Avenging Luna
Chapter 96: Poisonous Words

Chapter 96: Poisonous Words

Third Person POV:

Drake sat alone in the hospital waiting room, replaying Lily’s words in his head. She had been so calm, so understanding. And what she said made sense, didn’t it? Why was he the one feeling guilty? Why was he the one apologizing? Leila had been the one caught red-handed, drinking from that damn bottle of wolfbane. It was her actions that had led to their baby being born prematurely, their son hooked up to machines in the neonatal unit, fighting for his life.

Drake clenched his fists, a wave of frustration and anger rising in his chest. Leila had looked him in the eyes and said she hadn’t seen that bottle before. She had denied everything, acted so innocent, but he had seen her drinking from it—the same bottle that contained the poison that had been found in her blood.

Lily’s voice echoed in his mind, soft but persuasive: _"You deserve to be with someone who trusts you as much as you trust them. Maybe Leila’s under pressure, but that doesn’t excuse her hurting you like this."_

Drake’s jaw tightened as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. He had been so wrapped up in guilt, so consumed with fear for Leila and their baby, that he hadn’t even stopped to consider how unfair she was being. She had put their child in danger—their baby boy was struggling to survive because of her. She was the one who had risked everything by taking the wolfbane, yet here he was, feeling like the villain in the story, apologizing when she was the one at fault.

_"What if she doesn’t even realize how much she’s hurting you?"_ Lily’s words had been kind, but now they felt like a hard truth that he could no longer ignore. Leila should be the one asking for forgiveness. It was her actions that had brought them to this point. She was the reason their son was lying in that incubator, hooked up to all those machines.

Drake exhaled sharply, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions. He loved Leila—he always had—but this... this was too much. How could she not see how much this was killing him? How could she not understand what it felt like to watch their child, so fragile and small, fighting to stay alive? How could she be so careless?

And that look on her face when he had walked in on her with that bottle... He had wanted to believe her, to think that she was innocent, but what had he walked in on? She had been drinking it. After everything, after knowing what wolfbane could do, she had still gone ahead and taken it. It made no sense, but the facts were clear. Leila had lied, and he had caught her in the act.

_"Maybe she doesn’t even realize how much she’s hurting you."_

Drake stood up abruptly, pacing the empty hallway. He had been so quick to blame himself, so desperate to save her and their child that he hadn’t stopped to consider the bigger picture. He had put himself through hell, trying to figure out how to fix this, but maybe it wasn’t him who needed to be fixed.

Maybe Lily was right. Maybe it was time Leila put herself in his shoes. She needed to see what this had done to him, to their family. Why should he always be the one apologizing, the one trying to make things right? Leila had made her choices.

And now, because of those choices, their son might never know what it was like to live a normal life. If he even survived.

Drake’s heart ached at the thought, but his anger kept building. He needed answers, and he needed Leila to understand what she had done. He couldn’t keep carrying this guilt alone. It was time she took responsibility for her actions.

He wasn’t the only one who had been hurt in this mess.

******

Nelly sat on the edge of Leila’s hospital bed, her expression filled with concern as she looked at her best friend. Leila was weak, her skin pale, but there was a determined fire in her eyes despite everything. The room was silent except for the soft beeping of machines monitoring Leila’s vitals.

"Leila," Nelly began carefully, her voice soft but serious. "I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me."

Leila met her gaze, her brows furrowing slightly. "Of course, Nelly. What is it?"

Nelly sighed, glancing down at her hands for a moment before looking back at Leila. "I’ve been hearing things. From... people." She paused, then added, "Lily. And even Drake."

Leila’s eyes darkened at the mention of Lily’s name, and her body tensed slightly. "What about Lily?" she asked, her voice tight.

"Leila," Nelly said gently, "Lily says she saw you... taking wolfbane. And Drake—he said he caught you with the bottle, drinking from it. He’s really hurt, Leila. He thinks you were trying to..." She hesitated, as if the words were too painful to say out loud, but she forced herself to continue. "He thinks you were trying to abort the baby."

Leila’s eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. "What?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Lily saw me? She told you that?"

Nelly nodded slowly. "Yes. She said she saw you. And then Drake... he walked in and saw you with the bottle. He told me that himself, Leila. He doesn’t understand why you would do it. And, honestly, I’m struggling to understand too."

Leila’s heart pounded in her chest, a mix of disbelief and frustration rising within her. Lily had seen her? How could that be possible? She hadn’t even known the bottle was there until Drake had confronted her. And now, Lily was spreading lies about her?

"I didn’t... Nelly, I swear, I wasn’t trying to abort the baby," Leila said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I don’t know how that bottle ended up in my drawer. I didn’t even know it was there! I only picked it up because... I don’t know, I was curious. I thought maybe it wasn’t wolfbane. I know it sounds stupid, but I was desperate to understand what was happening. I never meant to hurt my baby."

