Demi
I stare at my uncle like I don’t recognize him. His words keep circling in my head. For the last two minutes, it still hasn’t made any sense to .
"We’re not leaving anymore," He says again, slower this ti as if repetition will make understand and accept it.
I blink, trying to push away the disbelief. "What do you an we’re not leaving? You were the one who insisted it was safer for sowhere else. You made all the plans, Uncle. You said—" My voice cracks. I bite down on the edge of my lip hard enough to sting. "You said it was the best thing for ."
All day, I’ve been clinging to the idea of leaving Danvarr behind—escaping the whispers of my forr life, the shadows of the Rollins, and the gnawing ache Ashton sohow left in my chest. My uncle promised a fresh start in a new city where no one knows my na, and where the past can’t reach . But now, all of a sudden, he’s pulling the rug out from under ?
"What do you an we’re not leaving?" I repeat, my voice higher than I intend.
He sits stiffly on the armrest of the couch, his hands clasped like he’s bracing himself. His expression is weary and lined with tension I’ve never seen before. "I’m sorry, kid," he mutters, folding his arms across his chest, but his eyes dart away, restless. "But I’ve thought about it again. Pulling you out of Danvarr, away from everyone you’ve known your whole life...it doesn’t seem fair. It could make things harder for you."
"Harder than what? Living in this city where every corner feels haunted?" My pulse pounds at my temples.
His gaze flicks to Anna, who hovers near the doorway wringing her hands, then back to . "My major concern was your safety, yes. But I’ve been thinking... maybe tearing you away from everyone you’ve grown up with will do more harm than good. Especially considering... your condition."
That word condition hits . My amnesia is like this unspoken ghost between us, sothing we don’t say out loud like it’ll only make it worse, but always feel breathing down our necks.
"So, what then?" I snap. "You keep here in the middle of all this ss, just so I can ’stay close’ to people who make feel like an impostor in my own body?" I take a step closer, my fists curling tight. "Tell the truth, Uncle. Did soone threaten you not to take out of here? My throat burns. "Did Ashton threaten you? His family?"
The ntion of his na drags up a fresh ache. The last conversation we had still feels like a purple, raw bruise even though I technically broke up with him.
He shakes his head firmly. "No. It’s nothing like that. Ashton hasn’t said a word to . I just... I’ve had a rethink. You’re better off here, Demi. You have Anna. You have ties that matter. And I’ve asked Lucien to keep you safe. He’ll watch out for you."
Lucien. My gaze flicks toward the door where his shadow lingers faintly against the hall light. The thought of him hovering around as I go about my daily life makes bile tickle behind my throat. Like I don’t have enough shadows haunting .
I draw in a sharp breath. "Just yesterday, you were so sure. You said you wouldn’t risk staying here. Now suddenly you change your mind?" I search his face, but all I see is tension masked under the calm.
A mory cuts through my mind. He had gotten a disturbing phone call earlier. He took it outside, his voice hushed. And when he returned, his face had been pale. I didn’t hear the details, but I felt the weight of it.
"Is this about the call you got? Don’t look at like you don’t know what I am talking about. This is not just about you having a rethink. Soone got to you, didn’t they? It must have been the Rollins family, Ashton especially."
"Demi, stop..."
"Why are you protecting him?"
"I’m not. This has nothing to do with Ashton."
"Don’t lie to ," I whisper. "He said sothing, didn’t he?" I rake a hand through my hair. "I knew he wasn’t going to let go so easily. That family doesn’t want leaving because I’m still their little pawn, their scapegoat."
"Demi—"
"Uncle, I saw your face after that phone call outside yesterday. You looked like soone had put a knife to your throat."
His lips press together. "It was just business, nothing to do with you."
But my gut twists. I don’t buy it. Not for a second.
"And Lucien?" I throw out. "You suddenly decide he should stay with ? You gave options and I made my choice. Why are you having cold feet and foisting a bodyguard on ? You know like the idea of being watched."
Marcel exhales slowly. "Lucien isn’t here to smother you. He’s here because I can’t be everywhere at once. If anything happens—"
"I don’t need a babysitter." My fists curl at my sides. "What I need is to get out of this godforsaken town."
