Morning sunlight cut through the hospital blinds, casting harsh white lines across the linoleum floor. The steady beep of the heart monitor filled the silence.

Then, a sound cut through the rhythm.

A laugh.

I turned my head. Juliet sat up slightly, staring at her phone screen. It wasn’t a happy sound. It was sharp, brittle, and utterly devoid of warmth.

"Juliet?" I asked.

She didn't answer right away. She just kept staring at the glowing rectangle in her palm, her chest heaving in short, jagged bursts.

"Look at this, Eliza."

She thrust the phone across the gap between our beds. My fingers brushed hers as I took it. Her skin felt like ice.

I looked at the screen. It was Jenna McLeish’s social media page.

A high-resolution photo dominated the feed.

Soren hung suspended from a thick rescue rope, rappelling down the side of the north tower. His heavy turnout coat was gone. He was shirtless, his muscles straining, soot smeared across his chest.

Tucked securely against him was Jenna. Her arms wrapped tight around his neck.

Below them, sprinting across the rooftop edge with his arms outstretched, was Zach. His police uniform was unbuttoned at the collar, his face twisted in absolute panic and devotion.

I read the caption beneath the image.

*If I had to do it all over again, should I choose the firefighter or the cop?*

Below it, the comment section exploded. Hundreds of replies.

*Oh my god, they’re both so hot!*

*Choose both! They clearly worship you!*

*True heroes saving their queen.*

"They left us to burn," Juliet whispered, her voice cracking. "They let our babies die so they could stage a photoshoot."

"Soren told me he was in the middle of a massive operation," I said, tracing the edge of the phone. "Zach told you she almost died."

"Look at her face, Eliza. Does she look like she’s dying?"

Jenna was smiling. It was a small, secret curve of her lips, pressed directly against Soren’s bare shoulder.

I zoomed in on that smile. The image enlarged, bringing Jenna’s collarbone into sharp focus.

A silver chain rested against her skin.

I froze.

"What is it?" Juliet asked, leaning forward.

"Her necklace."

"I don't care about her jewelry."

"No, Juliet. Look." I handed the phone back, pointing at the screen. "Look at what is hanging on that chain."

Juliet squinted. Two heavy, platinum bands dangled from the silver link.

"Rings," Juliet muttered. "So what?"

I raised my left hand. The hospital lights caught the edge of my wedding band. It was a thick, unadorned circle of brushed platinum.

"Soren told me he wanted matching bands," I said, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "He said he liked the heavier, masculine style. He insisted we both wear this exact design."

"Zach said the same thing," Juliet replied, glancing at her own left hand. She wore an identical thick band.

"Look at the rings on Jenna’s necklace, Juliet."

She stared at the screen again. Her brow furrowed.

"They have diamonds," she said. "Tiny diamonds set into the rim."

"Yes."

"But Zach’s ring is plain. Just like mine."

"Soren’s is plain, too," I said. My stomach twisted into a violent knot. "Or at least, the one he wears around me is."

"I don't understand."

"Juliet, those rings on her neck aren't men's bands. They are the women's versions of our rings."

Juliet blinked. The phone trembled in her grip. "What are you saying?"

"I’m saying we are wearing the men’s rings." I pulled my hand back, staring at the heavy metal digging into my finger. "They swapped them."

"Swapped them?"

"Soren and Zach bought the bridal sets," I explained, the pieces snapping together with sickening clarity. "They kept the women’s bands. They gave them to Jenna."

"And they gave us the men's bands," Juliet finished, her voice barely audible.

"Jenna is wearing their actual wedding rings. They pledged themselves to her."

The silence in the room became suffocating. The reality of the metal on my finger burned hot. It wasn't a symbol of Soren's love. It was a placeholder. A joke.

Juliet stared at her own hand. Her thumb rubbed frantically against the thick platinum band.

"He put this on my finger in front of my family," Juliet said. "In front of a priest."

"They lied from the very beginning."

"He looked me in the eyes and promised to protect me."

