CHAPTER 15: FAKING IT

Braelyn’s POV

Amelia’s injuries weren’t serious; there was a small plaster on her forehead. The care she received was exaggerated.

The room came to a standstill once I arrived. I knew I wasn’t invited but I didn’t expect a reaction this adverse.

The room was packed, Raphael was sitting by her bedside while Natalia and Natasha buzzed around her. Despite expecting something like this my heart still ached knowing they were in the same hospital and no one even bothered to check up on me.

I married Raphael as an orphan and made a lot of effort to make his family his own. I knew the Volkov years before Raphael and I got married because of the relationship between our families, but I was always an outsider, never family.

Raphael’s gaze lingered on me for a while before it shifted to Lucien. His brow was furrowed trying to figure out something. There was a faint flicker of concern, a glimpse of hope I saw in his eyes.

It was quickly shattered when Amelia sneezed. His attention immediately snapped to her. The panic and tender care in those eyes was the same look he gave me in the past. "Is anything wrong?" He asked her.

Amelia shook her head. Her finger is rubbing her nose. "My nose just itches a bit. " She said before glancing at me, her face filled with self-righteousness.

"I need another slice of apple." She pouted sticking out her tongue. Raphael laughed while Natasha praised Amelia for being cute. "Anything for my cute Amelia." He said with a soft voice I hadn’t heard for years

An arrow straight to my heart. Raphael started feeding her sliced apples which he diligently peeled himself. They ignored me their entire attention on Amelia. It was a message to prove that I didn’t belong here.

Yet I didn’t leave, I stayed, letting the image burn into my skull. My lips parted, trying to find the words, but nothing formed.

Amelia shook her head, refusing another slice; her cheeks were puffed as she chewed. "Raphael, are you going to ignore Braelyn? I have already forgiven her for what she did?" She mentioned and Raphael’s hand stopped halfway.

His grip on the small knife tightened. His voice was slow but firm. "I don’t want to talk about irrelevant people." He said, he was still clearly angry at me. From the look of things there was no chance of me clearing things up.

"But Raphael.. "Amelia whined. Natalia grabbed her hand stopping her. "You are still recovering why bother about someone who pretended to be sick just to avoid apologizing for her actions " she said giving me a condescending look..

Natasha gave me a pitiful look, her mother’s words were harsh. I was dressed in the hospital pjs and they all assumed that I faked it. Raphael refused to look my way.

"You think I am pretending?" I asked, staring straight at Raphael, he sighed.

"Here have another slice." He said, offering Amelia a slice of apple ignoring me like a fool. I couldn’t take it, the man I married all these years could not think so little of me.

"Raphael!!!" I cried marching towards him but I was stopped by Natalia. Her eyes were sharp at me, this was my mother in law how ironical

"Stop playing the victim card Braelyn and just apologize. No one knew you can stoop this low all to pretend." Natalia said, I was dumbfounded by her mentality.

Her eyes fell on Lucien who lingered behind me. "Scum always sticks together. I knew Raphael should never have married the daughter of a barren woman." She added.

My hand ran across her face, my parents was my bottom line. Slap!!

"Don’t you dare speak of my mother like that. You are all the scums. None of you dared to ask what Amelia was doing in my bedroom. You just villainize me." I snapped at her letting go of my anger.

.

Natasha and Raphael shot on their feet stunned by my outburst. This wasn’t the quiet Braelyn they knew. "Braelyn," they both gasped while Lucien stared at me with astonishment.

Natalia quickly got over her shock and flew into rage. "How dare you lay your hand on me?" She lunged forward trying to slap me.

.

Lucien grabbed my wrist pulling me behind him while Raphael rushed forward. He caught his mother’s hand stopping her in time...

My eyes went wide bewildered why he stopped her. Did his cold heart still carry some sympathy for me? I was staring at him but his attention was locked on Lucien who was protecting me.

"Mother just stop. This is a hospital." He said. His eyes still in a heated gaze with Lucien as if they were having a silent argument.

Natalia yanked her hand from his hold then stormed out of the room, her daughter Natasha followed after she gave us a wary look.

"You really think I am faking it." I asked him drawing his attention to me.

"What other explanation is there to it?" He replied, a sharp hiss rang from my side. "Are you for real?" Lucien cut in unable to stand as a by stander any more.

Raphael thought I pretended to be sick. He knew of my condition and really thought I would stoop so low.

"Lucien this is between us!" He snapped. "I know Braelyn, she always pulls up this victim card. You want to get rid of Amelia besides knowing this open marriage is for our good." He added giving me that silly excuse.

"Can you believe the words coming from your mouth?" Lucien grabbed his collar barely holding rage

. "She couldn’t even defend herself when I found Amelia unconscious." Raphael retorted.

I bit my cheeks so had it bled, the words slipped out of my mouth with the tears. "That was because I was in pain Raphael." I screamed out. He was dazed by my outburst.

"Did she tell you what happened?" I pointed out. Amelia acted oblivious, her eyes wide in shock.

"Raphael she is making up things." Amelia defended. Lucien’s jaw clenched.

"Can you just shut up. I don’t mind hitting a, woman when she deserves it." Lucien cut her off leaving flabbergasted. Lucien’s protectiveness of me only spite Raphael

He pushed Lucien and swung his fist at him unable to land a hit. He was blinded by his emotions.

"Raphael, she tore mother’s picture you know how much it meant to me. What happened was an accident and I was unable to speak because of your cramps." I explained, Raphael stopped then glanced at Amelia who immediately burst into tears.

"You know I would never do that." She was the perfect actress I almost got convinced.

"Stop making up things Braelyn. What happened to the woman I married?" His disgust left me baffled.

My words didn’t even carry the same weight as hers