Chapter 6 - THE SILENCE OF CELL 402
The hum of fluorescent lights vibrated through the cold, concrete room.
Elena opened her eyes to a world washed in sterile white.
Her head throbbed with a dull, sickening ache from the sedative.
Heavy iron straps bound her wrists and ankles to a narrow metal bed.
A tall woman in a crisp lab coat stood at the foot of the bed, reviewing a digital clipboard.
"Welcome back to reality, Elena," the woman said, her voice devoid of warmth.
"Where am I?" Elena rasped, her throat burning like dry sand.
"You are currently at the St. Jude Private Sanatorium," Dr. Evans replied calmly.
"You were brought here after suffering a severe psychotic episode at the Vance estate."
Elena pulled against the leather straps, but her body was too weak to break free.
"Victoria Vance poisoned me," Elena choked out through gritted teeth.
"She took my daughter!"
"She is keeping her hostage!"
Dr. Evans made a small note on her digital tablet without looking up.
"Paranoid delusions regarding the Vance family."
"Frequent fixation on non-existent hostage situations."
"Patient shows strong signs of acute aggression."
"No!" Elena screamed, her voice cracking against the concrete walls.
"My daughter Lily is six years old!"
"She was at the diner! She was at the wedding!"
"Call Attorney Marcus Kane! He has the evidence!"
Dr. Evans walked over to the side of the bed and looked down with cold eyes.
"There is no attorney named Marcus Kane registered in this district, Elena."
"And according to your legal guardian, Victoria Vance, you never had a child named Lily."
Elena’s heart stopped beating for a second.
"What?"
"The records state you suffered a phantom pregnancy three years ago," Dr. Evans whispered softly.
"You have been wandering around claiming other people's children belong to you."
Elena stared at the ceiling as terror flooded her blood.
They were erasing her entire existence.
They were rewriting her life story to make her look completely insane.
Outside the heavy iron door of Cell 402, a small view slot slid open.
Julian Vance stood on the other side, looking through the thick reinforced glass.
His eyes were filled with guilt, but he remained silent.
Elena made eye contact with him through the small window.
"Julian!" she screamed, thrashing wildly against the leather restraints.
"Tell her the truth!"
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"TELL HER LILY IS YOUR DAUGHTER!"
Julian took a slow step backward into the dark hallway and vanished.