"Juliet—"

"He gave my ring to her!" Juliet screamed.

The sound tore through the room, raw and agonizing. She ripped the ring off her finger and hurled it across the room. It struck the wall with a sharp clink and bounced into the corner.

She grabbed her hair, pulling at the roots. "He let my son die! He let my baby die for a woman wearing my wedding ring!"

Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She rocked back and forth, her hands clutching her empty stomach. Her wails echoed off the sterile walls, a mother mourning a child and a wife mourning a marriage that never existed.

I didn't cry.

The sadness had burned out completely, leaving only cold, hard rage.

I threw my legs over the side of the hospital bed. My bare feet hit the cold floor. Pain flared in my pelvis, but I ignored it.

I walked over to Juliet's bed and gently pried the phone from her clenched fists.

"Eliza, it hurts," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "It hurts so much."

"I know," I said.

I swiped out of the photo app. I didn't need to see Jenna’s smug face anymore. I didn't need to see Soren acting the hero.

I flipped the phone over and slapped it face down on the bedside table. The screen went dark.

"Stop crying," I told her.

Juliet hiccuped, looking up at me through red, swollen eyes. "What?"

"We are leaving this hospital today." I reached down and grabbed the plastic belongings bag containing my bloody yellow dress. "We are cutting our losses."

"Where are we going to go? The apartment is gone."

"We will figure it out. But we are not staying here, waiting for them to finish their little game and come check on us."

"Zach blocked my number."

"Good. Let him keep it blocked." I turned my back to the door, gripping the rail of her bed. "We are getting a lawyer."

Juliet wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "A lawyer?"

"Yes." I twisted the heavy platinum band off my left ring finger. I didn't throw it. I dropped it directly into the trash can beside the bed. "They want to play house with Jenna? Fine. They can have her."

I stared at the blank back of the phone.

When exactly did they plan this? Did they coordinate the ring swap while we were picking out wedding dresses? Did they laugh behind our backs while we wrote our vows?

They thought they could throw us away like trash. They thought we would just disappear into the ashes of that fire.

They were wrong.

"Sign here, Mrs. Kent," the nurse said, sliding the metal clipboard across the counter.

I took the pen. My fingers felt numb, detached from the rest of my body. Juliet leaned heavily against the tall counter beside me. She wore a borrowed set of gray hospital scrubs. The fabric hung loose and empty over her midsection.

"Did you call the cab?" Juliet asked, staring blankly at the glass exit doors.

"Yes. Five minutes," I replied.

"Good. I never want to see this place again."

"We're leaving," I promised. "We're never looking back."

Before I could hand the clipboard to the nurse, a frantic shout tore through the quiet lobby.

"I need a doctor! Right now!"

Zach Lennon sprinted toward the emergency intake doors. He held Jenna McLeish tight against his chest. Her head lolled backward over his thick forearm, pale and completely limp. Her dark hair brushed against his police badge.

He didn't slow down. He didn't look where he was going. He plowed directly into our space.

His heavy shoulder slammed hard into Juliet’s chest.

She stumbled backward, gasping as her spine hit the sharp edge of the reception desk. I dropped the pen and caught her arm before she hit the floor.

"Get out of my way!" Zach snarled at us.

"Zach?" Juliet choked out, clutching her side.

"She swallowed a whole bottle of sleeping pills! Move!" He kicked the swinging double doors to the ER open, disappearing into the trauma bay.

Footsteps pounded the tile floor behind us. Soren Doyle slid to a halt near the waiting room chairs. His chest heaved, sweat shining on his forehead. He didn't follow Zach inside. He locked his eyes straight on me.

"If she doesn't make it, I will make you pay for this, Eliza," Soren hissed.

I stared at the man I married. "Are you insane?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You pushed her to this."

The double doors banged open again. Zach stormed back out into the hallway. His uniform was wrinkled, a smear of Jenna's foundation staining his collar. He pointed a shaking finger at my sister.

