Hurt By My Own Blood
Amber POV
Waking up had been a miracle, but staying awake was proving to be considerably harder. I had been conscious for perhaps twenty minutes, and I was already exhausted enough to feel as though I had run a marathon. Every part of my body felt heavy, weak, and unfamiliar. Even lifting my hand required concentration, and whenever I tried to move my legs, they seemed to belong to someone else entirely. I hated it. I hated lying there unable to do anything, unable to sit up properly, unable to hold my own children, and unable to even speak for more than a few words without feeling like my entire body was demanding that I stop.
Jason noticed my frustration almost immediately. “You need to rest.” I glared at him, and he gave me an apologetic smile. “I know. You hate hearing that.” I tried to speak, but my voice was still weak and rough from the ventilator. “I hate… this.” His expression softened as he moved closer and carefully adjusted my pillows. “I know.”
Lucas and Ethan were sleeping peacefully in the bassinets beside the bed, and I kept looking toward them every few seconds as though I needed to reassure myself that they were actually there. My sons. Lucas and Ethan. I still couldn’t quite believe it. Jason followed my gaze before looking back at me. “There’s a lot you need to know. “I frowned, and he immediately added, “Not all at once. You’re still recovering.” I gave him a look that clearly told him I wanted him to tell me anyway, and he sighed. “I knew you’d say that.”
He took my hand carefully and began explaining everything that had happened while I was unconscious. He told me about the emergency C–section and how the babies had been born safely. He told me about the botulinum toxin, the sedatives, and the aconite that had been found in my food, explaining that the antitoxin had stopped the toxin from continuing to spread but hadn’t immediately reversed the damage that had already been done. He told me about the specialists Emory had contacted and the treatment they had started when my condition became worse. I listened silently, trying to absorb everything while my exhausted mind struggled to keep up.
Then he told me about Adrian.
“Adrian?” I whispered, and Jason nodded.
“He was found alive.”
Relief washed through me so quickly that for a moment I almost forgot everything else. Then Jason continued. He was being held by your family’s branch. The Wyatts.”
My relief disappeared.
“The Wyatts?”
He nodded again. “Jasmine and Noah found him in one of their warehouses. He was unconscious and having trouble breathing. The recovery team brought him back, and Emory discovered that he’d been poisoned too.”
My stomach twisted. “Poisoned?”
Jason squeezed my hand. “Yes.”
I closed my eyes for several seconds, trying to process it. My own family. The same family that shared my bloodline. The same people I had once been expected to consider relatives. They had kidnapped Adrian, poisoned him, and nearly killed me.
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When I opened my eyes again, anger had begun replacing the exhaustion.
“My family.”
Jason didn’t answer.
“They poisoned me,” I whispered, my voice trembling with disbelief. “They tried to kill me.”
His fingers tightened around mine. “I know.”
“And Adrian…”
“Was their prisoner.”
I shook my head slowly. I could accept enemies. I could accept people wanting power. I could even accept betrayal from people who had never cared about me. But this was different. My own family had almost ended my life, and I couldn’t understand how people who shared my blood could look at me and decide that my life meant so little.
“You said the records suggest my grand aunt might be Mr. White’s biological mother.”
“That’s what the evidence seems to suggest.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Jason looked surprised. “Amber-”
“No.” I shook my head as much as my weak body allowed. “Something is wrong with that.”
He remained silent, letting me think.
“I know my family,” I whispered. “Or at least, I thought I did. But even after everything we’ve discovered, something about that doesn’t fit.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “You think the records are wrong?”
“I think we’re missing something.” I looked toward the window, trying to organize the thoughts running through my exhausted mind. “My grand aunt being involved with the Vincent family? I can believe that. Her working with Mr. White? Apparently that’s possible too. But being his mother?” I shook my head. “Something doesn’t make sense.” 1
Jason nodded slowly. “We’ll find out.”
Before I could answer, the mattress shifted beside me. I looked down and saw Alex carefully climbing onto the bed. He moved slowly, obviously afraid of hurting me, before settling beside my hip. I immediately wrapped my arm around him, even though the effort left my muscles trembling. I didn’t care. Alex buried his face against me, and I could feel how tightly he was holding onto my hospital gown. 1
My heart broke.
He had always tried so hard to be brave. Too brave. I could see it now. The fear was still there beneath everything he had been pretending not to feel. He had been through the bombing, the kidnappings, the poison, and the terrifying experience of watching me unconscious while everyone around him struggled to keep me alive. Now he had woken up to the knowledge that people from our own family had been responsible for what happened.
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I kissed the top of his head. “I’m here.”
His arms tightened around me.
Then he suddenly lifted his head. “Mom?”
I looked at him. “Yes?”
He glanced toward Jason with a completely serious expression. “Dad told everyone the babies looked weird.”
I stared at Jason.
Jason froze. “I did not say that.”
Alex nodded confidently. “You did.”
“I said they looked weirdly small.”
Alex shrugged. “That’s still weird.”
Despite everything, a weak laugh escaped me. Jason looked genuinely betrayed.
“I was talking about newborn babies.”
Alex looked at me. “He said they looked like little aliens.”
Jason closed his eyes. “I was exhausted.”
I laughed again, although the movement made my body ache. Alex smiled before burying his face against me once more. I held him tighter, feeling the tremble in his shoulders, and suddenly understood just how deeply everything had affected him. He wasn’t simply happy that I was awake. He had been terrified that I wouldn’t wake up.
I kissed his hair again. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He nodded against me.
The door opened a few minutes later, and I looked up as the rest of my family entered. Alice came first, and the moment she saw me, her eyes filled with tears. “Mommy.” She hurried toward the bed, and Jason quickly helped her climb up beside me. I opened my arm, and she immediately threw herself against me.
Then came Iris and Rose, both trying to stay composed and failing miserably. They crowded around the bed, touching my arms and shoulders as though they needed physical proof that I was really awake. I smiled weakly and whispered, “I’m okay.”
Iris shook her head. “You scared us.”
“I know.”
Rose moved closer, her eyes already filling with tears. “I thought you weren’t going to wake up.”

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