The Harts are heartless.
- Sophia
So what if you are a prominent family with generations of money and power? So what if you are a big finish in a small pond? I shall have my vengeance.
The wedding of the century took two years in making. Yet the common people did not realise that the bride had been swapped. The Sophia Hart from the time the engagement announced was actually not the Sophia Hart who married Simon Whitlock.
The switcharoo was so seamless. It took planning for years, executing that plan flawlessly. In the end, it was mainly because the original Sophia Hart was a fool.
Yet that fool watched the wedding scene, making mockery of the love and affection she had for the people there.
Were these the same parents who loved her so much that they insisted she stay with them forever, not leave the city to continue her studies, work in the company under their tender care? Look at them, Sophia mocked herself. Look at that proud look. Did you see that snippets they had added to the wedding celebration? Father was so proud and happy that the real Sophia Hart was a good girl, a great girl who had gone to good college and worked so hard to reach a good position in the company. Mother had cried buckets of tears at the thought of her precious child toiling and working hard so much and yet she was proud that her daughter still so lovely and talented.
Look at them, hear their words!
The original bride looked at the scenery shown in the television. The bride, looking radiant and happy, the baby bump barely noticeable. The wedding gown from haute couture hugging her and showcasing her best assets beautifully. The background filled with flowers flown through from another country, just because the bride loved those flowers. The huge reception filled to the brim with wealthy families becoming witness to the joyous union of Harts and Whitlocks. The family of the bride - be it father, mother, younger brother or sister, grandparents, aunts and uncles- all hovering around the bride,just wishing to satisfy her every single whim.
The bridegroom, Simon Whitlock, who looked as though he won a huge lottery and he still couldn't believe he married his sweetheart. The in laws, proud and showing off their oh so elegant and efficient daughter-in - law. The whole extended family of Whitlocks bootlicking the young bride, who would become Matriarch.
The original bride looked at the recorded scenes and looked at herself, at her current situation. Lonely, ugly, left to die. The bride out there was so twisting that she didn't allow this lady to die in peace. No, no, that's not enough. It's not enough that you toil through out your life towards family and fiance, help them in every way and lose them in all one swoop. You just had to put a knife in the heart and twist it. Show their real face, show what they really thought, show that this lady was living her whole life a lie.
Sophia had tried so many times to kill herself. Because dying was better. But she was locked in a room meant for a mentally ill patient. Who would leave anything dangerous around such person?
In name of treatment, she was tortured. She was undergoing illegal, illicit human experiment which made every cell in her body feel pain. Yet she was not allowed to die.
The show of the wedding of the century ended. Sophia had not been able to watch much as the pain was excruciating. Yet what she saw stabbed her right into her heart, breaking her internally, beyond redemption.
As she fell into bed, twisting in pain, the monitors on her beeped. A pair of medical staff entered the room after unlocking it from outside. After checking the situation, they had to transfer her to emergency intensive care. They were worried about other things like if the latest experiment had failed again, was side effects was too much?
"I really wish she survived."
"Yeah. If she does, then it means the steps till now are feasible. Thats a huge progress."
"She had survived till now. Longer she survived, better the results."
"True. I wonder how they found her though. None of the trial patients survived past one week."
" They should get few more from that place. The experiments were lagging behind due to lack of subjects."
The intensive care within this illegal facility was good, good enough to pull the human experiment subjects out from death's door.
Sophia woke up thanks to all the stimulant spumped into her. She was restrained to the bed though. The shiny surfaces on medical appliances reflected the hideous sight. A skinny body, with joints protiding out incongruously. The black hair in buzz cut not hiding the injuries in her face. The redish welt like scar which had turned a beauty into a beast. The people around didn't care. They had seen worse subjects. But this one was a dear. She had survived the longest. So they tried their level best to make her survive even longer.
"The blood pressure is dropping!"
"Dope. Stat. Increase dose of norad."
" This is bad! She's having a seizure!"
"Someone! Dump some muscle relaxants into her!"
"Are you crazy? Her diaphragm is working at limits right now to maintain saturation!"
" Well! Put her on ventilator then! And then use relaxants! Are you waiting for a written order?"
This time Sophia Hart, presently named patient - AL103, had been pushed beyond what she could bear.
Inspite of extensive efforts, the patient breathed last on that table.