"You couldn't leave it alone, could you?" Zach shouted.

"I didn't do anything," Juliet whispered. She pushed off the counter, taking a fragile step toward him. "Zach, please look at me. Look at my face."

"I don't want to look at you! You're a monster!"

"I am your wife!" Juliet cried. "I was in a fire! I lost—"

"Shut your mouth!"

Zach stepped forward and swung his arm.

His open palm connected with Juliet’s cheek. The sharp crack echoed over the low hum of the hospital monitors.

Juliet spun sideways from the force. Her forehead smashed directly into the metal corner of the bulletin board on the wall. A sickening thud followed. She crumpled to the linoleum floor.

"Juliet!" I screamed.

A thick stream of red blood pooled instantly beneath her blonde hair. Her eyes rolled back. She didn't twitch.

"Get some help!" a nurse yelled, rushing around the counter.

I ignored the nurse. I lunged.

I grabbed the heavy collar of Zach’s uniform, twisting the dark fabric until my knuckles turned stark white.

"You hit your pregnant wife for your first love?!" I shrieked, shaking him with every ounce of strength I had left. "You coward! You piece of trash!"

Zach shoved me hard in the chest. "She deserves worse! You both do!"

Soren grabbed my arms from behind, pinning them to my sides. He yanked me away from his friend.

"Get your hands off me!" I thrashed, kicking my heel backward into his shin.

Soren spun me around. He reached into his jacket pocket and yanked out a crumpled clear plastic bag. He hurled it directly at my face.

The heavy plastic struck my nose. Sharp pain shot through my eyes. The bag burst open on impact. Dozens of small, jagged pieces of paper fluttered to the floor around my feet. Letters cut from magazines and newspapers.

*DIE.*

*LEAVE THEM ALONE.*

*JUMP.*

"You sent her these," Soren growled, pointing at the mess. "You slipped them under her door this morning. You tried to murder her."

I stared at the cutout letters resting on the toes of my hospital slippers.

"I've been in a hospital bed for two days," I said, my voice eerily calm.

"You hired someone to do it, then! You're obsessed with ruining her life!"

A switch flipped in my brain. The desperate need to explain myself vanished. The urge to make him understand my pain evaporated into nothing. I didn't need him to know the truth anymore. I just needed to wipe the self-righteous disgust off his face. I just needed to leave him behind.

Soren raised his hand, stepping into my space to grab my shoulder. "I'm going to have you locked up, Eliza. Both of you."

I didn't flinch. I stepped closer, closing the gap until my chest almost touched his.

"Take one more step, and we die together," I said.

My voice was a dead, flat calm. It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

Soren froze. His hand hovered in the air.

I raised my right hand and dragged my fingernails hard down the side of his face. Skin tore. Four deep red lines instantly welled with blood across his jaw and neck.

He hissed, stumbling back and clutching his cheek. "Are you crazy?!"

I reached into the pocket of my sweatpants. My fingers closed around the folded hospital discharge report. I whipped it out and slapped it violently against his bleeding cheek.

"Keep your trash," I said.

The paper fluttered down. Soren caught it against his chest.

Behind him, Zach stopped pacing. He stared at me. Then, his eyes dropped to Juliet, bleeding on the floor as the nurses lifted her onto a stretcher. His gaze swept over her flat stomach, then snapped to my equally flat waistline.

Zach's face drained of all color. He reached out and grabbed Soren’s shoulder, yanking him backward.

"Soren," Zach choked out. "Look at her."

"She scratched my face!" Soren yelled.

"Look at her stomach!" Zach screamed.

Soren stopped. He looked at my waist. Then he looked down at the paper crumpled in his fist.

He smoothed out the crease. His eyes scanned the black ink.

The hallway went dead silent. Nurses and patients paused their walking, forming a tight circle around us.

Soren's thumb trembled against the top of the page. The bold, stamped letters faced upward, visible to everyone in the corridor.

*Patient: Eliza Kent.*

*Status: Both twins deceased.*