Nelly watched her closely, her eyes filled with sympathy but also doubt. "Leila... I want to believe you, I do. But you have to understand how this looks. Drake is devastated. He thinks you were trying to get rid of the baby. You were found drinking from the bottle—the same bottle that the doctor confirmed contained wolfbane. How can you explain that?"

Leila ran a hand through her hair, feeling the weight of Nelly’s words press down on her. She knew how bad this looked. Drake had walked in on her, and she had been holding the bottle to her lips. But she hadn’t known. She hadn’t realized. How could she prove her innocence when everything seemed to point to her guilt?

"I know what it looks like," Leila admitted, her voice cracking. "But I wasn’t trying to hurt our baby. I had grown to love him. I wanted him, Nelly. I never wanted to lose him."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. "I wasn’t lying when I told Drake I didn’t know where that bottle came from. It just appeared in my drawer. I’ve never seen it before. And I don’t know why... why Lily would say she saw me taking it. I never took it willingly, I swear."

Nelly sighed, clearly torn between her loyalty to Leila and the reality of the situation. "Leila, I believe that you love your baby. But you have to understand... it’s hard for Drake to believe that right now. He’s hurt, confused. He caught you drinking from that bottle, and now he’s questioning everything."

Leila’s heart ached at the mention of Drake’s pain. She knew she had hurt him, unintentionally, but it had happened all the same. And now he was second-guessing her, doubting her love for their child. "I know I’ve made mistakes," Leila whispered, her voice barely audible. "But I wasn’t trying to kill our baby. I would never..."

Nelly reached out, taking Leila’s hand in hers. "I want to believe you, Leila. I do. But we need to figure out how that wolfbane got into your system. And why Lily is saying she saw you taking it."

Leila nodded, her mind racing. There was something off about this whole situation. How had the bottle ended up in her drawer? Why was Lily saying she had seen her? Something wasn’t right, and she needed to find out what.

"I don’t know how to prove it," Leila admitted. "But I know I didn’t take that wolfbane on purpose. Someone put it there, Nelly. I know it."

Nelly squeezed her hand. "Then we need to find out who did this, Leila. For your sake. And for your baby’s."

Nelly frowned slightly, looking down at her hands before glancing back at Leila, her voice filled with gentle concern. "Leila, I understand that you’re hurt, but... why are you being so hard on Drake? I mean, considering everything... he caught you drinking from that bottle. From his perspective, it all looks pretty bad. You have to admit, you look guilty."

Leila’s face tightened, and she let out a frustrated sigh. "Because, Nelly," she began, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt, "it’s always the same with him. Every time there’s doubt, every time I need his trust, he’s on the other side, looking at me like I’m the problem."

Nelly was quiet, watching her closely, so Leila continued, her emotions spilling out in a torrent. "Why can’t he ever just believe me? Why can’t he just trust that I wouldn’t do something so... wicked? I mean, no matter how bad it looks, I would never hurt our baby. How can he think otherwise?"

Tears welled up in Leila’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, refusing to break down completely in front of Nelly. She’d already cried enough. "It’s like every time his trust is put to the test, he chooses to believe the worst about me. This isn’t the first time, Nelly. Remember with Lily? He almost had me locked up in the dungeon because of something she said. And now this? Again, I’m the one who has to prove that I’m innocent, like my word means nothing to him."

Nelly sighed softly, sympathy clear in her eyes. "I get it, Leila. I really do. It must be hard for you, especially since you’re the one being accused. But... can you see it from Drake’s point of view, just for a moment? You were literally found with the bottle in your hands. He loves you, but this whole situation has to be so confusing for him. He’s scared, Leila—scared for you, scared for your baby."

Leila shook her head, her jaw clenched in frustration. "I know he’s scared, Nelly. I’m scared too. But that’s the problem—he always lets that fear control him. He never just believes in me, in us. He lets doubt creep in and poison everything. He never stands by me when it counts."

The hurt in her voice was palpable, and Nelly’s face softened. "You’re right," she said quietly. "But maybe he’s not trying to hurt you. Maybe he’s just as lost as you are, trying to figure out what’s really going on."

Leila’s hands balled into fists on the hospital bed, her knuckles white from the tension. "I get that, but why does it always feel like I’m alone in this? Why can’t he be the one to trust me without needing proof? Why do I always have to prove my innocence while he doubts me?"

Her voice cracked, and for a moment, the mask of strength she’d been wearing crumbled. "I would never hurt our baby. How can he not see that?"

Nelly placed a comforting hand on Leila’s arm. Trying to offer her some comfort.