"Demi, please." Anna’s voice cracks as she finally steps in. She looks between us. "Just... listen to him. Don’t make a decision you’ll regret tomorrow. Sotis running feels right, but it only makes the ghosts follow you harder."
Her words sting because they sound too much like the truth. I swallow hard, blinking back the heat in my eyes.
Before I can reply, there’s a sharp knock at the door.
We all freeze.
Marcel frowns, moving toward it cautiously. When he opens it, my breath catches.
Aunt Elizabeth stands in the doorway.
***
Of all the people I least expected, she’s the last.
Her presence fills the space as suffocating as smoke. She’s dressed neatly, her hair pinned back in her usual severe style, but her eyes gleam with sothing I can’t place. Surprise flickers across Anna’s face but for uncle Marcel, it’s unmistakably irritation. ? My breath snags in my throat like a teenager caught sneaking back into her room at 3am from a party she was banned from attending.
Have I always been this uncomfortable in her presence? Anna nudges subtly, leaning close enough for her breath to tickle my ear.
"Don’t say anything. Don’t let her catch on."
I nod quickly, catching her drift. Don’t let Elizabeth catch on about your mory gaps. She’d weaponize it without hesitation. The weight of my amnesia presses down heavier than ever. One wrong word and she’ll know.
"Elizabeth," Marcel mutters with a flat tone.
"Marcel," she returns coolly, though her gaze slides past him until it lands on . Her lips twitch—sowhere between a smile and a grimace. "Demi." She says smoothly, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
I swallow hard. My mind whirls, trying to piece together how to act.
Aunt sets her purse down on the couch. The air instantly grows heavier.
"So." She crosses her arms, turning toward Marcel. "I hear you’re planning to take Demi away for good. I suppose you weren’t planning to inform of this... bold decision?"
Marcel’s nostrils flare. "I don’t need your permission."
Elizabeth’s mouth tightens. "That girl has been under my roof for nearly six years. I raised her when no one else would. And now you think you can just spirit her away just like that?"
Marcel’s laugh is bitter. "Raised her? You tolerated her and barely. Even with the financial support you got on her behalf, you and your daughter couldn’t have the decency to treat her like your own kin. Don’t pretend you suddenly grew a conscience now, Elizabeth."
Aunt flushes, eyes flashing. "At least I welcod her into my ho in spite of the inconvenience. If you were such a good care taker, why didn’t you raise her yourself after your brother’s death? What was your big excuse again, Marcel?" When he only winces, she nods. "I don’t claim to be perfect but at least I tried. And I did what I thought was best for my niece. So, don’t you dare imply I didn’t care about her."
Marcel sneers. "You cared so much you sold her into a marriage with the Rollins for your own greed."
My heart hamrs. I wish they’d stop now.
Elizabeth’s chin lifts boldly. "Contrary to what you all might think, I did it out of love. If it had been Kira in Demi’s position, the result would have been the sa. In fact, I would have given anything to switch the girls if the Rollins family allowed it. What mother would deny her daughter the chance to marry into one of the most powerful families in Danvarr? It was an opportunity for a better future."
Marcel shakes his head slowly, like the words disgust him. "You knew what transpired between the Rollins and the Bransons, yet you still let it happen? CAMILLE WAS YOUR SISTER FOR PETE’S SAKE. HOW COULD YOU BE SO BLINDED BY GREED YOU READILY THREW YOUR NIECE INTO THE JAWS OF THE ENEMY JUST FOR MONEY AND FA?"
Elizabeth’s voice softens. "That was in the past. The police ruled it an accident after the investigation. Despite having strong suspicions, you eventually accepted the police report as well so why are you still holding a grudge" Her eyes snap to . "Demi. You must rember how you were thoroughly convinced your parents were murdered but your uncle here quelled everything and assured us the Rollins family were innocent. Tell him."
The room feels suffocating as all eyes are turn to , waiting.
I swallow hard, my palms slick. "It’s... no one’s fault but mine," I manage, my voice barely steady. "That night at the Blue Cove set everything in motion... and it was all my fault. No one else is to bla."
Elizabeth nods quickly, pouncing on it. "See? At least she understands. I am not at fault here."
Marcel’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue.
