Faded Hearts, Renewed Love

Lily's POV

I stood frozen at the top of the stairs, my heart hammering in my chest as my sister tumbled down them. Sophia's scream echoed through the hallway, her body twisting as she hit the steps, then crumpled into a heap at the bottom. My breath caught in my throat.

I rushed down, panic rising, my mind racing. What just happened? Why did she fall? I barely had time to think when I reached her. She was moaning, her face pale, eyes glazed over.

"Sophia!" I cried, kneeling beside her, shaking her slightly. "Are you okay?"

She didn't respond. Panic surged through me again. I didn't do anything. I wasn't even near her.

Someone screamed for an ambulance, and suddenly people were gathering around us, muttering. I could barely make out their words through the ringing in my ears, but one thing was clear-they were blaming me.

"You pushed her, didn't you?" one voice hissed.

"She's pregnant, you know," another added, voice dripping with judgment. "How could you be so cruel?"

What? What was happening? My hands shook as I tried to help Sophia, but someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"No... no, I didn't-" My voice cracked, and I couldn't get the words out fast enough. "I didn't do anything." But it didn't matter. No one was listening.

In that moment, it felt like the whole room turned against me, accusing me without a second thought.

"*Get away from her!*" someone shouted.

The next thing I knew, the ambulance arrived, and my sister was whisked away in a blur of lights and chaos. I stood there, shaking, trying to understand what had just happened.

And then, I heard it-the one voice I was both terrified and relieved to hear.

"What the hell happened here?" Damon's voice was cold, his anger clear even from where I stood.

I turned to see him striding toward me, his sharp eyes scanning the scene. I thought I'd feel some comfort seeing him, but all I felt was dread.

"Lily," he snapped, his voice tight with frustration. "What did you do?"

I stared at him, disbelief flooding me. "I didn't do anything!" I pleaded, my voice shaking. "I didn't-"

But Damon wasn't listening. He turned to my sister, who was still being loaded into the ambulance, and with a soft curse, he walked over to her.

"Sophia," he murmured softly, his hand gently brushing her hair away from her face. He was soothing her, comforting her, and in that moment, it hit me harder than anything else could.

He wasn't looking at me. He wasn't worried about me.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, to explain that this wasn't my fault, but then he spoke again.

"I knew it," he said, his voice low, full of anger. "I knew she was lying about you. You've always been cruel to her, haven't you? You've always been jealous, Lily."

My throat tightened. Jealous? What was he talking about? She is my sister.

"I didn't-" I started again, my voice breaking.

"Enough," he snapped, cutting me off. "You don't get to pretend you're innocent now. Look at what you've done."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't explain myself. Damon-my husband, the man I thought might at least have a little faith in me-was accusing me of something I hadn't done. I felt my legs give out beneath me, but I couldn't even bring myself to sit down.

Instead, I watched as Damon held Sophia close, whispering to her in a voice so soft and gentle, I could barely recognize it. It made my heart ache, seeing him care for her like that. I wanted to scream, to run to him and beg him to believe me, but something stopped me.

"*You're not helping her,*" I whispered, almost to myself, but Damon heard me anyway.

He turned sharply, eyes hard as stone. "Don't touch her again," he warned. "You've done enough damage."

I staggered backward, hurt flashing through me. I couldn't even speak. I couldn't explain myself, couldn't make him see the truth.

Before I could even react, Damon's grandmother appeared. She was older, but strong, the kind of woman who commanded attention with just a glance. She didn't look at me at first. She looked at Sophia, and her face twisted with concern.

"What happened?" she asked, looking between me and Damon.

Sophia groaned, her eyes fluttering open. "I... I think I lost the baby," she whispered.

The words hit me like a punch in the gut. *Her baby?* Damon's baby. The heir to the family empire.

The world around me felt like it was collapsing. Damon's grandmother turned to me, her eyes sharp. "Did you do this?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

I opened my mouth to deny it, but nothing came out. I couldn't form the words. How could anyone believe me now?

"Lily," she said, her voice softening just a bit. "You've always been a good girl, but jealousy can make people do things they regret."

I couldn't take it. I couldn't breathe. I could feel the walls closing in.

Before I could say anything else, Damon had lifted Sophia in his arms and was walking toward the ambulance. He didn't look back. Not once.

I stood there, alone, feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

I don't remember how I got back to our room. I was numb, just going through the motions. The bed was cold without Damon in it, and I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. I didn't care. I didn't want to care.

I lay down, staring at the empty space beside me. The sheets still smelled faintly of him, of the man who had once made me believe that maybe, just maybe, he could love me. The same man who now believed I was capable of hurting his family.

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the images of Damon holding Sophia, of the ambulance driving away.

Why did I ever think he would believe me?

I don't know how long I lay there before I heard a sound. Footsteps. Quiet at first, then louder. My heart leaped in my chest as I pushed myself up, desperate to explain. But then I heard his voice.

"I want a divorce," Damon's words cut through the air like a knife.

I froze.

"What?" I whispered, barely able to breathe.

He didn't respond.

The sound of his retreating footsteps was the last thing I heard before the door closed behind him.

I slumped back onto the bed, my heart shattering into a million pieces.