Four Brothers and a Bride

Chapter 192: Chapter 192

ASHAL

For the first few seconds after the doctor speaks, all I hear is a high-pitched sound ringing in my ears. Gradually, my vision wavers, then blurs. Every sound fade and every movement around me slow to a crawl—nurses pacing, monitors beeping, mouths opening and closing with no sound uttered.

Faces meld with the white walls of the hospital. My breath catches as doctor Ezra continues to speak. I see his lips moving, feel the weight of his words crashing toward me—but I can’t hear any of it. I feel someone grip my hand tightly. Mother? My entire family surrounds me.

But I still can’t hear anything that’s being said. Instead, I feel everything; the immense pain clawing up my chest, the trembling hands fisting in my shirt. Like the pain isn’t enough, the visceral scene of the incident plays in a loop in my head. My mind reels—spins backward—to the last moments. To Maddi curled against the floor, her lips parted in a scream I couldn’t hear. To her panicked eyes fluttering shut.

To Olivia—God, Olivia—with her arms cradled over her belly, hunched and bleeding from the nose, her teeth clenched in agony. Her eyes were wild, not just with fear, but with something deeper—protectiveness. She wasn’t scared for herself. She was terrified for her baby. For our baby. She had never looked more maternal than in that moment.

The images shred my heart.

No! They both have to survive. Neither of them deserves this. But the silence stretches on yet no one is saying their name. And with every second that passes, the less curious I am to know exactly what the doctor is saying. Because whichever name rolls off the doctor’s tongue will automatically mean one thing... the other is gone.

"Ashal? ASHAL!"

My mind snaps back to consciousness. My brothers are huddled close to me. Mother’s hands are indeed squeezing mine in support. Even father is still reeling with shock. I finally find my voice but it’s thick with raw pain as I ask him the dreaded question.

"Who died?"

***

A WEEK LATER

"Ashal?"

I burrow my hands between my thighs and draw a sharp breath. It’s been a week since the horror of the sit-down meeting yet nothing has changed about the way I feel; empty, hurt and dead inside.

right words. "I...uh...It’s...." I clear my throat but it doesn’t change much. While my head is a hive of ’what Ifs’ and the things I could have done differently to prevent the worst day of my life, I press my eyes shut

hand on my knee. "Take a deep breath. You’re

Breath thick, hands trembling slightly, I clench my

eventually. But you’ll have

kind of pill to numb the

at her. "I have lost a lot of people who were very dear to me. I remember feeling lost too but one truth I garnered from my experience

I nod at her.

me what you felt when you woke

voice grows distant till everything goes completely silent. Then suddenly, I hear a

"Are you sure?"

in Doctor Welsh’s office after all, but in

I asked, a

the bare room a quick, sweeping glance. "Are you sure you want

skirt around the room. Of course, I want to sell it. It holds more painful memories of a past I want to forget than of special moments that I will treasure for a long time. I run a hand over my face exhale sharply. How soon can things go back to being normal for me? When will

arms around me, reassuring me of their

need anything? Just let us know."

"I will. Thank you."

flashes of memories made in this house, both the good and the ugly. The different shades of Olivia that I never could decipher until I stepped through the door. Lily with

women in every corner of the house. It gets so overwhelming that I immediately leave, only to find myself at

she had been expecting my visit, and realizing that makes me regret my decision to pay her a visit. I loathe her for what she did but somehow, I loathe myself even more for not

a trim. And your hair..." She visibly

teeth. My fists are tightened. "Are you happy? Is this what you

reply but she continues, a plea on her lips. "I did what I thought was best for you. Ashal, you

you thought killing them would make

allow you to see that the true love you’ve always sought was right in front of you; ME" She shudders in fright as I slam my fists on the table between us. Catching myself, I take a

"It w-wasn’t meant to kill them. It was only supposed to...they lied to