Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 86

(Ava's

POV)

I sat in the quiet corner of the cafeteria, stirring the cold coffee in front of me. My thoughts were miles away. What were they on? Debts, manipulation, and Dr. Joe's unsettling commands. The coffee tasted like ash, but I wasn't drinking it anyway. I stared at the ripples in the cup as I tried to silence the noise in my head.

My mother's voice echoed faintly in my ears. It was a haunting memory of her desperation. "Ava, we'll lose everything if we don't pay him back. You have to do this for us."

I closed my eyes and felt her words press on my chest. Everything I did and will still do, every morally questionable task I carried out for Dr. Joe, I told myself it was for her for the woman who had spent her entire life sacrificing for me. But at what cost?

Dr. Joe's voice had been especially icy during our last meeting. He didn't need to raise his voice to make his threats land. His commands, wrapped in false charm, dug into my skin like a porcupine's skin.

"You'll do this for me, Ava," he had said. "You don't want your mother's little secret getting out, do you?"

He always knew how to twist the knife, didn't he? He had all the power, and I was just a pawn on his chessboard.

The task this time was worse than before. Switch the bottles. Poison one. Hide the other in a box labeled for a high-priority patient. "Make it look seamless," he had ordered. "Don't disappoint me, Ava."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to break something. Instead, I sat there, silent, my hands trembling under the table. I didn't have a choice, did I? My mother's debt would never be paid off if I refused. And if Dr. Joe decided to turn his attention to her... I couldn't let that happen.

The cafeteria buzzed with life around me, but it all felt distant. My mind spiraled into an abyss of questions, like had become so normal for me...which was abnormal by the way.

Am I doing the right thing? Of course not. But do I have a choice?

I a bad person?

forgive me if she knew everything I've done? I

I still me? I

much longer can I keep this up? Until Dr. Joe

when the debt is paid? Will it ever

free? Free... such a laughable

at the next table, oblivious to the noise raging inside me. I

smiled-cold, dissecting, and full of countless warnings. I clenched my fists and forced myself

one thought lingered: There has to be

•

(Dilara's POV)

footsteps echoed against the tiled floor, each step heavier than the last. I kept my head down, clutching the strap of my bag as if it were an anxiety doll. I didn't want to look up. I didn't want to

fate had a cruel

"Dilara."

down my spine. It was smooth, and laced with that same arrogance that haunted my nightmares. I froze; my heart was pounding so loudly

no see," he drawled and stepped into my line of sight.

trapped somewhere between my throat and my lungs. I forced myself to look at

taunted and leaned closer. "Come on, I

his laughter echoing in the dark, the way he had whispered disgusting things in my ear as he tore away my dignity. My chest tightened, and the air around me growed thin. "Leave me alone," I managed to

mockingly. "Why so shy? You weren't this

I could without breaking into a run. His laughter followed me down the hallway, each note stabbing into my back like a knife. When I reached the dorm, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it. My breaths were coming in ragged gasps. My hands trembled as I clutched my bag to my chest. I felt sick. Dirty.

last long. It never did. Fear always gave way to

a broken record. His hands pinning me down. His voice dripping with venom.