmistakable.
The same birthmark from the photo. The baby in her mother's arms. The child who wasn't her.
Ava pressed her hand against her mouth. Tears flooded her eyes.
It was true.
Lily was her sister.
The machines beeped. The room was silent except for the soft hum of the ventilator.
Lily's eyes fluttered open.
She looked at Ava.
Her gaze was distant. Confused. But then something flickered in her eyes.
Recognition.
"You," Lily whispered.
Her voice was weak. Hoarse. But clear.
Ava's legs gave way. She sank into the chair beside the bed.
"Lily," she breathed. "You know me?"
The girl smiled. It was a tired smile. A knowing smile.
"I've seen you. In photos. She showed me."
Ava's blood ran cold.
"Who?"
Lily's eyes drifted to the door. Then back to Ava.
"The lady. The one who looks like you. She visits me at night. When Ethan's gone."
Ava gripped the armrest.
"The woman from the window?"
Lily nodded weakly.
"She said you'd come."
"She said I'd come?"
"Yes. She said you'd find me. That you'd know."
Ava's mind was spinning.
Her mother. Her mother had been visiting Lily. Watching over her. Protecting her.
"Why didn't she come to me?" Ava whispered. "Why did she hide?"
Lily's eyes softened.
"She's scared."
"Scared of what?"
"The bad man."
Ava leaned forward.
"Who is the bad man, Lily?"
The girl hesitated.
Then she whispered:
"Your father."
The words hung in the air.
Ava's hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking.
"My father is in prison."
Lily shook her head weakly.
"Not anymore."
Ava's heart stopped.
"What?"
"He escaped. Three days ago."
The room tilted. Ava gripped the edge of the bed.
"How do you know this?"
Lily's eyes welled with tears.
"He came here. He wanted to hurt me. But the lady stopped him. She protected me."
Ava's blood turned to ice.
"Your father was here. In this hospital. Trying to hurt you."
Lily nodded.
"He said I was a mistake. That I should never have been born. But the lady—"
She paused. Her voice cracked.
"The lady saved me. She's been saving me my whole life. She said I was special. That I was her daughter."
Her daughter.
Ava's mother.
Lily's mother.
Ava stared at the girl in the bed.
"You're my sister," she whispered.
Lily smiled again. A tiny, fragile smile.
"I know."
And then the door opened.
Ethan stood in the doorway. His face was pale. His eyes were fixed on Ava.
"Ava," he said slowly. "What are you doing here?"
She couldn't speak.
He walked toward the bed. His steps were hesitant.
"Lily," he said, his voice gentle. "Are you okay?"
Lily nodded. But her eyes were on Ava.
"She knows."
Ethan frowned.
"Knows what?"
Ava stood. Her legs were shaking.
"Ethan, I need to tell you something."
His eyes narrowed.
"Tell me what?"
The room was silent.
Ava's voice was barely a whisper.
"Lily is my sister. Your sister... she's not your sister. She's mine."
Ethan stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your parents. They adopted her. They never told you. But Lily... she's my sister. My mother's daughter. My father's child."
The words hung in the air.
Ethan shook his head slowly.
"That's impossible."
Ava reached into her bag. She pulled out the diary. The locket. The photo of the baby with the birthmark.
She handed them to him.
Ethan looked down. His face paled.
He read the diary pages. He examined the locket. He stared at the photo.
And then his legs gave out.
He slumped into the chair beside Lily's bed.
"Ethan..." Ava reached for him.
He flinched away.
"I don't understand," he whispered. "My parents... they told me she was their daughter. They never—"
"They didn't know," Ava said quickly. "My mother hid Lily with them. She paid them. She made them swear to never tell anyone."
Ethan looked at Lily.
The girl was watching him. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Ethan," she whispered. "I'm sorry."
He pulled her into his arms.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he choked out. "You're my sister. You've always been my sister."
Ava stood in the corner. Her heart was shattered.
She'd found her sister.
But she'd just destroyed Ethan's world.
Lily pulled back.
"She's not the only one," she whispered.
Ethan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lily's eyes flicked to Ava.
Then she said:
"The lady. She has another secret."
Ava's heart stopped.
"Another secret? What do you mean?"
Lily looked at Ethan.
Then back at Ava.
And she said:
"Ethan isn't who you think he is, Ava."
The room went silent.
Ava's blood ran cold.
"What are you saying?"
Lily's voice was barely a whisper.
"Ethan isn't a firefighter. He never was."
Ethan's face went pale.
"Lily—"
"He's a spy. He was hired to watch you, Ava. From the very beginning."
The world shattered.
Ava's legs gave way.
She crashed to the floor. Her vision swam. Her heart stopped.
"Ava," Ethan gasped. "It's not what you think—"
She looked up at him.
Her eyes were broken.
"Tell me the truth," she whispered. "Was any of it real?"
Ethan was silent.
And in that silence, Ava knew.
Nothing had been real.
The protection, The contract.
it was all a lie.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD