When I woke up, the world was dark and suffocating. My wrists and ankles burned from the rough rope binding them, and my face felt raw where the tape stretched across my mouth. The van jolted over uneven roads, each bump sending pain shooting through my aching body. I wanted to cry, to scream, but exhaustion pulled at me, the weight of everything that had happened crashing down. My mother. Jenny. Gone. My home, my life—reduced to nothing but smoke and blood.

I fought back, I remembered that much. But there were too many of them. And now, I was here—being carted off to some unknown fate. My baby stirred inside me, a soft fluttering that reminded me why I couldn’t give up. I had to survive. I had to protect the only thing I had left.

At some point, the fight drained out of me. My eyes closed, and the darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke again, the air was stale and cold. My head pounded, and my limbs were stiff from being tied for so long. I opened my eyes to dim light filtering through cracks in the wooden walls. It was an abandoned place—dusty, silent, and filled with the scent of decay. My hands were still bound, my mouth still taped. Panic threatened to rise, but I forced myself to stay calm. The baby needed me strong.

Time passed slowly. I lost track of the hours. Then, finally, I heard footsteps—two sets. The door creaked open, and two men walked in. They were rough-looking, their eyes hard and suspicious.

“She’s awake,” one of them grunted.

“Good. Means less dead weight,” the other sneered.

I knew I had to think fast. I mumbled against the tape, trying to get their attention. They exchanged glances before one of them walked over and ripped the tape off my mouth. I bit back a cry of pain.

“I—I need the bathroom,” I said, my voice trembling. “Please. I’m pregnant. I—”

Their eyes flickered with hesitation. The one closest to me frowned. “We’re not supposed to—”

“Please,” I begged, my voice cracking. “I need to go. The baby—”

After a tense moment, they relented. “Fine. But no funny business.”

They untied my ankles and guided me to a filthy, rundown bathroom. Once inside, they stayed close, but I used the door for cover. My heart pounded as I scanned the tiny space, searching for anything I could use. I spotted a rusted pipe jutting out from the wall. Grabbing it, I twisted hard until it broke free with a soft crack.

The second they opened the door, I struck. The pipe hit one of them across the head, and he crumpled with a groan. The other lunged, but desperation gave me strength. I jabbed the pipe into his stomach and ran.

The cold air hit me as I burst out of the building, my legs screaming in protest. I didn’t look back. The sound of shouts followed me, but I pushed forward, my baby’s safety the only thing on my mind.

I ran until my lungs burned and my vision blurred. When I heard their voices getting closer, I spotted a large, empty barrel and crawled inside, curling up and trying to quiet my ragged breaths. The voices passed, and eventually, the night grew silent.

When I emerged, the world was still and dark. I stumbled forward, every muscle aching, until I saw the silhouette of a field house in the distance. With the last of my strength, I made my way inside.

The pain started soon after.

It hit fast and hard, and I knew—I was going into labor. Fear gripped me, but there was no time for it. I had no choice but to deliver my baby alone.

Hours passed in a haze of agony and determination. And then, finally, the cries of my baby girl filled the air.

Tears streamed down my face as I held her close, her tiny body warm against mine. For the first time in what felt like forever, hope blossomed in my chest. “Chloe... My baby...”

But exhaustion won. My eyes closed, and the world faded.

When I woke up, she was gone.

Panic tore through me as I scrambled to my feet, searching the field house. I called out, my voice breaking, but there was no answer. My baby—my precious baby—was gone.

I ran outside, the cold biting into my skin, but I didn’t care. I ran and ran, searching the endless fields, my heart pounding in terror. But there was nothing. No sign of her.

Desperation drove me to the highway. The sound of an approaching car made me stumble forward, waving my arms. The last thing I saw was the blinding glare of headlights before the impact.

And then—darkness.

When I woke again, the scent of antiseptic filled my nose. I blinked against the harsh hospital lights, my body heavy and aching. And then the memories crashed down on me.

