Avenging Luna
Chapter 109: Final Nail On The Coffin

Chapter 109: Final Nail On The Coffin

Leila POV:

She knew.

The realization hit me like a sledgehammer, knocking the breath out of me. Lily knew I wasn’t sick—she’d overheard everything. My plan, my only chance to expose her, was falling apart right in front of me. Panic gripped me as I replayed her smug expression, her sweetly venomous words. She’d been taunting me, daring me to react, knowing full well she had me cornered.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

How could I have been so careless? I was so close to exposing her, to finally proving my innocence to Drake and clearing my name, and now she had the upper hand. I could feel my pulse pounding, the urgency building within me like a storm. I had to get to Drake. If she got to him first, she’d poison him with her lies and turn him against me before I could even explain. She was relentless—she wouldn’t waste a second.

"Drake has to know," I whispered to myself, clenching my fists. He had to hear the truth from me, not from her twisted version of it. If Lily was willing to go this far, I knew she’d stop at nothing to make sure he believed her.

Ignoring the weakness in my body, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, willing myself to find the strength to move. My whole body felt heavy, drained from the medication, but none of it mattered now. All that mattered was getting to Drake before she did.

Just hold on, Drake, I thought, pushing myself up despite the dizzying wave that followed. You have to believe me.

I moved as fast as my weakened body would allow, my heart hammering as I searched the sterile halls, praying with each step that I’d find Drake before Lily slithered her way to him. She was probably already crafting her lies, twisting the truth just enough to turn him against me. I couldn’t let her get to him first. I wouldn’t let her rip apart what was left of our fragile relationship.

My first stop was the neonatal unit. Maybe he was with Ash, seeking the comfort and peace our tiny son gave him. But as I peered through the glass, all I saw was my baby boy sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the storm brewing outside. His small chest rose and fell in rhythm, blissfully unaware of the chaos his parents were drowning in.

Stay strong, little one, I thought, placing my hand on the glass. Mama’s got to make this right.

I forced myself to move, one trembling foot in front of the other. Each step felt like a battle, the effects of the medication sapping my strength. I felt my stomach twist with nausea, but I swallowed it down, keeping my focus sharp. I needed to keep looking, to find him before Lily’s poison reached his ears.

I searched the hospital’s corridors, ignoring the concerned glances from the nurses and staff who saw me—bedraggled and sick-looking—as I staggered past. Please, let me find him before it’s too late, I begged silently.

Of course, I thought bitterly, fate had to choose now to turn its back on me.

As I rounded the corner into the waiting room, I stopped in my tracks, the scene before me shattering the fragile hope I had been clinging to. There was Drake, sitting tensely beside Lily, his face a mask of shock and betrayal as he held her phone. I didn’t need to ask what he was listening to—I knew. The audio played on, filling the silent room with my own voice from earlier, desperate and pleading with Dr. Harry to continue our charade, to keep Drake in the dark just a little longer.

Lily’s face was a picture of malicious satisfaction. She looked up at me, feigning surprise with a sweetly wicked smile, her eyes gleaming with victory. She didn’t have to say anything. Her expression said it all: I’ve won.

"Leila..." Drake’s voice was low and strained as he turned to look at me, his eyes searching mine with a mixture of hurt and confusion. "So this... all of this... was a lie?"

My throat went dry, my mind scrambling for the right words, but nothing I could say would change what he’d just heard. I opened my mouth, then closed it, feeling a crushing weight settle in my chest. I wanted to explain, to make him understand that I was doing this to protect him, to expose the truth about Lily. But seeing him there, listening to that damning recording, I knew any excuse would fall flat.

Drake’s hand clenched around the phone, his jaw tight, the pain in his eyes cutting deeper than any wound.

"Drake, please, just... let me explain," I managed to choke out, feeling my voice tremble. But even as I spoke, I saw Lily’s victorious smirk widen, as if she could sense how close I was to breaking.

"Explain?" he asked, his voice quiet but laced with a bitterness I’d never heard before. "Explain how you let me believe you were dying? How you played with my emotions, let me go through hell, thinking I was going to lose you?"

