Adrien's phone had buzzed as we reached the ICU door. He stepped back, gesturing for me to go in.
The room was quiet except for the machines.
Dmitri was lying there. Wires taped to his chest. A tube was passed down his throat, a neck brace holding him in place. It felt like someone was reaching into my chest and squeezing it.
I'd told myself I was done crying. That there was nothing left. My eyes were raw. My head hurts from it.
My voice cracked immediately. I covered my mouth but it didn't help. The tears came anyway.
"God… Dmitri… I'm sorry."
My knees nearly gave out. I grabbed the side rail of the bed to keep myself from falling.
"You told me to stay away. You told me." I pressed my shaky hands together in my lap. "I should have listened. I should have stayed in the shadows. I should have—"
My throat closed up.
"Augustin told me something." I wiped my nose. "About Adrien. He's—we're—" I laughed. "He's my twin brother. My actual brother. Can you believe that? All this time. All those years. And I had a brother."
I stared at Dmitri's face. Waiting for him to react.
"I don't know how to tell him. Hey Adrien, by the way, we share blood. Oh, and your father is dead. My father is dead too. Surprise."
"I wish you'd wake up." My voice broke on the last word. "I wish you'd wake up so you could make this easier. So you could tell me what to do. You always know what to do."
I leaned forward. Put my forehead on the edge of his mattress.
"I can't do this without you. I don't know how to be a sister or a Valois or whatever the hell I'm supposed to be now. I need you to wake up. Just wake up and tell me what to do. Please."
"How to tell me what?"
I almost jumped. Adrien was standing in the doorway.
"How long were you standing there?" I asked.
"You were saying something about me being your brother," he said. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Adrien. I can explain."
He stepped closer.
"Start talking."
"It's… complicated," I muttered.
"Yeah, I figured that much."
I rubbed my face.
"I wasn't planning to tell you like this."
"No kidding."
He glanced briefly at Dmitri in the bed.
"You might as well finish the sentence you started."
I exhaled slowly.
"My parents had twins," I said quietly.
"Okay…"
"A girl and a boy."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"But records about him disappeared, no birth certificate. Nothing," I continued.
"And?"
I looked straight at him.
"The boy's name was Adrien."
Silence. Then he let out a short, humorless laugh.
"You're joking, right?"
"I'm not."
"That's impossible."
"I know."
He stared at me for another few seconds like he was waiting for me to admit it was some sick joke.
His face changed.
"Well," he said slowly. "That's… interesting."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"You know what? I can't deal with this right now."
"Adrien—"
"Not now."
He stepped backward toward the door.
"You pick the absolute worst timing to drop a news like that."
"I didn't mean for you to hear it like this."
"Yeah. I figured."
He glanced once at Dmitri. Then he shook his head.
"I need some air."
And just like that he walked out. The door closed behind him. I stood there staring at it.
"Well," I muttered weakly. "That went great."
I don't remember walking back to St. Aurelia. Then I was on the street. My dress was stained. Brown dried blood was on the front. My hair was down and tangled. People on the sidewalk moved out of my way.
A woman with a kid pulled the kid closer. A guy on a bike almost hit me and yelled something. I kept walking.
"Miss? Are you okay? Miss?"
Someone touched my arm. I pulled away. I kept walking.
"Should we call someone?"
I didn't answer.
The walk took forever. My feet hurt. My shoes were wrong for walking. Somewhere along the way I lost one. Just kept going with one shoe and one bare foot on the hot pavement.
By the time I got to St. Aurelia, it was almost morning. Maybe.
I went straight to my room. I locked the door and closed the curtains. Then I sat on the floor with my back against the bed and didn't move for a long time.
Days passed. I don't know how many. I barely ate or drank anything. I just sat on the floor or curled up on the bed, staring at the door. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the gunshot. I cried until I couldn't cry. Then lay some more. Then cried again.
I caught myself in the mirror once. I didn't recognize the person looking back. My face was pale. My eyes were red and puffy. My lips are almost the same color as my skin. My cheeks had gotten hollow. I'd lost weight. My clothes hung loose. When I stood up too fast, the room spun.
Students whispered outside my door.
"She hasn't come out in days."
"I heard she's the one who got the Volkov heir shot."
"My friend said she was at the hospital. Covered in blood."
"It's all over the news. The Volkov thing. The director got arrested too."
"She's cursed. I'm telling you. Bad luck follows her."
I pressed my hands over my ears until they went away. Someone knocked once.
"Isabelle? It's Julien. Please open the door."
"Isabelle, I'm worried about you. Just let me see you. Please."
I stared at the door. Eventually, he left.
The next knock was different.
"Isabelle. It's me. Open the door."
I froze.
"I know you're in there. Open the door. We need to talk."
He knocked again.
"I'm not leaving. I'll stand here all night. Open the damn door before I kick it in, Isabelle."
I opened the door and Adrien stepped back slightly. He looked at me and his face changed immediately.
"Jesus Christ," he whispered. "Isabelle. Look at you."
"I look that bad?" My voice came out croaky.
He walked inside without waiting for permission. The room smelled stale. Curtains still closed. He glanced around.
"You've been sitting in here this whole time?"
I shrugged. Adrien ran a hand through his hair.
"Have you eaten?"
I shook my head.
"Sleep?"
Nothing.
He stepped forward. Put his hands on my shoulders. Like he was checking I was real. "You look like you're dying."
"Come here." He pulled me into a hug. I stiffened at first. Then I just... collapsed into it. Let him hold me up because my legs were tired.
"I'm sorry," he said into my hair. "I'm sorry I walked out. I'm sorry I left you there. That was shitty of me. I just—I couldn't—"
"I know. I should have told you differently. I should have—"
"No." He shook his head. "No. You just found out. You were sitting next to Dmitri. You were falling apart. And I made it about me."
We stood there. He let go of my shoulders. Adrien sighed heavily and leaned against the wall.
"You scared the hell out of me when I saw you just now."
I shrugged.
"Thought you were going to disappear or something."
I gave a dry laugh.
"Where would I go?"
He rubbed his face.
"You said something else the other day," he said quietly.
I looked up slightly.
"My parents had twins."
"Yeah."
"And you think I'm the boy."
"Yes."
Adrien nodded slowly.
"Maybe you're right."
I blinked. He gave a tired half-smile.
"Wouldn't be the first weird thing in my life."
I frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets. He stared at the floor for a second. Then he said quietly,
"I was adopted."