Elizabeth steps closer, her tone softening as if she suddenly rembers how to play mother. "Demi, sweetheart... you look pale, dear. Why don’t you co ho with . Let’s put an end to all this tension in the family. I can speak with the Rollins family. I can make them stop this... witch-hunt with that stupid blog. You don’t have to try and salvage that relationship if you don’t want to. You don’t need to keep fighting or living in fear either. We can live in peace again. I promise I’ll treat you better this ti."
For a mont, sothing in aches. I want to believe her. I want to believe there’s a place I can go where soone will finally take care of . But the mory of Kira’s cruel words and Elizabeth’s cold indifference burns in my chest. After all, her cruelty feels like yesterday to .
"Thank you, aunty." I whisper. "But I’m staying here with Anna." To affirm, Anna slips her hand through mine and squeezes for reassurance.
"Yes, she is." Anna adds with glee.
Elizabeth’s smile falters. She hides it quickly, but I see the flicker of anger in her eyes. "Very well," she says with a clipped tone. But when her gaze lingers on , it’s sharp and suspicious, like she can sense sothing isn’t right, even if she can’t na it.
Marcel clears his throat. "Elizabeth, let’s talk outside."
They step onto the porch, their voices dropping low, muffled by the walls.
I hover near the window, peering out as their silhouettes shift and gesticulate. Elizabeth looks furious but Marcel looks more exhausted than much else.
Anna snorts from the doorway. "The nerve of that woman, waltzing in here like she’s suddenly a saint and asking you to move back into her house after everything she did to you? Unbelievable." She shakes her head. "I’m going to get ready for work. Don’t let her poison your mind, Demi. She’s a sly fox that can’t be trusted."
When she disappears inside, the house falls eerily quiet.
I sink onto the couch, trying to make sense of it all. Then a buzzing sound jolts . My gaze drifts to the armrest where Marcel left his phone. The screen lights up as it continues to buzz. I reach for it and glance at the caller ID: Raz.
My breath catches. That na... why does it feel oddly familiar?
I stare at the screen until a shadow looms over .
Marcel snatches the phone from my hands. "I was... looking for that."
"Who’s Raz?" I ask sharply. It hardly sounds like the na of a middle-aged man or whatever friend my uncle might keep. Sothing feels weird about it. "Is that the sa person who called yesterday? The one who changed your mind about us leaving?"
He avoids my eyes, slipping the phone into his pocket. "It’s no one you need to worry about."
"That’s not an answer."
"Demi." His voice hardens. "I’m sorry for going back on my word but trust that my decision is heavily anchored towards your wellbeing. You have every legitimate right to stew but, in the anti, don’t trust your aunt. She’s doesn’t care about anyone but herself and Kira. Focus on yourself. Lucien will stay nearby, but he won’t hover unless you want him to. That’s all that matters right now."
Frustration surges hot in my veins as I lurch to my feet. "Where are you going?"
"Sothing ca up. I have urgent business to handle," he says briskly. "I’ll be back soon, I promise." He presses a quick kiss to my forehead. "Stay safe."
"Uncle Marcel, wait..."
But he hurries out, leaving staring at the door, my chest heaving.
Later, after Anna leaves for work, I curl up on the couch. My mind is racing. That na, Raz, gnaws at . I know it. I know I have heard it before but I simply can’t place it. The weight of exhaustion slowly drags my eyes shut and I drift off to sleep.
In a flash, I’m standing in a dim, flickering room. My mother is there, with wild hair and eyes that are bloodshot with rage. She’s screaming at the top of her lungs, her words sharp and venomous.
"You think you can fool ? You’re just like him! You’re an evil and rotten child. You’re out to destroy !"
"Mama," I whisper, tears streaming down my face. "It’s , Demi."
She lunges toward , her nails raking the air. "Don’t call that! Don’t you dare! You’re Raz! You’re the child of the man who ruined !"
Her voice is raw with hate. Father appears just before she claws at my face. He ranges himself between us and steers mother away from , trying to calm her down.
I stumble back, choking on sobs. "I’m not—I’m not Raz!"
But she’s not listening, not to or to uncle. She’s lost to the madness, cursing , accusing , her face twisted with horror.
And for the first ti, I see it in her eyes—she truly doesn’t see as Demi. She sees soone else.
Raz.
I wake with a violent jolt, my body drenched in sweat. The room spins around as I draw my knees to my chest.
Raz.
The na echoes in my skull like a curse.
Who the hell is Raz?
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