Emperor of Annihilation

FORTY EIGHT

"Giselle."

Listening to their conversation, my lips parted as a small gasp escaped me at the name drop. Both of them snapped their heads in my direction, and as soon as they realized I was awake, Autumn rushed to my side.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, wrapping me in a soft hug and resting her head on my shoulder. I felt her tears hit my bare skin and managed a smile before a white-hot pain shot through my head, making me groan.

She pulled back immediately, her eyes wide with concern. "How are you feeling now?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus through the throbbing in my skull. "Like I've been hit by a truck," I muttered, my voice weak but steady. "What happened?"

Autumn glanced at Ezekiel, then back at me, her expression a mix of relief and worry. "You were pushed into the pool," she explained softly. "You hit your head and almost drowned. We were so scared."

Ezekiel stood a few steps back, his usual stoic demeanor firmly in place, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something—concern, guilt, maybe both.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked, his voice low and controlled.

I closed my eyes, trying to sift through the fog of my memories. The sensation of falling, the cold shock of water, the panic as I struggled to breathe—it all came rushing back in fragmented pieces.

"Not much," I admitted. "Just... falling and then the water." I shook my head, recalling their conversion. "I heard you mentioned Giselle's name. Is she here?" I ask, looking around for any signs.

Both Ezekiel and Autumn exchanged looks that I couldn't decipher. The odd feeling it stirred in me didn't feel good—in fact, it made me feel even more lost than I already was.

"No." Ezekiel answered. "She isn't."

They're hiding something from me. I can tell by the looks they give each other.

"Just tell me already. I deserve at least that much after what I'v—"

Ezekiel cuts me off. "It was Giselle who pushed you into the water."

I blink.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"What?" I shook my head, my eyes still wide with disbelief. "That's not true." It couldn't be. "Giselle wasn't at the function last night."

Was this supposed to be some cruel joke played on me? Whatever it was, it wasn't funny. At all.

"Show her the video," Ezekiel said to Autumn, who took out her phone and began scrolling through it until she found what she was looking for.

"A friend of Silas managed to get the tape of what really happened," Autumn explained, her voice calm but serious. "There were cameras everywhere last night, even one facing the pool where you were."

My heart pounded in my chest as Autumn handed me the phone, the screen already showing a paused video. Taking a deep breath, I pressed play.

The footage was grainy but clear enough to see the pool area. There I was, standing by the water, seemingly lost in thought. Then, a figure emerged from the shadows. As the person got closer, my breath caught in my throat. It was Giselle.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head in denial. But the video continued, showing Giselle shoving me forcefully into the pool. The shock and betrayal on my face were palpable even in the low-quality video. I watched myself fall, hitting my head on the edge before sinking into the water.