2
A violent surge of hope arose within . Was Dad finally going to release now? Does he finally believe ? But his next words killed all my hope.
"I’ve had enough of her screams. Finish her off. No one kills my son and goes scot-free."
My shoulders slumped and my body gave up.
The pain doubled as sothing sharp pierced through the flesh beneath my ribs... Another blow struck my head, and tiny black dots clouded my vision.
The last thing I saw through the haze and all the ringing in my ears was Lucas and Vanessa kissing passionately.
The torture, combined with my family’s rejection and Lucas’s betrayal, was all too much.
It was all too much to handle. My heart finally stopped, and everything went black.
~~~
Did I die? Is this how being dead feels? Everything felt numb and still.
Too quiet... Too suffocating...
At least I don’t have to prove myself as a worthy mafia princess to Dad anymore. Vanessa would finally be rid of . Mom can finally love her biological daughter freely without feeling guilty about .
And Nathan, oh Nathan, my beloved big brother. If destiny were to offer a second chance, I’d make them all pay. I’ll make them regret touching my brother... my only real family.
~~~
Wait...
What is that sound?
Is that beeping sounds?
How long have I been dead? Is this the afterlife?
Voices sounded near , voices I didn’t recognise.
"My dear wife, I know it’s hard to believe, but she doesn’t have the scar; she’s not our Isabelle," a man’s voice said.
"I know," a woman’s low voice said. It sounded as if she were crying. "But look at her; she’s the spitting image of our Isabelle. After she disappeared 2 weeks ago, all efforts to locate her have proven futile. If she is not my Isa, tell , why did the universe make our n co across her? Does this an sothing happened to our Isa? Why can’t we find her?"
"I also don’t know why she ca to us, but haven’t you wondered who did this to her? It’s a miracle she’s still alive. Poor girl, she must have suffered," the man said.
"That’s what scares . What if Isa is also suffering like this sowhere?" The woman asked in a hoarse voice. "Do you think she blas us? If we hadn’t asked her to accept the marriage alliance with the Knights, she would still be here with us," she continued.
"Please, Estelle, it’s not good for your health to keep overthinking and putting yourself under such stress. The n are still searching for her. I promise, I’ll return her to you soon. Just stop blaming yourself, alright?" The man coaxed the woman in a gentle voice.
I tried to pry my eyes open, but an unbearable pain tore through , causing to wince.
Everywhere hurt... And this didn’t sound like the afterlife.
I finally opened my eyes with much difficulty and found myself lying on a bed... Am I in a hospital?
The beeping sounds from earlier ca from the monitors that were connected to .
An elegant-looking woman who looked like soone in her late thirties and a stern-looking middle-aged man stood by the window.
They must be the people I had heard talking.
"You’re awake?" A voice said, close to , and my eyes turned in the direction of the voice.
I found myself looking into the eyes of a woman in a doctor’s coat.
I realised I didn’t know any of the faces before .
"Where am I?" I tried to ask, my eyes darting around warily, but nothing ca out.
"Don’t be scared. You’re in safe hands. I don’t think you can speak right now. It seems you were choked very badly," she explained slowly, her gaze filled with pity.
Her palms pressed around my neck and chest as if to examine , but I froze as the mories returned with a vengeance.
I began to thrash wildly on the bed.
It was as if everything was happening all over again: the collar choking my neck, the pain from yanking my nails, and the shock from the electric chair.
Everything returned with full force.
"Calm down."
"No one is going to hurt you."
"You’re safe."
"Mr. Quinn, please help hold her down. Rita, get the sedatives... Hurry!"
The doctor’s voice sounded faraway, and I could see the woman and the man from earlier approaching . The man held down.
The woman’s face was filled with concern as she stared down at , but try as I might, I couldn’t calm down.
"Aaahhhh... Noooo... Please..." The high-pitched cries of a woman echoed in the room as another woman who looked like a health worker drew sothing into a syringe and injected my arm, while the others were trying to hold down.
That was when I realised... The cries ca from .
The broken woman who was screaming her lungs out was .
~~~
Today, I woke up to an empty room—alone. Which was surprising.
I didn’t know how long it was, but I’ve been slipping in and out of consciousness.
The pain wasn’t as unbearable as the first ti, but it was still there.
It was negligible.
Many tis, I’ve felt soone tending to , checking up on my wounds and cleaning up.
Most tis I’ll pry my eyes open, only to find myself staring into the gentle eyes of the woman from before. From the nitbits I heard in my slumber, her na was ’Estelle’.
"I-Isa, you’re awake. My little princess, can you hear ? No, sorry about that. Did I frighten you?" She had mumbled in a daze the second ti I regained consciousness.
"You look so much alike." I just stared at her, tongue-tied, until the darkness claid again.
The third ti I woke up, it was to another conversation between the matriarch, Estelle, and the patriarch.
"You can forget about sending her away. She stays. Dr. Noelle says she keeps getting better," Estelle said. It sounded like they were having an argunt about .
"I didn’t say I’m sending her away, but she has her own family. What if they’re searching for their daughter’s whereabouts just like us? I just want us to do the right thing by reporting to the authorities," the patriarch explained.
"No! Let’s wait for her to regain consciousness first. I’m sure there’s sothing wrong sowhere," Estelle insisted.
Not wanting them to continue arguing over , I drew their attention towards .
"Umm... Hello... Can I get so water?" I called out hoarsely.
Estelle practically pounced on .
"Oh child, you’re finally awake? You’re safe... Mummy would protect you, ok?" she said gently, her eyes filled with so much affection.
She later helped drink so water, which helped to soothe my parched throat.
"Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Should I call the doctor?" She had asked, looking worried.
Again, I kept staring at her in a daze as I took in the genuine concern in her eyes.
Was it possible for a total stranger to show such kindness?
I had mulled over the question over and over again in my mind until my brain turned fuzzy from overthinking and the darkness took again.
Today is my fourth ti of regaining consciousness, and from the whispers of the servants and Estelle, I learnt about the identities of my saviours.
I was in the Quinn family mansion, and they had found beneath a cliff near their vacation ho, which was in the woods out of town.
Apparently, they had a daughter who looked just like , and she had run away from ho because of an arranged marriage.
Since I woke up alone without anyone in sight, I decided to find out more about this mansion.
~~~~
After struggling to get out of bed, I approached the window to take a look.
I had just stood there for three seconds when I retreated behind the curtains. A guard turned to look in my direction; it was as if he felt my gaze.
The number of guards surrounding the mansion and how vast the landscape looked from the little I had seen just now already told the Quinns weren’t small fries.
Their guards walked around with that chanical deanour of trained soldiers; they weren’t like the thugs in the Swan household.
They seed to be very rich too, far richer and more powerful than the Swan family.
The sheets on the bed, the decorations, and the large fountains shimring under the sunset were a dead giveaway. They ca from old money... No, an old mafia family.
Even their maids acted like professional hotel staff.
Unfortunately, because I didn’t have any interest in the mafia world, I hardly rembered any information about them.
So far, they haven’t shown any displeasure at my being in their mansion, but I couldn’t keep staying here.
It won’t be long before they find out about my identity and my past, and they’ll kick to the curb.
No matter what happens, I’ll escape tonight. I won’t wait for them to cast out, or worse, hand over to the Swans.
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