The Fifteenth Victim Novel by WriterLola _ Novel




The Fifteenth Victim Chapter 01

I'd been sickly and frail since birth, plagued by chronic coughing fits and prone to collapsing without warning.
On the day my wealthy biological parents finally brought me home, Selina Moreton, the girl they'd raised in my place, tried to frame me for pushing her down the stairs.
But she never even got the chance to stage her fall. My hypoglycemia kicked in first. I went tumbling down the steps, cracked my head, and stopped breathing entirely.
White as ghosts, my parents rushed me to the ER. I barely made it through resuscitation.
But the second I was stabilized, my brother, Javon Moreton, stormed into the room. He grabbed me by the collar, snarling at me to never upset Selina again.
His sudden ferocity terrified me so much that my weak heart simply gave out. My eyes rolled back, and I flatlined right then and there.
Horrified, Javon stared at me like I was some kind of freak before stumbling out into the hallway, screaming for a doctor.
Later that night, Selina bolted to the hospital roof, threatening to jump. "Jay, now that Amelia is back, I'm no longer needed. I should just end it all!"
Without a word, Javon dragged me all the way up there, demanding I apologize to her.
The second I saw the sheer thirty-story drop, my fear of heights paralyzed me; my legs gave out, and I plummeted straight over the edge.
***
My parents, who had just arrived with my dinner, walked out onto the roof just in time to watch me fall.
Javon and Selina stood frozen, completely shell-shocked.
It took the medical team an entire night of frantic work to finally get my heart beating again.
Seeing the furious expressions on my parents' faces, Selina burst into tears. "Mom, Dad, I swear I didn't push her. She just fell on her own..."
Mom glared at her, eyes dark with suspicion. "Amy just got out of the ICU. She can barely walk. How on earth could she make it up to the roof of a thirty-story building all by herself?"
Selina was at a loss for words.
"I dragged her up there!" Javon stepped in front of Selina, shielding her. "Ever since she got back, you two have completely ignored Lina. Didn't Amelia owe her an apology?
"If you ask me, she faked the whole fall just to frame Lina! She knew there was a safety net below the roof."
I fluttered my eyes open just in time to hear his accusation. A sharp, crushing pain seized my chest. I slid out of bed and collapsed to my knees on the floor, shaking uncontrollably. "Mom, Dad, Javon... please don't be mad. I'll apologize to Selina right now."
I forced a weak smile in her direction. "Selina, I'm sorry..."
Before I could get the rest of the words out, blood started trickling from the corners of my mouth. Selina shrieked and scrambled backward in terror.
Mom lunged forward, gently easing me back onto the mattress, her hands shaking as she wiped my face.
Dad slammed his fist hard onto the table. "Look at what you've done! Look at what you've reduced Amy to! You know how fragile her health is!"
Tears welled up in Selina's eyes, and she looked deeply hurt. Javon stared at our parents like they were crazy. "Mom, Dad! You actually believe her?" he snapped.
"Have you ever met a normal person who vomits blood just from talking or passes out from walking across a room? She's obviously faking it!"
Seeing my parents hesitate, Javon hauled me out of bed and ripped out my oxygen tube.
"Look!" he yelled. "I pulled her oxygen, and her monitor is still beeping normally! I bet she's faking her heart condition, too. If she were really that sick, something would have happened to her by now. She must have bribed the doctors to fake her medical records..."
I shook my head, desperately wanting to tell them he was wrong.
The truth was, years ago, I had been severely abused by human traffickers. I'd managed to escape and survive, but the sheer trauma had permanently wrecked my body.
But the words wouldn't come. I had lost the ability to speak. A familiar, suffocating wave washed over me. Without oxygen, my face turned a deep purple, and a heavy rush of blood spilled from my lips.
Javon was still talking when my heart monitor suddenly shrieked. The readout flatlined as my heart stopped yet again.
The alarm made them whip around, forcing them to finally see what was happening.
Panic and fury erupted, plunging the hospital room into chaos.
"Amy!" Mom and Dad shoved Javon out of the way, frantically catching me as I went limp and slumped forward. "Get a doctor! Hurry!"
Javon stared at the blood on his hands, then bolted out the door to find help.
Ignored for the first time, Selina stomped her foot in frustration, but nobody had a second to spare for her right now.

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