Dr. Collins looked confused as he glanced down at her chart on the iPad. “Biopsy?” he echoed, brows furrowing.
“Yes. On her brain tumor.”
Dr. Collins’ eyes bucked. “That’s not mentioned anywhere here. There seems to be a mix-up.”
I turned to Lelani, concerned when I noticed she had suddenly gone quiet and the color had drained from her face.
“Lelani?” I pushed. “When is your next chemo appointment? Shouldn’t it be in the chart since you see your doctor here?”
My brows knitted together as Lelani shut her eyes, regret etching her face as if she wanted to hide under the covers.
Dr. Collins continued to review the chart, but I was focused on Lelani who looked increasingly distressed.
“Cancer?” the doctor asked, looking up at her with concern. “None of your blood work indicates cancer, and there’s no info in your chart.”
She opened her eyes, and they were filled with tears as she shook her head, barely able to whisper, “No.”
“The fuck? What you mean no?” I snapped.
As Lelani began to sob, Dr. Collins interjected. “I’ll step out to give you some privacy.”
The sudden tension in the room had caused Dr. Collins and the nurse to turn crimson red as they rushed out.
I took a deep breath, trying not to explode in this hospital. “Lelani, what the fuck is going on?”
“You love her,” she cried so low that I could barely hear her.
Frowning, I asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Aviana,” she snapped, slamming her hands down on the bed. “You love her. You want to be with her. I always knew it. I could tell by the way you looked at her. You are fucking obsessed with that girl, and I caught you all in the stairway at the club that day. Y’all were about to kiss. I was scared that you were going to leave me for her, so I made something up to keep you.”
I shot up out of my seat, making her eyes bulge. “Are you fucking serious? That’s some sick shit to lie about.”
I was roaring so loud it made her cringe. “Would you be quiet?”
I laughed psychotically. “Why? You don’t want these people to know how diabolical you are?”
“Being with someone who loves someone else will make you do some diabolical shit. You never loved me. You never looked at me the way you look at her. I was just a clone—something you used to try to replace something that never could be replaced.”
I couldn’t believe that she was telling this much truth. But I figured that her pain meds weren’t letting her think straight, so I kept asking her questions.
“So, there were never any doctor’s appointments? The headaches and throwing up was fake?”
She whimpered. “I faked all of it, okay? I was just leaving the house so that you thought I was going to the doctor. But that’s how much I love you, Mythic. I didn’t want to lose you, baby.”
I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief I had never felt before. “Well…at least you weren’t lying about everything. You really are a sick bitch.”
She began to sob. I met the eyes of concerned staff and nurses who were standing around the door. I pulled my rage-filled eyes away from them all and charged down the hall.
Filled with rage, I felt the heat of betrayal surging through my veins as I looked at Lelani. My mind raced with anger and disbelief. I felt used, like a fool and like I had been set up. I prided myself on being a smart man, but this felt like a sucker punch. I had let a snake into my own backyard.
Every instinct in me screamed to kill her, to make her hurt for the way she had deceived me. I could see the fear in her eyes, the tears that streamed down her cheeks, and it only fueled my frustration.
I took a step back, forcing myself to breathe through the anger boiling inside me. I could hear the dark thoughts whispering in the back of my mind, urging me to take drastic measures, to end this snake’s existence once and for all. But I fought against it. I needed to get away before I did something I would regret—before I crossed a line I swore I never would.
With a final glance at Lelani, I turned and walked out of the room, clenching my fists to keep my emotions in check.
I could still hear her sobbing, calling out for me. “Mythic, please don’t leave me.Pleeeease.”
