Chapter 19 The silence in the hospital room was deafening. Vanessa sat upright on the bed, her fingers fiddling nervously with the hospital bracelet wrapped around her wrist. Hours had passed since the nurse had told her that Travis and Van had gone to speak with the doctor-and yet, they never came back. Not a single call. Not even a message. She glanced at the clock. It was almost sundown. Maybe they were just processing everything, she told herself. Maybe they just needed space. They're my brothers-they'd understand… right? After all, she hadn't meant to hurt anyone. She was scared. She only lied because she thought she'd be forgotten again-left behind while Taylor shined like she always did. 'I just have to explain," she whispered to herself. "Once they hear me out, they'll understand. They'll forgive me. They always do." Resolute, Vanessa stood up from the bed. She slipped back into her clothes and signed the discharge forms herself, ignoring the concerned look from the nurse. No one had come to pick her up. She hailed a taxi outside the hospital and sat silently in the backseat, staring out the window. As the driver neared the old family home, Vanessa began rehearsing her apology in her head. She would cry if she had to. She would beg. Whatever it took. They'll forgive me, she thought again. They have to. But nothing prepared her for what she saw the moment she stepped out of the taxi. Her heels clicked against the pavement-and her heart dropped. Black trash bags, boxes, and torn clothes were strewn all over the front yard. Her designer dresses. Her perfumes. Her makeup, framed photos, bags. Her entire life-dumped like garbage. What the hell is this?" she gasped, rushing toward the pile. "Who touched my things?!" The front door opened with a slam, and Travis stormed out. Van followed closely behind him, arms crossed tightly. You don't belong here anymore," Van said flatly. Wait-what?" Vanessa blinked, stunned. "This is my house. What's going on?" Travis threw a folder toward her feet. It landed with a heavy thud, pages spilling out-photos of her with another man from five years ago, and documents that proved she had faked her illness. 'Taylor was right," Travis said bitterly. "About everything. And we were too blind to see it." 'Travis, Van, please," Vanessa whispered, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was scared. I left because I was overwhelmed. I thought I was making the right choice." 'You thought cheating on Troy and pretending to have cancer was the right choice?" Van snapped. Vanessa's knees buckled, but she refused to fall. "I was jealous, okay? I've always been jealous of Taylor. Ever since we were little, she always got the good grades, the praise, the attention-" "She got the responsibilities," Travis interrupted coldly. "She sacrificed her dreams for us. For you." "I just wanted to be seen," Vanessa sobbed. "I didn't know how else to take it back." "Well, congratulations," Van said. "You've lost everything. Consider this your last warning-don't come back." The door slammed shut, and Vanessa stood there alone, tears dripping down her cheeks. She stared at the pile of her life in disbelief. Her fingers trembled as she grabbed her phone, trying to call Troy. No answer. She tried again. Voicemail. Again. Blocked. "No, no, no," she murmured. "He wouldn't block me. He wouldn't…" She stood there frozen, frantically refreshing Troy's profile, her breath catching in her throat. Then-ping. A notification. A video. Viral. Over a million views. Vanessa clicked on it. It was footage from a wedding. A beautiful outdoor garden. The bride-Taylor. The groom-Scott And the man in the middle of the chaos, sobbing and kneeling in front of the aisle-Troy. "No…" Vanessa whispered. The camera caught everything-Troy screaming for Taylor, begging her not to go through with the wedding. The security dragging him out. Taylor turning her back on him without a second glance. Wanessa's hands tightened around her phone. 'She ruined everything," she hissed. Her tears now burned with fury. How dare Taylor? How dare she steal everything? Troy was hers! She had sacrificed so much, clawed her way back into this family-even lied for love-and Taylor just took it all. She was about to dial again when another notification popped up. A message from the law office. Subject: Divorce Papers. Her heart dropped. She opened it slowly, hands shaking. Her name. Troy's name. Legal separation. Filed and finalized. "No… no, he wouldn't…" Her voice cracked. The phone slipped from her fingers and hit the pavement. She couldn't breathe. She stumbled away from the gate, vision blurred. She needed to find him. She needed to explain. To beg. To fix this. She could fix this. The world tilted around her as she ran blindly across the street. A horn blared. Screeching tires. Then-impact. Vanessa's body slammed against the hood of a car and hit the pavement with a sickening thud. The world went dark. When she woke up, the light above her was white and sterile. The beeping of machines filled the air. Her head pounded. She tried to sit up, wincing. A nurse entered and gently pressed her back down. "Easy," the nurse said. "You're lucky. Minor concussion and a few bruises. You're stable now." Vanessa looked around. The room was cold. Empty. "No one's… here?" she whispered. The nurse glanced at the chart. "We tried calling the emergency contacts, but… no one picked up." Her throat closed. She reached for her phone on the side table. She called Travis. No answer. Van. Nothing. She called Troy. Voicemail. Again. And again. Each beep, each click, each unanswered call drove a deeper nail into her chest. She was alone. Utterly, devastatingly alone. And for the first time, Vanessa realized-there might be no fixing this. There might be no one left to come back to. 3:12 pm