I stepped into the sitting room holding my breath and my tears tight in my chest, as my mind raced with different possibilities of why he had called so urgently.
"You called for ," I managed, though my voice felt thin.
He looked up from the tablet in his hand only for a brief second before returning his attention to the screen.
"Have your seat," he said, gesturing vaguely toward the chair before , still refusing to truly look at . "I wanted to show you sothing... and hear your opinion on what should be done."
He extended the tablet toward .
The mont my eyes focused on the clip playing across the screen, I felt my soul drop straight out of my body.
"I never trusted that young man’s words," he said, a cold scoff following the sentence. "I suspected he was up to sothing, so I sent soone to watch him. Seems I was right."
His eyes narrowed on now finally, fully and for one wild mont I wished I were back in Nix’s dining room, being burned alive by his silence... anything but this.
"I... he didn’t..." I stamred, my throat closing, the words refusing to form.
"I don’t care if he knows that Nyxella is his child or not," he said, rising from his seat. His steps were slow, and deliberate each one tightening the knot of dread forming in my stomach. "But my words..."
He stopped right in front of . I curled my fist around the edge of my dress to stop myself from trembling.
"...the day you acknowledge that identity, I will personally be the one to get rid of that child."
The room tilted. My knees gave way and I fell to the floor, cold shock rippling through .
"Not only have you beco weak after having that child," he continued, his voice dripping with disgust, "but also stupid. But do not.. " he leaned closer ".. let that stupidity ruin my plans."
And then he turned and walked out, leaving the door open behind him, and leaving my world suddenly, and violently still.
Everyone believed I’d lost my mories because when they found , I had no strength left to argue. I had no will to live, no mory of how I’d gotten there. I didn’t even know I was pregnant when I first woke up.
And the first person I tried to reach out to was Nix... terrified he might have misunderstood what he saw on the CCTV the image of firing the gun, his mother falling and that it was the reason he didn’t co for .
But no one told the truth.. the truth that the whole world already thought I was dead.
I tried to call him. Over and over. But every ti the line connected... my courage dissolved. I could never bring myself to speak. Not even a breath.
Everyone must have thought that finding my biological father was so kind of blessing...but for , it felt like leaping from the frying pan straight into the fire.
I couldn’t accept being trapped again, caged, monitored, and controlled so I tried to end everything.
And that was when I discovered I had little Nyxella growing inside .
But instead of being relieved...instead of being supportive...my father reacted with sothing close to fury.
He didn’t want to have Nyxella.
For reasons he has never explained.
And when I refused to get rid of her, he only backed down on one condition
That I agreed to forget everything.
My past.
My life.
My mories.
And him.
I swallowed hard and pushed myself up from the floor, blinking rapidly to keep my tears from spilling. My chest burned with the effort of staying quiet and of not breaking again.
But when I lifted my head...
Aunt Rhea was standing in the doorway.
She didn’t speak.
She didn’t ask.
She didn’t push.
She simply walked to and pulled into her arms.
And only then.. only when her embrace closed around like a sanctuary did my tears finally fall
The mont Aunt Rhea’s arms wrapped around , sothing inside gave out.
My fingers curled desperately into her blouse, and I buried my face in her shoulder as quiet, broken sobs escaped .
"Hush... my child," she whispered, stroking the back of my head. "You don’t have to explain anything right now."
But I shook my head, trembling.
"No one believes ," I choked. "No one. Not him... not Father... not anyone."
Aunt Rhea held tighter, almost as if she feared I might vanish if she loosened her grip.
"I believe you," she murmured. "I always have. And I know you’re hurting. But you are not alone, Carla. Not anymore."
Her voice was steady, but I felt the tension in her arms, the anger she wasn’t showing, the fury she was swallowing for my sake.
And when I finally managed to breathe again, she pulled back a little and cupped my face gently.
"Co with ," she said softly. "You shouldn’t be alone right now."
But before she could lead out, she paused... her eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of my trembling fingers.
"What did he say to you?"
My breath hitched.
I tried to shake my head to hide it, to swallow it, to pretend I was stronger than this but the words slipped out anyway.
"H.. he said that... if I ever acknowledged Nyxella’s identity as Nix child and my identity as Nix wife, he would..." My voice broke into a whisper. "He would get rid of her."
Aunt Rhea froze.
For a mont, there was no sound.
No movent.
Only the shift in the air sharp, and dangerous like the silence before a storm.
Her expression hardened, ad the tenderness in her eyes replaced withsothing cold.
"He said that?" she repeated, her voice low.
I nodded, and the sha washed over again, hot and suffocating.
Aunt Rhea straightened, releasing gently.
"Carla... stay here," she said, calm but deadly. "I need to speak with him."
"Aunt.. no, please, don’t.." I pleaded
"Yoh will not raise a child in a house ruled by threats," she said firmly. "And I will not allow anyone to weaponize fear against you ever again."
She turned toward the door, her steps sharp, but decisive.
But before she left, she glanced back at .
"Carla," she said, softer now, "you are not weak. You survived things that would have destroyed anyone else... and you protected your child even when you were barely holding yourself together. That is strength.. not stupidity."
My lips trembled as more tears slid down my cheeks.
"And I promise you this," she added, her eyes fierce.
"No one.. not him, not the past, not fate itself.. will take Nyxella from you."
Her footsteps faded down the hallway, leaving behind only the echo of her promise.
For a long mont, I stayed exactly where I was standing in the middle of the room, my breath trembling, my fingers still curled against my chest as if they were trying to hold my heart in place.
Aunt Rhea’s words replayed in my head like a fragile lullaby.
You protected your child even when you were barely holding yourself together.
That is strength... not stupidity.
I swallowed hard, wiping at my face, but the tears kept falling persistently as though every uncried tear from the past months had finally found its way out.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, staring at nothing, the air around too still and too heavy... until a soft knock broke the silence.
"Madam Carla?" a gentle voice called from the doorway.
I quickly straightened, brushing my cheeks with trembling hands.
"Yes?" My voice was barely stronger than a whisper.
The maid stepped in cautiously, her eyes full of sothing between pity and apology.
"Master asked that I hand these over to you," she said, offering a thick envelope bound with a dark seal. "He also asked that I inform you... preparations have been made for your departure."
"Departure?" The word tasted foreign in my mouth. "Departure to where?"
The maid hesitated for a second as though afraid of how I might react.
"Australia, madam."
My breath caught.
"Australia?" I repeated, stunned. "When... when am I supposed to leave?"
"Tonight," she answered quietly. "He said the arrangents are final."
The room tilted slightly, and I had to reach for the edge of the table to steady myself.
Tonight.
It felt like the floor shifted beneath my feet.
Like soone had taken the little pieces of my world.already cracked, already fragile and swept them away entirely.
"He said," the maid continued carefully, "that everything you’ll need is inside the docunts. And that your belongings will be packed imdiately."
I stared at the envelope in her hands.And my throat tightened.
"So I’m being shipped off," I whispered, more to myself than to her. "Just like that."
The maid lowered her eyes.
"Madam... I’m only delivering the ssage. I’m truly sorry."
I forced a small nod, even though my chest was collapsing in on itself.
"It’s... all right," I lied weakly. "You can leave it there."
She set the envelope on the nearby table, hesitated again as though wanting to comfort , then bowed her head and stepped out, closing the door softly behind her.
Silence poured back into the room.
And I sank slowly into the nearest chair, staring at the envelope as tears welled again not loud, not dramatic, just quiet drops sliding down my cheeks.
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