Page 120 of Ruining Vanessa

“No. I was still in the office when I heard the scream,” Damien says. “Nobody even knocked on the door.”

If Vanessa wasn’t already pale, I suspect she’d be getting paler.

“So you went upstairs, and just turned right back around? And slipped… on what?” I glance at her shoes, which are the tall boots without much heel to them. She can’t blame the shoes.

“I don’t know,” Vanessa whispers, grabbing for my hand. “I just slipped. Please, I’m sorry, Giulio. I didn’t do it on purpose. I promise. It was an accident.”

“Damien, call a doctor for Vanessa. So we can know just how pissed off I should be,” I say, cheerily.

He gives me a look but nods and backs away from Vanessa and the stairwell to make that call. That leaves some empty space next to her, and I sit down on the floor, putting one arm around Vanessa’s shoulder.

I pull my phone out and scroll over to the picture of the white blob. “You know what this is, Vanessa?”

Slayer peers over at my phone, looking at the picture I know Damien sent to him as well. His expression is blank as he looks between us. I don’t need him to tell me she’s lying about something.

“It’s the baby,” Vanessa says, her eyes welling up with tears. “I really did slip, Giulio. I promise. I wouldn’t hurt the baby. I would never hurt a baby.”

The way she says it, I actually believe her. But that doesn’t stop the anger coursing through me. Because if she didn’t slip, and she didn’t do it herself…

Somebody pushed her.

“Baby,” I say, mockingly. “Vanessa, it’s a white blob. A few cells that might become a human after you’ve incubated them long enough.” I scroll through the photos Damien had sent me, and a few more of Vanessa I’d taken, until I land on the ones of Brad. “We can always get a new white blob.”

Vanessa is so pale, and she looks between me and Slayer, pleadingly. “I slipped,” she whispers. “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful. It’s not… it’s not just a white blob.”

I zoom in on Brad’s bruised face. “How often do you hear that one, Slayer? I ran into a wall. I fell off my bike. I slipped on the stairs.”

“Pretty often,” Slayer says, reaching out to touch Vanessa’s chin. He turns her face side to side, examining her. “Doesn’t look like she has a concussion,” he confirms what I already guessed. “But it’s good Damien’s getting a doctor.”

Damien re-enters the stairwell, as if summoned. “Dr. Savage is on his way. He says this early in the pregnancy, the fetus should probably be fine, especially if she didn’t land on her stomach.”

“If it’s a baby…” I hit play on the video of me beating up Brad. The sound is muted, which is a shame. “If it’s a baby, Vanessa, what do you think the person who did this to you deserves?”

Vanessa wets her lips with her tongue, her breathing coming a little more swiftly. She looks up at Damien, as though he’s going to grant her some kind of reprieve, but his expression is as hard as mine and Slayer’s are.

“No one did this to me!” she insists. “Really, Giulio. I lost my footing. I went to turn around, and I just stepped wrong.”

“But you didn’t fall forward,” Slayer says quietly.

Vanessa swallows hard, not looking at the phone. “Please, I’m serious. I just went to take a step and it… wasn’t there. I’m not lying.”

I snort and put the phone away. “Mama, you’ve been getting better at roleplaying, but not that much better.”

Vanessa shakes her head again, and she’s starting to look frustrated. “Giulio, I’m not role playing, I’m not acting, I’m not lying. I really did just misstep.”

I grip Vanessa’s chin and force her to look me in the eyes. “Repeat that,” I hiss coldly.

Her eyes widen in fear.

Then Damien coughs. “Let’s get Vanessa to a bed. We can figure out what happened once she’s comfortable.”

I let go of her, and she immediately averts her gaze.

Slayer reaches a hand down to her. “Here, Vanessa. Let me help you up.”

She takes his hand, though she’s trembling so violently he has to pull her to get her to stand up. He wraps an arm around her, casting me an unreadable look.

“Take her to the VIP room,” Damien says. “Giulio and I will join you in a moment.”

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