ANA:
I stand alone in the dark, the wind brushing past me, but I can't see a thing. My vision is useless—only my hearing remains sharp. I hear my breath, fast and ragged, the sound of panic echoing in the silence. I don't know where I am. I don't know who I am. And I have no idea where this place is.
But I can feel him. He's here.
The Devil.
"Why?" My voice trembles as I speak to the void. "Why are you still here, haunting me? Why won't you show yourself? Why do you torment me like this?"
No answer. Just the cold, empty air.
Is he here to watch me fall, or is he somehow my saviour? I don't know. I don't know anything.
Suddenly, a flicker cuts through the darkness—a flicker of fire.
I run. As fast as I can. I don't dare look back, but I feel it, the fire licking at my heels, closing in on me.
Why does it always have to be me? Why am I the one who has to suffer? Why do I feel like everyone is hiding something from me?
"Ouch!" I cry out as the flames kiss my skin, leaving a searing burn. I glance down at my hand—a scar, old and familiar.
How did I get this? Who gave it to me?
A flashback strikes me—a hidden memory buried deep in the shadows of my mind.
Fire.
The same kind of fire was everywhere. I stood in the center of a grand house, flames surrounding me. A hand reached out to me, beckoning. I tried to grab it. I screamed. I cried. I reached out—but I couldn't escape.
And now, that same feeling grips me again.
Another hand appears before me. This time, I don't hesitate. I grab it.
And then—I wake up. Gasping for air, my heart pounding in my chest.
Faces surround me, watching.
Where am I?
I blink, realizing I'm home, in my own room, sitting on my bed. My guards—Robert, Rika—and Dr. Helia are standing around me. Their expressions vary—worry, irritation, and... anger.
And the anger belongs to none other than Helia.
"There you are!" Rika exhaled in relief, her eyes scanning me anxiously. Robert, standing beside her, mirrored the same worry. "Thank God you're safe!"
I forced a weak smile. "I'm fine, Rika..." I muttered. "It's just..."
"Leave," Helia interrupted sharply, her voice slicing through the moment like a blade. Everyone turned to her, stunned by her coldness. She didn't blink—her silent command was enough to make them all leave. Rika gave me one last worried look before she stepped out, the door closing with a harsh thud.
And just like that, the loneliness returned. Only this time, I wasn't alone. I was left with Helia. A very angry Helia.
"Look, I'm sorry, Dr. Helia... it was just—"
"I don't want to hear your excuses anymore, Ana," she cut me off, her words biting. "You're nothing but a nuisance. All you ever do is create problems. Maybe that's why no one wants you around."
Her words stung, confusion and anger rising within me. "What are you talking about?"
Helia's eyes narrowed as she bared her teeth. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you cause me every single day?" She advanced toward me, her voice dripping with venom. "I almost lost my job because of you. Your father thought I wasn't doing enough to take care of you when, all along, you were the problem."
"I was caught off guard in the fire, I didn't—"
"And I paid the price for it!" she snapped, stepping closer until her face was inches from mine. She gripped my chin between her fingers, forcing me to meet her gaze. "Listen to me, Ana. I run this house now. And I won't let you ruin my plans when I'm this close to success."
Helia began to circle me, her words seeping with arrogance. "Once my thesis is finished, I'll use it to get into New York Medical School. And I won't have to waste another second on you. So until then, you will stay out of my way. Got it?"
I nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks, helpless against her cruelty.
"Good," she sneered. "Your father is furious with you, and he should be. A daughter like you—useless, causing nothing but problems. No wonder your so-called boyfriend left you. Even your own mother left you."
"Shut up!" I screamed, fury burning through my chest. "You don't get to talk about my mother!"
Helia chuckled darkly, enjoying my pain. "Oh, but I will. You think I don't know about your little fling? How did he abandon you too? Probably because he's fed up. Because you're a troublemaker, ugly, and irritating, maybe he found someone better and couldn't stand the sight of you anymore. And your mother? I think she never wanted you in the first place. Maybe this is why she left you."
"Shut up!" I yelled again, my voice cracking.
Her wicked grin widened. "You're under my care, and your father's given me full control. So from now on, you'll follow my rules. And believe me, Ana, things won't go your way."
I stood frozen, the weight of her words crushing me. This was my fate—trapped with this monster for God knows how long.
I watched as she left the room, her cruel laughter lingering in the air. And the moment the door shut, I collapsed, the sobs wracking my body uncontrollably.
It was midnight when the thunder crashed outside as if nature itself was furious. I sat huddled in my room, the heavy rain battering against the windows. My bodyguards were stationed just beyond the door—more like prison guards than protectors, keeping me trapped inside.
Helia's cruel words echoed in my mind. Was it true? Did Lorenzo leave me because he was tired of me? Did my mother ever truly love me? Each question hit harder than the last. Am I really that worthless?
Tears slid down my cheeks, hot and silent as I cried into the darkness. Maybe Helia was right. Maybe I am nothing but a troublemaker, a burden.
Newsflash: The unidentified body found near the abandoned mansion has finally been identified as Narco Sanderson.
The news spread like wildfire, breaking the internet—The Mystery Death of Narco Sanderson: Was it truly an accident, a murder, or an act of revenge? reported the local news anchor. David and the BPD were investigating, but with everything happening, I wasn't sure what to do next.
A deafening roar of thunder tore through the night, and suddenly the lights went out. My heart pounded as the room plunged into blackness. I gasped, instinctively pulling my knees to my chest as I sat frozen on the bed. What just happened? I wasn't allowed to leave, but I could hear my bodyguards moving away from the door as if something had drawn them away.
That's when the window creaked open.
The storm outside howled through the room, and then, through the rain-soaked curtains, he stepped in.
His figure was shrouded in darkness, his clothes clinging to him, drenched from the rain. But there was something more than just water dripping from him—blood. His hair was disheveled, and half of his face was concealed under a mask. But what unsettled me most was the smirk playing on his lips.
"Hello, Estrellita," he drawled, his voice low and menacing. "I've come to collect my due."