Aliyah

The steady beep of medical machines pulled me back from the darkness, each pulse in the air like a hammer smashing into my skull.

My eyelids were heavy, so heavy like they had been sewn shut. When I finally forced them open, the brightness of the hospital lights stabbed into my eyes like knives.

"She's awake," a nurse said gently from my left, and I turned slowly. Every slight movement sent nausea through my body like waves.

She was checking my IV. Her face was calm, professional, but behind her eyes, I saw pity.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Hemsworth?" she asked softly.

"My… my baby…" I whispered. The words burned like acid in my throat. My hand instinctively moved to my stomach.

"Dr. Ann will be with you shortly," she murmured.

“Tell me,” I finally croaked. “Tell me what happened to my baby.”

Just then, the door opened and Dr. Ann entered, her kind eyes clouded with something I couldn’t name.

She pulled a chair to my bedside, her movements slow and deliberate.

She didn’t even have to speak before I knew that my baby was gone, but still… I needed to hear it.

"Mrs. Hemsworth,” she said gently, “I'm very sorry… but you have lost the baby."

My heart shattered into pieces beyond repair. Even though I saw it in the nurse’s eyes. Hearing it aloud broke something inside me that would never heal.

“No…” My whisper barely passed my lips, but the pain behind it felt endless. “How? How did this happen?”

Dr. Ann’s brows furrowed. She looked concerned as she glanced at her clipboard. “That’s what I need to understand. Did you have an accident? Any physical trauma? Did you… fall?”

I wanted to speak, but I was too weak, too broken. My mind swirled with images of Sarah, the stairs, the slap, the kick. The blood.

Then the doctor’s tone shifted. “Your blood work shows traces of a substance—Misoprostol. It's a medication that can induce miscarriage.”

My breath caught.

“What?” I gasped in shock.

“It’s used medically,” she explained, “but in your case… It looks suspicious. Did you take any pills? Any supplements today?”

“No. No, I didn’t take anything.” Then suddenly Sarah’s face flashed in my mind. Her wicked grin when she pricked me with that needle.

“Wait,” I said, my voice gaining strength. “My stepsister, Sarah. She… she touched my arm. I felt something sharp.”

Dr. Ann straightened, her eyes narrowing. “Mrs. Hemsworth, are you saying someone intentionally administered this to you?”

“Yes,” I breathed. “She did this. Yes, Sarah injected me. I know it because I began to feel dizzy afterwards.”

Dr. Ann’s tone turned serious. “If that’s true, this is no longer just a medical case. We would need to inform the authorities to begin an investigation...”

“That won’t be necessary.” We heard, and I froze.

We both turned to the door. Liam stood there, his arms folded across his chest, face like stone. Behind him, Sarah hovered, her eyes red with fake tears. And beside her… Catherine. The woman who hated me from the moment I stepped into their life.

"Liam," I said, hoping flickering weakly in my chest. “She did this. Sarah poisoned me. She killed our baby.”

He stepped forward, and his glare was enough to send chills down my spine. “Don’t. I have heard enough of your nonsense.”

“Nonsense?” I tried to sit up, the room spinning around me. “Liam, I was pregnant. Four weeks. Our baby was real!”

He let out a cold, bitter laugh. “There was no baby, Aliyah. You can’t get pregnant. You have always known that.”

I turned to Dr. Ann. “Tell him. Please. You confirmed it this morning. I was pregnant. The test results...”

Dr. Ann hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. “Uhm.... Mrs. Hemsworth… I... I understand you are grieving, but...”

“She’s delusional,” Sarah cut in, stepping forward with the performance of a lifetime. “She’s been having episodes. Making up pregnancies. Imagining people are hurting her. I tried to help her, Liam… I really did…”

“That’s not true!” I cried. “She’s lying! I have proof, I have my test results!”

"What test results?" Liam demanded, his eyes burning with doubt and fury. "Show me these supposed test results."

My heart dropped. My mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. The report… It was at home. Still in my bag on the floor, where everything fell after I was attacked.

“They’re… they’re at the house,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I dropped them when she...”

“When she what, Aliyah?” Liam’s voice turned cold and sharp.

I swallowed hard, too weak to finish the sentence. I turned to Dr. Ann, my last hope. “Please,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. “Tell them you did the test this morning. You told me I was pregnant. You said it was a miracle, and you are still the same person who just told me now that I have lost my baby.”

Dr. Ann’s expression suddenly changed. She looked confused… uncomfortable. “Mrs. Hemsworth… I... I think there might be some confusion. I reviewed your file. There’s no pregnancy test recorded today.”

“What?” I blinked rapidly, my body going cold. “That’s impossible. I was here. You told me, I saw it!” I said with tears. "Wait, did they pay you to do this? How much did they pay you!!"

She shook her head gently. “No one pays me, Aliyah." She said softly. "I am sorry. I’ve never seen you before today. And with your medical history… pregnancy would be highly unlikely. The damage from your kidney donation… it makes conception nearly impossible.”

But I knew she was lying, judging by her countenance. "Why are you lying, doctor? Why would you go against the medical profession when you knew you could lose your licence because of this?"

I was confused because I didn't understand why she would do that when she knew the consequences.

Behind me, I heard the mocking click of Sarah’s heels as she stepped forward. “Don't mind her, Doc. She is getting worse,” she said, her voice wrapped in fake concern. “The hallucinations, the paranoia… She even accused me of injecting her with something. Can you imagine? Me...her own sister.”

I shook my head, feeling dizzy. “You did... I… I saw you. You pricked my skin, you...”

“You’re not making any sense,” Liam said flatly, his eyes narrowed in disgust. “You need help, Aliyah.”

“I’m not crazy,” I whispered weakly, tears fell down my cheeks.

Dr. Ann leaned forward. “Mrs. Hemsworth, I think it would be best if we arrange for you to speak with a psychiatrist. These kinds of psychological episodes can be treated...”

“I don’t need a psychiatrist!” I snapped. But even as I spoke, I could see the doubt, the silent verdict: She’s losing her mind in their eyes.

“Yes, you do,” Catherine said coldly. “And maybe then you will stop embarrassing yourself.”

I turned to Liam. “Please. You have to believe me. I was pregnant. Sarah did this...she planned all of this! She’s been trying to destroy me!”

Liam stepped back, looking at me like I was some disgusting stranger. “The only person who is hurting you… is yourself. You can’t accept reality.”

Reality?

My reality is pain. Betrayal. Loss. And no one believed me.

Catherine scoffed and turned to Sarah, lacing their hands together. “Thank the stars my grandchild is safe. If he wasn’t… I swear, Aliyah, I would have buried you myself.”

Sarah lowered her eyes in mock sorrow. “Mother, please. She’s still my sister. I will pray for her recovery.”

“Get out,” I whispered. I can't take it anymore. “Just… get out. All of you!”

“We’re leaving,” Liam said. “Make sure those divorce papers are signed as soon as possible. And my lawyer will follow up about the psychiatric evaluation.”

As they turned to leave, Sarah paused in the doorway and looked back. Her eyes glinted with pure triumph as her lips curled into a smile, a cruel, victorious smirk that no one else saw.

“Feel better, sister,” she said sweetly. “You will be in my prayers.”

Dr. Ann muttered something and followed them out quickly, not daring to meet my eyes.

They shut the door, and I was alone… with the deafening silence of my grief.

I stared at the wall, my body hollow, my heart wrecked.

They have taken everything away from me. My life, my baby. My dignity.

"I will never forgive them. I will make each and every one of them pay for this with their life." I muttered through pain and tears.