Tears prickled at my eyes, but I fought them back. Stay strong, I told myself. I couldn’t fall apart, not now. Not in front of her.

"Drake, it wasn’t meant to be like this," I whispered, my voice thick with desperation. "I was trying to prove my innocent, to uncover the truth. She’s the one who poisoned me, Drake. I couldn’t prove it any other way."

But he just shook his head, his expression darkening with hurt and disbelief. "All this time, you couldn’t just tell me? You had to lie, to manipulate everyone around you?"

Lily gave a sympathetic sigh, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. "Drake, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way," she murmured, casting me a cold, triumphant glance. "I just thought... well, you deserved to know the truth."

Her voice was soft, sweet—a perfect imitation of innocence. Rage boiled in me, but I could barely muster the strength to keep standing, let alone to tear into her like I wanted.

I reached a hand out to Drake, my fingers trembling. "Please, you have to believe me. I only wanted to prove my innocence since you kept on believing I drank that wolfbane on purpose that I had try to do away with my child."

But he looked away, his shoulders rigid, hurt radiating off him in waves.

Lily POV:

Leaving Leila’s room, I could barely contain the smug grin tugging at my lips. The look on her face when I hinted at knowing her little secret was everything I’d hoped for. She had no idea what was coming, and I couldn’t wait to see her crumble when Drake found out the "truth" about his oh-so-precious mate.

I strolled through the halls of the hospital, savoring each step as I imagined the fallout. Leila, the perfect Luna, exposed as a lying, scheming little manipulator. Drake would be furious, heartbroken. And I would be right there, waiting to offer my shoulder to cry on and my help with Ash, of course.

As I spotted Drake sitting alone in the cafeteria, a wave of malicious excitement surged through me. Perfect. He was right there, completely unsuspecting. This was my moment, and I wasn’t about to waste it. I plastered on a look of concern, making my way over to him with a calculated grace, and greeted him with a gentle, sympathetic smile.

"Drake," I said softly, feigning sadness. "I... I think there’s something you should know. Something important." I let my voice falter, giving the perfect impression of a friend reluctant to deliver bad news. "But... we should talk somewhere private."

His expression shifted immediately, a mix of worry and confusion crossing his face. He didn’t question me; he just nodded, following my lead as I ushered him toward the quieter waiting room nearby. It was empty, just as I’d hoped. Fate really was on my side today.

Once he was seated, I pulled my phone out, giving him one last look as if I were truly regretting what I was about to reveal. "I... I don’t know how to tell you this, Drake," I began, my tone soft, hesitant, "but I think you need to hear it. I only recorded this because I was worried. Leila’s been hiding things from you."

He looked at me with a flicker of hesitation, still unsure, but I could see the doubt was already creeping in. Exactly as planned.

Without another word, I pressed play. The audio crackled to life, filling the room with the sound of Leila’s voice, desperate and pleading, practically begging Dr. Harry to continue with the fake treatment, to keep Drake in the dark.

I watched Drake’s face closely, savoring every flicker of realization, every pang of hurt that crossed his features. His eyes darkened, his jaw tightened, and his shoulders stiffened with a mixture of pain and anger. It was even better than I’d imagined.

"I’m so sorry, Drake," I whispered, slipping a tone of sorrow into my voice. "I didn’t want you to find out this way... but I couldn’t keep this from you."

He turned to me, his expression a mix of disbelief and betrayal. "She’s... she’s been lying to me this whole time?"

I nodded, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know how much you care for her, how devoted you’ve been, but... I thought you deserved to know the truth. I mean, you deserve someone who’s honest with you, who trusts you. And Leila... well, it seems she hasn’t been that person."

Drake was silent, staring at the floor, clearly grappling with the revelation. Inside, I was positively gleeful, thrilled to see the seed of doubt taking root in his mind.

"Thank you for telling me," he finally muttered, his voice thick with pain.

"Oh, of course, Drake. I just... I thought it was the right thing to do," I replied sweetly, my expression pure, hiding the satisfaction that coursed through me. With any luck, this would be the final wedge that shattered Leila’s little family for good.

It was as if he still couldn’t believe it because he played the recording again and that’s when Leila graced us with her presence her face a mask of horror. Perfect.