The Heiress's Comeback

Chapter 197: [ Volume 1] Chaper 197- Cake

Jay, the most oblivious of the brothers, looked at Esme with a broad smile, his eyes sparkling with pride. "It’s good, right?" he asked, his voice filled with satisfaction.

Esme almost lost it again at the sight of Jay’s proud expression and the confident tone in his voice. Her laughter bubbled up, threatening to escape once more, but she bit it back, forcing herself to keep calm. She raised her hand and gave a thumbs up, her smile stretched just a bit too wide. "It’s perfect. I’ve never eaten or even seen such a perfect cake."

Jay’s grin widened, and his chest puffed up with pride. He looked downright smug as he declared, "Of course! Who do you think made it?"

Ray, Ryan, and Kai, standing off to the side, exchanged helpless glances. They could barely hold back their snickers at Jay’s sheer obliviousness. If only their brother knew. The three of them fought the urge to burst out laughing but also had to admire how Jay was completely unfazed by Esme’s obviously forced compliments.

"I swear," Ryan whispered under his breath, "his obliviousness could be a superpower."

Ray and Kai nodded in silent agreement, both secretly wishing they could praise Jay for being so blissfully unaware of the truth—yet, somehow, it was endearing in its own ridiculous way.

....

As the cake-cutting moment approached, Esme held the knife, forcing a smile as the Aron brothers gathered around, their voices lifting in a cheerful but offbeat birthday song. Jay, the most oblivious, sang loudly with pride, while Ray, Ryan, and Kai followed, their gazes glued to Esme with anticipation.

Esme lowered the knife toward the cake, the brothers’ encouraging smiles surrounding her. But just as the blade neared the soft icing, something shifted inside her. The warmth of the moment began to fade, and an unsettling sensation crept up her spine.

Her vision blurred. The cake, once a harmless sight of celebration, started to distort. The fluffy white icing took on a sinister hue, shifting from pale sweetness to a deep, dark red—blood. The candles, which had once flickered cheerfully, now seemed harsh and cold, like the blinding lights that had filled her home on that fateful night. That night she had been trying so hard to forget.

Her breath became shallow, her fingers gripping the knife tighter, but the control she tried to hold onto was slipping away. The brothers’ song felt distant now, like an echo in a long, empty hallway. She blinked, but instead of seeing the cake, her mind replayed the nightmare—the flashing lights, the paramedics, the bodies.

The scene crashed into her like a wave she couldn’t outrun. Her parents’ faces, their smiles once filled with warmth, now frozen in death. The blood, pooling beneath them, seeping into everything—an image etched so deeply into her memory that no amount of time could erase it.

Esme’s heart pounded, each beat louder than the last, drowning out the present. The room around her faded, replaced by the horrifying scene she had lived through. Her mind was locked in the past, reliving the trauma frame by frame, unable to shake it. She tried to focus on the cake, to remind herself of where she was, but the memory was too vivid, too raw.

Her hand began to tremble, the knife hovering just above the cake. To the brothers, she might’ve seemed hesitant, but they couldn’t see the battle raging inside her. The sweet celebration they had prepared now felt suffocating. They had no idea what was going on in her mind, how the cake was no longer just a cake—it was a trigger, pulling her back into the darkest moment of her life.

The brothers continued singing, oblivious to the terror gripping her. To them, it was a simple birthday tradition, but for Esme, it had become something else entirely—another reminder of a day she wished she could erase forever.

clank

The knife slipped from Esme’s trembling hand, clattering against the marbled floor with a sharp, echoing sound. The Aron brothers all flinched, startled by the sudden noise. Confusion swept across their faces, as they turned their attention to her, trying to understand what had just happened.

Jay, usually so light-hearted, froze, his prideful smile fading. Ryan, the most perceptive of them, was the first to notice the change in her. His eyes widened as he saw her pale face, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her chest rising and falling too quickly.

"Esme," Ryan rushed to her side, concern heavy in his voice. He gently touched her arm, but her body felt rigid, almost as if she wasn’t fully present in the moment. "What’s wrong?" he asked, his voice trembling with worry.

The others, still frozen in confusion, took a step closer. Kai’s brows furrowed as he exchanged a concerned glance with Ray, neither of them understanding what had just happened. Jay’s confusion only deepened as he watched Esme, his mind racing to piece together what could have caused this sudden shift.

But Esme didn’t respond to Ryan. Her gaze was distant, unfocused, as if trapped in a memory far away from where she stood now.

Seeing Esme’s condition worsen, Ryan’s panic grew. He snapped his head toward Jay, shouting, "Jay! The antidote, now!"

Jay, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, shook off his confusion and bolted out of the room. The air felt thick with tension as Ryan knelt beside Esme, his heart racing, watching her every shallow breath. Ray and Kai stood nearby, both equally worried but unsure how to help.

Within moments, Jay rushed back, clutching a small wooden box, his face pale and hands trembling slightly. He hurried to Ryan, who wasted no time opening the box. Inside was a syringe and a small bottle filled with a green liquid.

Ryan filled the syringe quickly but carefully, his hands surprisingly steady under the pressure. Without hesitation, he injected the antidote into Esme’s arm. Everyone held their breath, watching for any sign of change, hoping the antidote would work quickly.