[chapter 29.3. Lullaby of Woe]
[part 3]
Liliana stood outside Selena's locked bedroom door, her hand still on the knob. She furrowed her brows and listened for any sound inside the room. All she heard was the sound of silence.
She called out Selena's name a few more times, but there was no answer.
A sense of unease crept into Liliana's heart. She had a nagging feeling that something was not right. She pounded on the door harder, hoping to get a response. When none came, she tried the knob again.
It was still locked.
Liliana took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. She knew she had to stay rational and think clearly. She decided to get the spare key from her room and unlock the door. The mother ran upstairs, her mind racing with all the possible scenarios.
As she opened the door to her room, she saw the spare key lying on her dresser. She grabbed it and ran back downstairs. She reached Selena's room and quickly unlocked the door.
Maxim entered the room, and his eyes scanned the area as his mother's worried expression caught his attention. "Mother, what's going on?" he questioned, taking in Liliana's pale and distressed face.
"Selena is not in her room. I even called her, but her phone is still here," Liliana explained frantically, her words rushed and anxious. "The door was locked from the inside."
Maxim's heart began to race as he felt a knot form in his stomach. The fear of losing his sister once again was too overwhelming for him to bear. His mind raced with possibilities, but he tried to calm himself down by pushing away the worst-case scenarios.
Suddenly, they heard a sound coming from the bathroom. Water was flowing out from under the door, and they could hear the faint sound of someone sobbing from inside. Maxim's heart skipped a beat as he hurried towards the bathroom, with his mother closely following behind
him.
He reached the bathroom door and tried to open it, but it was locked from the inside. Panic set in as he tried to force it open, his mind filled with thoughts of his sister's safety.
"What have you done Selena?" Maxim yelled, his voice echoing through the bathroom door as he desperately tried to open it.
The sight that greeted him was enough to make his blood run cold. Selena lay motionless in the bathtub, her body partially submerged in water that had turned pink with her blood. Maxim could feel his stomach churning with fear and revulsion as he took in the sight of her pale, limp form.
"Selena!" he shouted, rushing to her side and lifting her out of the water. He could feel her cold, clammy skin against his own, and he knew that she was in danger. He looked up at Liliana, his voice shaking as he spoke.
"Call an ambulance, now!"
Liliana didn't hesitate, fumbling for her phone as she dialed the emergency services. Maxim, meanwhile, struggled to keep Selena's head above water, tears streaming down his face as he fought to keep her alive.
Maxim carefully lifted Selena out of the bathtub and into his arms. Her body was limp and unresponsive, and he felt a surge of panic rising in his chest. He cradled her close to his chest as he carried her down the stairs to the main hall.
As soon as Theodore caught sight of them, he rushed forward, his face contorted in fear. "What happened?" he demanded, his eyes darting between Maxim and Selena.
"I don't know," Maxim replied, his voice trembling. "I found her like this in the bathroom. She's not responding to anything."
Theodore's panic only grew as he saw the state of his daughter. He pulled out his phone, frantically dialing for an ambulance. "We have to get her to the hospital," he said, his voice shaking.
Samuel appeared from the living room, his eyes wide with shock seeing his sister in a such dire state as he took in the scene. "What's going on? Why is she in such a state?" he asked, looking between his father and brother.
"Get dressed," Theodore ordered, turning to Samuel. "We're taking Selena to the hospital."
Theodore's heart pounded in his chest as he watched his daughter's limp body being carried out of the room. Panic set in as he realized he had no idea what was happening to her. He couldn't lose his little girl, not again.
Hayate's words stopped him in his tracks. "Don't take her to the hospital," he said firmly, grabbing Theodore's arm.
"My daughter is dying, and you want me not to take her to the hospital?" Theodore seethed, pulling away from the boy.
The room fell silent as the Patriarch's anger echoed through the space. Everyone froze, unsure of what to do. But Hayate stood his ground. "Selena would want that, she hates hospitals," he sighed.
