Blind Spot by Sakshi C (the reader ebook TXT) 📕

Beep, beep, beep

Inessa woke up to the sharp sound of a beep that was needling her ear. She let out a weak moan as her tranquilized senses started to wake to the wild, unpleasant throbbing in her head. She felt weak and exhausted. It was taking every ounce of her energy to lift her eyelids that seemed to have turned into rock.

She finally, succeeded in prying her eyes open and looked around. There was only a nurse in the room who was busy doing something on the table. Her back was turned to her. It didn't take her more than a moment to realize that she was in a hospital room. The realization was ensued by the memories of last night. The heart-wrenching memories. Tears sprung to her eyes.

"Andrei," she screamed in her mind. Tears brimmed her eyes as she grew frantic. She had to see him and make sure he was alright.   

She sobbed, repeating his name in her mind, and sat up after much effort despite the immense pain she felt. She yanked the tubes off her and prepared to get off the bed. The nurse turned when she heard the movements. 

Her eyes grew wide when she saw Inessa awake. She rushed over to her. 

"Lie down, girl," she held her shoulders. Inesa looked up at her and shook her head in no. She licked her lips. She wanted to ask her about Andrei but couldn't understand how to communicate. She looked around teh room for any piece of paper and pen when her eyes fell on her wedding ring. 

She raised her hand and showed the nurse her wedding ring. She tapped on it and gave her a questioning look. The nurse's face grew serious when she realised what she was asking. 

She leaned forward and started pushing her shoulder to the bed. 

"You need to take some rest..." Inessa grabbed her arms and shook her. Tears were constantly raining down her eyes as she stared up at the nurse, urging her to answer. Inessa had already sensed something was wrong by the woman's expression.

When she failed to elicit an answer from the nurse, she decided to find it on her own. Groaning and wincing, she slid off the bed and got to her feet. Her head spun the moment her feet touched the cold floor. Her knee started to shake before she fell to the floor. 

"What are you doing? You haven't recovered yet, Mrs. Lavigne. You need to rest," the nurse picked her up by her shoulder as Inessa bawled her eyes out for her best friend.

The woman helped her sit on the edge of the bed. She clutched the edge of the bed and hunched over. The poor girl had hardly taken a breath when Mrs. Lavigne burst in through the door. Dread constricted Inessa's throat when she looked at her mother-in-law. She looked furious. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen. She looked so opposite of her usual self, which is calm and classy. 

She walked up to Inessa in three long strides and grabbed her elbow. Inessa watched her in shock as she roughly pulled her to her feet. Her whole body throbbed in pain by her manhandling.

"You killed my son," she accused her with intense hatred and landed a tight slap on her cheek, sending her to the ground.     

Inessa didn't feel the sting of a slap nor the pain of falling. All she could hear and feel was the frantic pounding of her heart and Mrs. Lavigne's words.

You killed my son 

Andrei died? She was thunderstruck. Her mind had stopped processing. Her heart broke into million pieces. 

She killed him. She killed the man who gave her a new life.

"You killed him," she shouted venomously before crouching and wrapping her hand around her neck. Inessa didn't respond. She just stared at her in a trance.  

'I will end you. I will kill you," some madness had gotten over Mrs. Lavigne. Inessa didn't even flinch nor fight back when the older woman started to strangulate her without holding back.

"Stip it...stop it," Mrs. Lavigne looked possessed. The nurse tried to make her lose her hold on her but to no avail. 

Inessa felt as if her neck would snap any moment now. 

"Oh shit," the nurse cursed and rushed out for help. Inessa's eyes rolled back as she started to succumb.

But before she could give up on her consciousness, Mrs. Lavigne's hand was ripped off her. 

"Don't stop me, Rudolph. She killed our child. I will kill her," Anna sobbed, struggling to break free as Mr. Lavigne held her back. 

"Stop it, Anna. You are not in your senses right now," he scolded her. 

"She took away our son, Rudolph. She took him away," Mrs. Lavigne buried her face in his chest and started crying. Rudolph caressed her back while glaring at Inessa. He also considered her responsible for his son's untimely death. 

"And she will pay for it," he declared in a dark tone. Inessa wasn't bothered by their threats. She was too lost in her own thoughts. Andrei was gone. Her best friend was no more. Just yesterday he was with her and today he was gone. It was unbelievable. 

She didn't realize when the nurse picked her up and made her lie in the bed. She didn't even feel the prickle of the injection or the sting of the cut on her lips that Mrs. Lavigne had caused her just now. She was numb from inside. Blank and numb. 

Inessa closed her eyes only to see Andrei's smiling face. 

He was gone. He would have been alive if she hadn't insisted on having dinner outside. He would have been here if she had made him jump out with her. He died saving her life. 

She killed him. 

.........

They didn't let her see Andrei for the last time. She was locked in her room when his last rites were going on. She had heard from servants that Andrei was found in a very horrible condition. His charred body was found lifeless inside the mangled car. From servants to the owners, everyone was in tears. A good man like him didn't deserve such a merciless death.

The day flew by with her crying in a corner. She hadn't eaten anything since morning, not that she was hungry. Her appetite had lost completely. All she felt was guilt and emptiness.