Chapter 6
“Ryan,” Lyra said softly, “maybe we should just let it go. I don’t want to fight with her anymore.”
Ryan pulled her closer. “She hurt you. She pays for it.”
After their words, the bodyguard who’d been hesitating grabbed Thea and forced her back to her knees.
Everything hurt. She swayed, barely staying upright.
Then Lyra frowned at her IV. “It’s dripping too fast. My hand hurts.”
Ryan immediately slowed the drip and warmed her hand with his.
One bag of fluids took an hour and a half.
When the doctor came to examine Lyra, she dragged it out, pretending to be in too much pain to cooperate.
Thea stared at nothing, completely numb. Finally, the doctor confirmed mother and baby were fine. She stumbled to her feet at once and headed for the door.
God, she really hated him right now.
She made it maybe ten steps before everything went black and she hit the floor.
When Thea came to, the smell of disinfectant filled her nose. Ryan sat beside her hospital bed.
Seeing her awake, he immediately reached to feel her forehead.
“You had a fever all night, kept saying you were in pain. Thank God it finally broke.”
Thea turned away from his touch. His hand froze mid-air as he stared at her.
Just one look made Ryan’s chest tighten. “Thea…”
In seven years together, Thea had never been able to hide the love and adoration in her eyes when she looked at him.
Now her stare was completely empty. Like he meant nothing to her anymore.
Panic crept up his spine as he grabbed her hand.
“I didn’t realize how bad your burns were. Don’t be mad, okay? I’ll stay with you for a few days.”
Maybe out of guilt, Ryan didn’t leave her side.
He rented out the entire floor just to give her peace and quiet.
He bought her favorite seafood porridge and fed it to her himself.
The second her lips looked dry, he’d bring water to her mouth.
Before, this kind of attention would’ve melted her heart.
Now she felt nothing.
That evening, an unwelcome visitor showed up.
“Ryan, the toxicology report came back.”
Lyra handed him the papers with tears streaming down her face. “They found poison in the soup. Enough to kill someone. I’m so scared-our baby almost died!”
Thea’s blood turned to ice.
Marcus had promised each vial would be undetectable on its own. Why that situation?
Before she could figure out what went wrong, Ryan grabbed her arm with murder in his eyes and dragged her out.
They back at the house, Ryan immediately had his men pull the security footage.
The cameras had caught everything.
Crystal clear shots of Thea adding the poison each time-no hesitation, stone-faced and cold.
She’d even watched them eat it every single time.
“Sis, I get why you hate me, but Ryan gave you everything for seven years. How could you try to kill him too?” Lyra sobbed.
Ryan’s eyes went bloodshot. Whatever guilt he’d felt vanished, replaced by pure rage.
He grabbed Thea by the throat, veins bulging as he lifted her off the ground.
“It really was you trying to kill me!”
