Painful Memories

Chapter 16

Every inch of my body was trembling violently, from my head to my tail. Hot and cold flashes left me dizzy and disoriented. My head was impossible to lift, feeling like a dozen rocks were weighing it down. I managed to crack my eyes open, regretting it a second later when a burst of light exploded behind my eyes, causing a bolt of pain to shoot through my head.

I groaned. What happened? The last thing I remembered was swimming down to breakfast with Nadia, talking to Kai, and then... nothing. For a few minutes, I laid completely still with my eyes closed, letting my other senses work.

I inhaled deeply, the scent of fresh water, shrimp, and bubble tea filling my nostrils. I was lying down, which meant I was in my bed. I couldn't hear anything except faint chatter from outside the suite. When the door opened, I flinched, my eyes flying open.

The sudden movement sent yet another bolt of pain through my head. I groaned again, lifting a trembling hand to my temple. A blurry face appeared in my vision, their voice muffled as they spoke. "Izzy? Honey, can you hear me?"

When my vision cleared, worried dark green eyes met mine. Dad placed a hand on my forehead, his face creased in concern. "You're burning up."

As if my body heard him, I started shivering violently. Tears filled my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. What was happening? I hadn't felt this bad in months.

My vision blurred as Dad suddenly turned his head, speaking to someone. Mom swam to my side, brushing a stray curl off my forehead. I moaned. All I wanted was to sleep, but I knew I had to stay awake. "Kai," I murmured.

He swam to my side, grasping my hand. "I'm right here, Izzy. Take it slow. You pushed yourself to the limit. Your body needs time to rest and heal."

"What happened?" I asked, my voice weak.

Dad and Kai exchanged glances before the latter spoke. "You collapsed when we left the dining room. I know you haven't been sleeping well, and after you got sick yesterday, you shouldn't have been out of bed. Does this have something to do with what happened a few nights ago?" His voice never lost its softness, but I could hear the concern underneath it.

The tears began anew, accompanied by gasping sobs. "Yes. Uncle Noah told Jacob about where Aunt Bella, Uncle David, and the children would be. Giving Jacob enough time..." I trailed off, swallowing hard and gathering my courage for the words yet to come.

The words I knew would wound not one, but many. "To concoct a plan for Uncle Noah to be implicated. He meant what he said. He really wants to start over with his children, attempt to repair their relationship. I think he knows that he can't ever truly be their father again, but what he wants—more than anything—is for them not to look at him like he's a monster." Again, I pictured Drew's face in my mind, heard his voice in my head.

I shook my head in grief and shock, the tears falling down my cheeks. When Dad spoke, his voice was cold, void of any emotion whatsoever. "The only thing to do now is carry on like nothing happened. If word gets out, we'll have more than one problem on our hands. Noah has been dealt with. He's in the dungeons under heavy guard. Jacob is in the suite adjacent to the dungeons. We'll decide later what to do with him."

His face was blank, but I saw through it. I saw what even being the king couldn't hide—the part of him that was still a son, a twin who'd just been betrayed by one of the few people in his life that he'd thought without a doubt he could trust fully. I saw it in the slight tremor in his hands, the way he almost imperceptibly flinched as Mom placed a hand on his arm.

Which only reinforced my realization from yesterday—sometime, in everyone's life, regardless of circumstance, you will eventually be betrayed by someone you trusted deeply. My heart broke yet again, the crack so loud I was surprised no one else heard it.

Everyone else nodded their assent, though I could tell that they were still shaken. "Has anyone spoken to Aunt Bella or Uncle David since... what happened?" My arms shook as I pushed myself up to a sitting position.

Mom's eyes widened as she rose and began to swim to the suite door—presumably to inform Uncle David and Aunt Bella about what had happened. But she stopped mere feet from the door, her face crumpling. I slowly got out of bed and swam to her, concern etched on my own face. Whatever had just occurred to her had shaken her.

Before I even got close to her, however, a knock sounded on the other side. "Jay?" A warm, female voice called out.

Dad froze, his eyes sliding towards the door. As I met his gaze, I realized what had shaken Mom—the fact that Dad's parents probably were unaware of everything that had happened. As she turned back to us, tears staining her cheeks, the grief on her face had me choking back my own tears.

Kai gently took my hand, his grip warm but firm. I met his gaze, taking a shaky breath. Exhaustion had begun to creep back up on me, but I forced it back.

I swam to Dad, placing my hand in his. He looked at me, a weak smile on his face. Mom was on his other side in a heartbeat, interlacing their fingers. My entire body was trembling, crying out for rest, but I'd stay awake for days if it meant being there for my family in one of the toughest times in our lives.

He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before swimming to the suite door and opening it. The worried faces of my grandmother and grandfather stared at us, their eyes filled with such concern that it nearly broke me. "Mom," Dad whispered hoarsely.

In that moment, I didn't see the king of our realm or the father who'd just sat by my bedside for hours until I woke. I saw a heartbroken son and brother who was grappling with news that had changed his life forever. My grandfather glanced at us before returning his gaze to his son. "The guards told us everything. The dungeons are on high alert. No one is allowed entry unless absolutely necessary." He, too, wore an expression of grief that had me biting my tongue to keep from crying out.

Dad swam to his mother, who was already sobbing. She collapsed against her son, who held her tightly. My heart was already shattered into a million pieces—how in the world was it still beating? Watching the painful family reunion made me break down all over again.

Lightheadedness swept over me, causing me to sway ever-so-slightly. Kai tightened his grip on my hand, the other moving to the small of my back. Mom noticed, swimming over to me and placing a hand on my cheek.

"Izzy? Are you okay, honey?" My grandmother's voice swam in and out of my ears as I blinked back the fuzziness in my vision. Sleep was beckoning to me, and it took everything in me to stay awake.

I heard Dad whispering quietly, but couldn't make out the words. I felt Mom and Kai grip my hands and lead me back to our bedroom. The former brushed a stray curl off my forehead, never taking her eyes off me. "Sleep, Isadora," Mom whispered.

I wanted to stay awake—be there for Dad in what was quite possibly the worst day of his life—but I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. The last thing I was aware of was Kai kissing my cheek before I finally surrendered to the unconsciousness tugging at me.

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