But his words fell on deaf ears as everyone continued to rush to the exit. Maxim's eyes were wide with fear as he did everything he could to ensure his sister was safe. The rest of the Mariano family followed behind him, determined to get Selena the help she needed.
But as they made their way out, Theodore's mind was racing. He couldn't help but curse the need for secrecy. If only they had been open about Selena's position, they wouldn't have had to risk everything by taking her to the hospital.
But then, Hayate's voice boomed through the room once again. "The government will take her away if you take her to the hospital," he yelled.
Now, this statement made Maxim and Theodore stop.
"Bring her to someone who would keep this a secret," Hayate calmed down. "Selena would also
like that."
"Drive to my research house," Samuel spoke. "I have equipment there and call for our private doctors, dad," Samuel said, his eyes red.
"Move fast," Maxim's voice trembled. "Her breaths are becoming shallower."
Garold slammed his foot on the accelerator- the car speeding down the road. The sound of sirens grew louder behind them, the flashing blue and red lights illuminating the darkness. Liliana was gripping the edge of her seat- fear etched on her face.
Theodore's phone rang, the sound cutting through the tension in the car. He answered it quickly, his eyes never leaving the road. "Chief, it's me," he spoke in a low, commanding voice. A voice that no one could deny. "Clear the road."
Garold swerved the car to the side of the road, narrowly avoiding a collision with another vehicle. The other cars on the road came to a screeching halt, making way for them to pass.
Theodore let out a sigh of relief as they approached the research house. He turned to Samuel.
"Get the equipment ready and call for the private doctors," he ordered.
Samuel nodded and rushed inside, followed closely by Maxim, who was carrying Selena in his arms. Liliana followed behind, her heart pounding in her chest.
In the intensive care unit, Selena's breathing became more shallow with each passing second. Maxim's hands trembled as he hooked her up to the machines, trying to keep her stable.
"We need to save her," he said, desperation laced in his voice.
The private doctors rushed in; their faces grim. "We need to perform surgery."
"Do it," Maxim seethed. For the first time, he could feel his composure break.
The medical team entered the intensive care unit and immediately began preparing the necessary equipment for a thoracentesis procedure.
Maxim waited with a mix of anxiety and hope as the team carefully sanitized Selena's chest and prepared the area for the needle insertion.
The attending physician explained that they would be inserting a needle into the pleural space between Selena's chest wall and lungs, to aspirate the excess fluid that had accumulated there.
The team worked with precision, inserting the needle and aspirating the fluid while monitoring Selena's vital signs.
Finally, the procedure was over, and the doctors stepped back. "The patient has been given some medication," one of them said. "She should be awake in a few hours."
But then, the doctor's tone turned grim. "I would like to report something else," he said, his voice shaking. "While operating, we noticed that there are burn marks and cuts all over her body."
Maxim's heart dropped to his stomach. He couldn't believe what he heard. "What do you mean?" he demanded, his voice quivering with anger.
The doctor took a deep breath before continuing. "The scars range from second-degree burns to whip marks to nail scratches and knife cuts," he said, his voice heavy with sorrow.
Liliana gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe what she listened to. Theodore stood there, frozen, unable to process the information.
Maxim felt like he was in a nightmare. He couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting his beloved sister like this.
Theodore's heart dropped at the doctor's words. He could feel the blood drain from his face as he processed the information. It was as if his whole world had come crashing down.
He tried to speak, but no words would come out. His mind was consumed with anger, sadness,
and guilt.
He couldn't protect his daughter from this kind of abuse, and the thought of someone hurting her made him sick to his stomach. The tears he had been holding back finally streamed down his face as he realized the magnitude of what had been done to his precious little girl.
"Who did that to my daughter?" Theodore spoke, his voice barely a whisper. Tears strimmed down his face.
Hayate cursed.
~~~~
Are you enjoying the slow burn?
Selena's past has been revealed to her family [at least now they know]. I hope you enjoyed the intricate details of Selena's mind and her tumultuous past, as well as the frantic pace of the writing when her family found her in a distressed state.
Thanks for reading!
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