The nausea hit me like a wave the second I stepped out of bed. I clutched my stomach, groaning as I sat back down, trying to steady myself.
It’s just the stress, I told myself, closing my eyes. Between the fire, Victor’s threats, and the constant fear of being watched, my body was bound to start breaking under the pressure.
I dragged myself into the kitchen and sipped on a glass of water, hoping it would calm the dizziness. But even as I sat there, the world felt tilted, like I wasn’t quite grounded anymore.
The worst part was, I didn’t have time to feel this way. My parents were in danger, and I needed to figure out how to save them. There was no room for weakness.
Later that day, as I sat on the couch staring at the photograph Victor had sent me, my phone buzzed. The name on the screen made my stomach twist: Tessa.
I hesitated before answering, my voice flat. “What do you want now?”
“Lila,” she said quickly, her tone more serious than usual. “We need to talk. Now.”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Unless you have something useful to tell me, Tessa, I’m not interested.”
“I do,” she said firmly. “Meet me at the park. Ten minutes.”
She hung up before I could respond, leaving me no choice but to grab my coat and head out.
When I got to the park, Tessa was already waiting on a bench near the fountain. Her usual smug demeanor was gone, replaced with an expression I could only describe as worried.
“This better be good,” I said, sitting down beside her.
She glanced around, as if making sure we were alone, before leaning closer. “Victor started the fire,” she said bluntly.
I froze, her words sinking in like stones. “What?”
“He wanted to scare you,” Tessa continued. “To send a message. And clearly, it worked.”
My hands clenched into fists as anger bubbled up inside me. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because Victor doesn’t make empty threats, Lila,” she said, her voice low. “If you don’t disappear, he’ll do worse. That fire? That was a warning. Next time, he won’t hold back.”
I stared at her, my heart racing. “How do I know you’re not lying?”
Tessa sighed, running a hand through her hair. “You don’t. But I’ve seen what he’s capable of, Lila. You think you’re untouchable, but you’re not. He’ll break you, just like he breaks everyone who gets in his way.”
I shook my head, my mind reeling. “So, what? You expect me to just run? To leave my parents and everything behind?”
Tessa hesitated, her eyes softening for just a moment. “I’m telling you this because I don’t want to see you end up like Evelyn.”
At the mention of Evelyn’s name, my chest tightened. “What do you know about Evelyn, Tessa? The truth this time.”
She looked away, her jaw tightening. “More than I wish I did.”
Before I could press her further, she stood up abruptly. “Just think about what I said, okay? Because if you don’t… you won’t survive this.”
And with that, she walked away, leaving me alone with more questions than answers.
When I got back to the apartment, there was a small box waiting for me outside the door.
I stared at it for a moment, unease prickling at the back of my neck. Picking it up, I brought it inside and set it on the table, my hands trembling as I opened it.
Inside was a single piece of paper and a small plastic bag containing a DNA test kit.
The note was short, the words scribbled hastily:
“The truth is in your blood. They’re not your real parents.”
My heart stopped, and my hands shook as I read the words over and over again.
It didn’t make sense.
I unfolded the paper further, revealing what looked like an old photograph. It was a picture of a baby—me—being held by a man whose face I didn’t recognize.
On the back of the photo was another message:
“You were taken. They lied to you. Victor knows everything.”
I stumbled back, my head spinning. The nausea from earlier returned with a vengeance as I tried to process what I was seeing.
This had to be a mistake. It had to be some sick joke.
My parents… they couldn’t have been part of this. They couldn’t have lied to me my entire life.
As I sat there, trying to piece everything together, my phone buzzed with another text from the unknown number.
“The video was fake. The truth is coming for you.”