Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 81 (Ava's POV) The box sat on the desk in Dr. Joe's office, sleek and black with no visible markings. It looked ordinary, but I knew better. Nothing Dr. Joe handedwas ever simple.

He stood behind the desk, his piercing blue eyes fixed onlike a hawk watching its prey. His tie was slightly loosened, and his sleeves were rolled up to reveal forearms lined with faint scars. I'd stopped wondering about their origin a long tago. Dr. Joe was an enigma wrapped in power, and every inch of him screamed danger. "This," he said as he tapped the box with a long finger, "contains everything you need for your next task." I hesitated. "What exactly is the task?" His lips curved into a cold smile, and he stepped nauseatingly closer. "You'll be switching out the medication for two patients. Their injections are scheduled for tonight." I frowned. "Switching them? With what?" He leaned against the desk, his face far too close to mine. I could smell the faint scent of his cologne something dark and woody. "You don't need to know what's in the replacements. You just need to ensure they get injected. Both of them." My stomach flipped. "And if I don't?" Dr. Joe straightened, his smile never faltering. "Then I'll remind you why you're here, Ava. Your mother's debt doesn't pay itself, and I'm the only thing standing between her and absolute ruin." I swallowed hard and clenched my hands into fists at my sides. He hadcornered, just like always. Every tI thought I could find a way out, he tightened the noose. And now, he was askingto poison people. Because that's what this was, wasn't it? Poison.

"I need more time," I said in a whisper.

He tilted his head, looking atamusingly. "Tis a luxury you don't have. You'll do it tonight. Or should I remind your dear mother of the consequences of failure?" My chest tightened, and I hated how easily he could manipulate me. How powerless I felt every tI stepped into this room.

"And Ava," he added, stepping closer again. His hand brushed against my arm in a way that made my skin crawl, "don't disappoint me. You know I hate being disappointed." I nodded stiffly, my eyes glued to the floor. When he finally moved away, I grabbed the box and bolted for the door with my heart still pounding.

As I walked back to my dorm, his words echoed in my mind. The gravity of what he was askingto do seemed insane, suffocating me. I thought of my mother, of the debt that had chainedto this hell, and for a fleeting moment, I wondered if it would ever end.

(Angel's POV) Hendrix was avoiding me. Again.

I noticed it during breakfast, when he sat as far fromas possible. His eyes were glued to his plate. He didn't even look up when Thomas slid into the seat besideand leaned closer than necessary. It wasn't like Hendrix to be this distant. Even when we fought, there was always a lingering sense of connection. But now? It felt like a wall had been built between us, and I didn't know how to break it down.

I tried catching his eye during group therapy, but he avoided my gaze. When I approached him afterward, he muttered something about needing to be somewhere and walked away before I could say a word.

By the tevening rolled around, I was at my breaking point. The weight of everything-the journal, the center's secrets, Thomas, and now Hendrix-was crushing me. I needed to talk to him. I needed to know what was going on.

I found him in the courtyard, sitting on one of the benches with his head tilted back, staring at the sky. He looked tired, his shoulders slumped, and there was a bandage peeking out from under his sleeve. I wondered if he'd been skipping treatments again.

"Hendrix," I called softly as I approached.

He didn't look at me. "What do you want, Angel?" I flinched at the coldness in his tone but pressed on. "I need to talk to you." "About what?" he asked, still not looking at me.

I sat down beside him, keeping a small distance between us. "About you. About us. You've been so... distant lately. What's going on?" He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "There is no 'us,' Angel. Not anymore." The words hitlike a punch. "What are you talking about? Of course there's an 'us.' We've been through too much"

"Too much," he interrupted sharply. He finally turned to look at me; his eyes were filled with something th couldn't quite get. Anger? Pain? Resentment? "That's the problem, Angel. We've been through too much. And now you're with Thomas, acting like everything's fine while this place is slowly eating us alive." I stared at him as my chest tightened. "I'm not acting like everything's fine. I'm trying to hold it together, for all of us." "For all of us?" he repeated sarcastically. "Or just for him?" I froze at the accusation. "This isn't about Thomas." "Isn't it?" he shot back. "Every tI see you with him, I-" He stopped himself and ran a hand through his hair. "Forget it. It doesn't matter." "Yes, it does," my voice was trembling as I spoke. "Hendrix, you're pushingaway, and I don't understand why. Talk to me. Please."

He stood abruptly and clenched his hands into fists. "Stay out of Dr. Joe's way, Angel He's watching you more closely, and you're playing with fire." I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. "What? What does Dr. Joe have to do with this?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked away, leavingsitting there with a thousand questions and el no answers. The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over, and I buried my face in my hands. How had things gotten so messed up?