Chapter 23: Maria's Plot to Destroy Kayla

I woke up in a sterile, white hospital room, disoriented and groggy. The first person I saw was Lilith, standing by the window, her back turned to me. "I brought you some flowers," she said, as if it were a normal visit.Fury boiled inside me. I grabbed the flowers from the vase and hurled them at her. "Are you out of your damn mind, Lilith?!""Hey, that's rude," she remarked casually, turning to face me without a hint of remorse.Tears welled in my eyes as I struggled to contain my rage. "I knew you were evil, dangerous even, but this... this is beyond anything I could have imagined. You're not just a psychopath or a sociopath. You're a literal devil.""I haven't done anything wrong," she replied, her tone annoyingly calm."Taking innocent lives isn't wrong?" I cried, my voice breaking. "You knew I wouldn't die from the drugs. This wasn't an attempt to kill me; you used people as pawns—sacrifices—to make your point. You deliberately targeted others.""I didn't see them as innocent. They attended an illegal rave, so they were guilty of a crime," she said dismissively."But who are you to be their judge, jury, and executioner?" I spat. "And why should the punishment be death?""Why not?" she responded nonchalantly. "Who says I can't decide what punishment fits? Why can't the penalty be execution?"I opened my mouth to argue but faltered. "Well... Because..." I couldn't find the words.Lilith took a step closer, her gaze piercing. "I am a homunculus. I am not human. We are superior beings, above mankind. No one is more qualified to judge than us. And since I am the most superior homunculus, that role is mine to fulfill.""You're a psycho," I whispered, the weight of her words sinking in.Just then, a knock on the door interrupted us. Lilith smiled, as if she had orchestrated everything. "Looks like you have some visitors."She stepped aside, allowing them to enter. To my shock, standing before me were all five of my boyfriends. What in the world was going on? This had to be Lilith's doing too."Kayla... explain what's going on," one of them said, his expression a mix of confusion and concern.Another added, "How can you date multiple guys at the same time? That's disgusting!""You unfaithful whore," he spat, the accusation dripping with venom.My chest tightened. Another said, "You shattered my heart, Kayla. I gave you my love, my trust..."Another's face contorted with rage. "What you did is beyond forgiveness, Kayla. You just wait and see what I'm going to make you pay for..."I met their fury with defiance. "I never promised any of you exclusivity," I shot back, my voice sharp."What in God's name is that supposed to mean, Kayla?!""Life is fleeting!" I exclaimed, my voice rising. "I'm desirable, I have options. How could you possibly expect me to confine myself, to waste my prime?""You're despicable," he snarled, his eyes filled with disgust. "Truly despicable."Behind the closed door, Maria listened, a cruel smile playing on her lips.Released from the sterile confines of the hospital, I returned home under the veil of evening. A somber thought settled upon me: perhaps the creation of homunculi was a mistake.Lilith, the supposed mother of demons, felt like an apt comparison. And I, with my choices, seemed to inflict my own brand of harm. Doubt crept in – were my sisters also contributing to some subtle decay of humanity?A sudden hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my gasp. Before I could react, a familiar figure loomed behind me, his grip like iron.It was Mark, one of my now ex-boyfriends.He dragged me, struggling, towards his car. Panic flared as he shoved me inside, the rough fabric of a robe binding my wrists. The metallic tang of duct tape sealed my screams.His words from the hospital echoed in my mind, no longer an empty threat: "You just wait and see what I'm going to make you pay for..."Terror seized me. Rape. Murder. The horrifying possibilities blurred together. He drove with a grim purpose, finally stopping in the suffocating darkness of the woods.The passenger door wrenched open, and I was hauled out. The sticky tape ripped from my mouth, the sudden silence amplifying my fear. "What are you going to do to me?" I whispered, my voice trembling.His gaze was cold, devoid of the love I once knew. "Kayla," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "what you did to me... it can never be forgiven.""Please! Don't hurt me!" My voice trembled, fear coiling in my stomach."But you hurt me, Kayla," he snarled, his voice thick with betrayal. "You ripped my heart out. Why shouldn't I return the favor? Is your pain somehow more valuable than mine?""I didn't mean to," I stammered, tears welling. "I'm... I'm wired differently, Mark. I crave intensity, pleasure. That's why I sought connection with multiple men.""So your inherent selfishness justifies inflicting pain on others?" His eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint within them."I'm sorry, Mark," I choked out, the words raw with desperation. "Truly sorry. I understand I was wrong. I'll do anything to make this right. I promise, this won't happen again.""And how exactly will you guarantee that?" He leaned closer, his breath hot against my face.A fragile hope flickered within me. "I'll... I'll seek professional help. A psychiatrist. I need to understand why I do this.""Would you... would you still want to be with me?" His voice softened, a flicker of the man I once knew breaking through the anger."No," I whispered, the word a painful admission. "I can't. Not after this.""Why the hell not?!" His anger surged back, stronger than before."Because you kidnapped me, Mark!" I cried, the reality of my situation crashing down."Because you betrayed me!" he roared. "You shattered everything we had!""But I never promised you monogamy!" I argued, a desperate plea for understanding. "That was never part of our agreement.""Some things are implied, Kayla! They're the foundation of trust!" He gestured wildly. "But for someone like you, with your insatiable need for... for everything, perhaps death is the only lesson you'll learn. But before I end you, I deserve at least one more taste."