Chapter 7 up
“Clark… I’m in pain…”
The voice sounded weak, almost like a whisper forced out of a trembling throat.
Clark, who had been standing near the window, turned immediately. Selena was sitting on the sofa, her body curled inward, one hand clutching her stomach, her face pale and streaked with tears.
“What are you feeling?” Clark asked in panic, dropping to his knees in front of her.
“My stomach… it hurts so much,” Selena sobbed. “I’m scared… I’m really scared.”
Clark swallowed hard. The image of Selena falling earlier was still burned into his mind. The fear he had been suppressing finally surged to the surface.
“We’re going to the hospital,” he said quickly.
Selena shook her head weakly, tears spilling faster. “No… that’s not what I need…”
“Then what?” Clark tightened his grip on her hand.
Selena looked at him, her eyes glassy, full of dependence. “I need to feel safe. I can’t stay in this house while she’s still here.”
Clark froze. “You mean Nyla?”
Selena sobbed harder, her shoulders shaking. “I don’t want to be cruel. I truly don’t want to take anything from her. But every time I see her… I’m afraid. The way she looks at me… the things she says…”
She stopped, as if too frightened to continue.
“What did she do to you?” Clark asked, his voice tight.
Selena shook her head, then cried even harder. “I’m scared to say it. I’m afraid you’ll think I’m exaggerating.”
Clark clenched his jaw. “Tell me.”
Selena wiped her tears. “She told me to play my role carefully. She said lies can’t last forever.”
Clark frowned. “Was that a threat?”
“I don’t know,” Selena answered, trembling. “But I feel like she hates me. And I’m afraid she’ll hurt me again… or our child.”
The words our child fell like the final hammer.
Clark stood up abruptly. His face hardened, his chest rising and falling as he fought his anger.
“She’s gone too far,” he said coldly.
Upstairs, Nyla stood behind her bedroom door. She heard everything. Every word. Every sob that sounded far too rehearsed.
But this time, her chest didn’t shatter.
She was simply silent.
Clark walked to the stairs and climbed them with heavy steps. Each footfall felt like a decision that could never be undone.
“Nyla,” he called without knocking.
Nyla opened the door.
“What now?” she asked calmly.
Clark stared at her. “You have to leave.”
The sentence came out just like that—without hesitation, without pause.
Nyla smiled faintly. “Finally.”
“This isn’t a game,” Clark said harshly. “Selena is in pain. She’s terrified.”
“And that’s my fault?” Nyla asked softly.
“You make her feel unsafe,” Clark replied. “I can’t take that risk.”
Nyla looked at him for a long moment. “What risk, Clark? The risk of losing your child? Or the risk of facing the truth—that you misjudged everything?”
Clark clenched his fists. “Don’t twist this around!”
“I’m not twisting anything,” Nyla said calmly. “I’m just standing here—and you’re the one pushing me out.”
Clark let out a rough breath. “I don’t want this to get worse.”
“Worse for whom?” Nyla asked. “For you? Or for the woman performing downstairs?”
“Enough!” Clark snapped. “I won’t let you demean her again.”
Nyla nodded slowly. “So you’ve decided.”
“Yes.”
“Without asking me?”
“There’s no need,” Clark replied coldly. “I saw what happened with my own eyes.”
Nyla let out a small laugh—broken, yet clear. “No, Clark. You saw what you wanted to see.”
She stepped back and picked up her small bag. Her movements were calm—far too calm for a woman who had just been thrown out of her own home.
“Where will you go?” Clark asked curtly.
“Somewhere I don’t have to compete with lies,” Nyla replied.
Clark was silent for a moment. “I’ll take care of your belongings later.”
“No need,” Nyla said. “I’m only taking what still belongs to me.”
She walked past Clark. As she reached the stairs, Selena looked up, her face pale, her eyes red.
“I’m sorry…” Selena whispered. “I never wanted to hurt you. I just want to protect my child.”
Nyla stopped on the step.
She turned slowly. Her gaze was sharp, calm, and filled with warning.
“Take good care of your child,” she said. “Because one day, they’ll ask how they were born from a lie.”
Selena flinched.
Clark ground his teeth. “Go, Nyla.”
Nyla looked at the house one last time—every corner filled with memories that now felt чужие, foreign.
She walked out without looking back.
The door closed.
And behind that door, Clark held Selena as she cried again, believing he had done the right thing—unaware that he had just driven the only truth out of his life.
Outside, Nyla stood on the porch, the cold air brushing her face. Her chest was tight, but her eyes were dry.
She pulled out her phone and stared at a name she hadn’t contacted in a long time.
“I need a place to stay,” she said when the call connected. “And maybe… I need to remember who I really am.”
