Patient B-2

Chapter Seventy: Avalyn

 My hand darts out, seizing Wrath's wrist with a desperate grip. I lock eyes with Cierien, silently begging him to stay silent. The confusion in his eyes is a reflection of my own, one that was just fractured just moments ago. But it's already done— irreversible, beyond our control.

 The headman's teeth pull away from Jeannette's throat, a smug satisfaction flickering in his eyes. He licks his lips, a grin spreading across his face— one I've never seen before. He looks genuinely pleased, almost joyful, brimming with a twisted sense of excitement.

 I want to reach out and smack the smirk from his face, to hurt him for hurting Jeannette, but all I can do is stand and watch the scene unfold.

 "Human," he declares to the room, his voice carrying a note of awe that reflects his astonished expression. "How incredible," he adds, his words trailing off with a sense of genuine wonder and fascination.

 When Jeannette first walked into the room, my confusion was complete. But as soon as I heard the steady thrum of her heartbeat, the missing puzzle pieces started falling into place. Sure, not everything clicked, but it was clear she took the cure. And now, it seems, she's here to bring it all to an end.

 "Oh, Robert," she murmurs, reaching to rub at the red staining her neck. "I came back for you."

 It clicks.

 "We could be together again," she begins, her voice a fragile whisper yet imbued with an undeniable strength. "We have a chance to start over— to leave the past behind and begin anew. There's nothing standing in our way this time."

 The puzzle pieces finally snap into place, confirming all my deepest fears. Yet, it seems I'm the only one who has caught on. Wrath stands behind me, nearly a statue, confusion etched on his face. Cierien mirrors him, but with more concern than anything. He might not know what's about to happen, but he senses the wrongness of it all.

 "What are you talking about?" Wrath's voice trembles, his own tears on the brink of spilling. Cierien reaches out, gripping Wrath's hand with a firm squeeze. I let my hand fall from his wrist, clasping his other.

 We'll face this together.

 Jeannette disregards her son's pleas and continues, "Wrath can come with us— our son. We could be a family again. This time, there would be no consequences. No disapproving parents, no ruined reputations. Just us, honey."

 I feel and hear Wrath draw a shuddering breath against my side. Perhaps he doesn't fully grasp what's happening, but the truth is out in the open now.

 Robert Wellington is the man who hurt Jeannette, and he's also Wrath's biological father. He's the one who locked Wrath up and shipped him away, only to start fresh with two other children— Idalia and Aren. He repeated the same cycle of abuse with them and then vanished into hiding.

 Ever since the previous auction, I've suspected that the headman might be related to Wrath, or even be Jeannette's Robert himself. The resemblance is striking— they share the same dark hair and eyes, and even their mannerisms are eerily similar. The only glaring difference is their personalities. While Wrath radiates a sense of goodness, the man before us, Robert Wellington— the headman of WWA and founder of the entire organization— is unmistakably and unequivocally evil.

 I watch as Robert fumbles with the vial, rolling it nervously in his palm. His eyes reveal a mix of hesitation and a disturbing, perverse desire. In one moment, the cork is popped off with a swift motion. In the next, the cure is swallowed. Before I can fully process what's happening, my feet are already moving of their own accord.

 In an instant, I'm standing before him, my body on autopilot, my mind fixated on a single, relentless thought. My mother's words echo in my head:

 "Don't let anyone find out."