Chapter 6
Veloura ended up back in the hospital. Again. Three hours of surgery to dig glass shards out of her body.
She stayed just long enough for the wounds to stop bleeding, then checked herself out. She had shit to do.
First stop: the bank. She withdrew enough cash to make things happen, then called this tiny nursing home way outside the city.
She offered to fund their entire renovation–new equipment, new ventilators, whatever they needed–in exchange for taking Austin and keeping their mouths shut about it.
The director practically kissed her feet agreeing to the deal. Just needed to wait for their new identities to come through.
She couldn’t take Austin with her yet, but maybe she could buy some time before Nikolai tracked him down.
Veloura headed to the hospital to tell Austin the plan. Her brother couldn’t hear her, but she needed to say it anyway.
She was almost to his room when she heard shouting. Austin’s nurse was pressed against his door, trying to keep out a middle–aged couple who were shoving her around.
“Miss Belcour! Thank God–these people want to steal Mr. Austin’s ventilator!”
Veloura ran forward, grabbing the man’s arm. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? This is a hospital!”
“Get your hands off me, you little bitch!” The woman whirled around and shoved Veloura hard. “My daughter’s boyfriend is gonna kill you for this. My
son needs that machine!”
Veloura hit the floor, stars exploding behind her eyes. When her vision cleared, she was staring up at Anneliese’s satisfied smirk.
“God, you’re a mess.” Anneliese looked her up and down like she was roadkill. “You can’t stop them. That ventilator belongs to my family now.”
“Get in there!” Anneliese snapped her fingers at Nikolai’s security team. They pushed past the nurse and started ripping equipment off Austin’s unconscious body.
“NO!” Veloura threw herself between them and her brother, arms spread wide. “He’ll die! You’ll fucking kill him!”
‘Don’t touch my brother!”
Anneliese’s mother suddenly dropped to the ground with an Oscar–worthy performance, clutching her chest. Anneliese rushed to her side, then
urned on Veloura with fake outrage.
You psycho! Why did you push my mother? Nikolai told us to take this equipment–if you have a problem, take it up with him!”
Oh, the pain!” the older woman wailed dramatically.
That’s when Nikolai walked in. His eyes went straight to the drama queen on the floor, then to Anneliese.
What’s going on?” His voice was ice.
Forget it.” Anneliese shook her head like some kind of saint. “My brother doesn’t really need the ventilator. It’s not life or death for him.“
But she’s completely lost it. She’s attacked my mother twice now.”
Vikolai sized up the situation in about two seconds. He looked at his men with disgust. “You can’t handle one hysterical woman?”
Before, they’d been careful with her. Now, seeing that look on Nikolai’s face, one of them grabbed Veloura’s arm and yanked her away from Austin ike she was garbage.
‘Nik, please!” Veloura watched them disconnect Austin’s life support, her voice breaking. “Stop them! He’s my brother–he’ll die!”
I’m begging you!”
17:15
Go Play Your Duet with Your Mistress: My Life’s Melody is Going Solo on My Own
Chapter 6
But Nikolai just stared at her like she was some stranger having a breakdown. “Still causing scenes? I thought you’d learned your lesson by now.”
Something inside Veloura shattered completely. She went quiet, watching them steal her brother’s life support while the man she’d loved for ten years stood there and let it happen.
They shoved her to the ground and walked out with the ventilator.
eloura crawled to Austin’s bed. His face was already changing color, lips turning blue. She slammed the emergency button over and over.
Nothing.
The horrifying truth hit her: Nikolai had cleared the floor. No doctors were coming.
HELP!” She ran into the hallway screaming. “SOMEBODY HELP US!”
The entire floor was empty. Dead silent. She punched the elevator button–stuck on the first floor.
The stairs. She flew toward them, missed a step, and went tumbling down half a flight. Pain shot through her ribs, but she didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.
ive floors. She ran down five fucking floors before she found a soul.
Please!” She grabbed the first doctor she saw. “My brother–no oxygen–he’s dying!”
by the time they got back upstairs, it was over.
Austin was gone.
Veloura stood there staring at his still face, and she felt her mind just… break. She opened her mouth to scream, to cry, to something, but nothing came
jut.
This was what real heartbreak felt like. Not tears, not sobbing. Just this empty, hollow nothing where your soul used to be.
he’d lost everything now. Her baby, her marriage, her identity.
And now Austin.
The only person who’d ever needed her, and she’d failed him.
she thought about that scared fifteen–year–old girl Nikolai had found on the streets. How grateful she’d been. How she’d thought she was so fucking ucky.
What a joke.
she regretted every single day since then. Every moment she’d wasted loving someone who’d end up destroying everything she cared about.
17:15