My baby.

I tried to sit up, but pain held me down. Tears filled my eyes.

“Where’s my baby?” I whispered.

No one answered.

“My baby!” I screamed, my voice raw and frantic. “Where is my baby?!”

Wires and tubes were attached to my arms, restricting my movements, but I thrashed against them, my heart pounding wildly. My hands clutched the sheets, my nails digging into my palms as I fought against the overwhelming panic.

The door burst open, and a man and a woman rushed in. The woman came to my side, her hands reaching for me, her voice soft and soothing, but I didn’t want comfort. I wanted answers.

“Where is she?” I sobbed, my voice breaking as tears spilled down my face. “Where is my daughter?”

The man’s voice was sharp and commanding. “Calm down.”

I barely registered him as I continued to cry, my body shaking uncontrollably. But then his voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

“If you don’t calm down, I will return you to the place we found you.”

I froze.

My breath hitched, my fingers curling into the thin hospital blanket. That place. The abandoned house. The field. The night I gave birth. My child—gone. The agony clawed at my chest, but his threat made me pause. Whoever this man was, he had the power to send me back to the nightmare I had barely escaped.

I swallowed hard, forcing my breath to slow, though the sobs still wracked my body. My hands trembled as I clutched the fabric of my hospital gown. “Please,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Help me find my child.”

The man’s sharp gaze didn’t waver, but after a tense moment, he nodded. “We will, but you need to calm down first.”

The woman beside me placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, her expression filled with sympathy. “Let’s get you back into bed, okay?”

I let them guide me, though every muscle in my body was tense. The man turned on his heel, exiting without another word, his presence as cold and distant as the winter air. Hera waited until the door clicked shut before she spoke again.

“I’m Hera,” she said gently. “And that was my brother, Hector. We’re the reason you’re here.”

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Why?”

Hera sighed. “We hit you with our car. You ran into the highway, unconscious. We couldn’t just leave you there.”

Everything felt like a blur. The field, the empty space where my baby should have been, the cold pavement before the blinding headlights swallowed me whole. My stomach twisted. I clutched the blanket around me tighter.

“Do you remember what happened?” Hera asked cautiously.

I hesitated. I didn’t know if I could trust them. But what other choice did I have?

“I was kidnapped,” I said, my voice hoarse. “They took me from my home. My mother... my best friend...” My voice cracked. “They killed them. They burned my house. And then they took me away because I was pregnant with the child of a man who belonged to another woman.”

Hera sucked in a sharp breath. “Who?”

I met her gaze, my fingers curling into fists. “Antonio Russo. Or as I once knew him, Paolo Santoro.”

The reaction was immediate. Hera stiffened, her eyes widening in shock. Before she could respond, a deep voice cut through the room.

“You know them? De Santis and Russos?”

I turned sharply, finding Hector standing in the doorway. He hadn’t left after all. He had been listening. His expression was unreadable, his presence dark and imposing.

I nodded slowly. “They took everything from me. And I want to make them pay.”

Hector studied me for a long moment, then stepped forward. “You're not the only one who has unfinished business with them.”

My chest tightened, but I met his gaze with unwavering determination. “What do you mean?”

Hector’s jaw tightened slightly, his dark eyes narrowing. “The De Santis family owes me more than just money. They owe me a debt that can never be repaid. And Antonio Russo? He’s just another piece of the filth tied to them.”

Hera’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t interrupt as Hector continued. “You want revenge, Alicia? Then you’re going to have to cooperate with me. Because I want the exact same thing.”

A shiver ran down my spine. This wasn’t just about me anymore. Hector had his own vendetta, one that ran deeper than I could understand. And yet, I could feel the intensity in his words, the weight behind them.

He walked toward me, his presence looming, and then he extended his hand.

“But if you want true revenge, you have to forget Alicia Costa. That name is already known to them. After what they’ve done to you, they probably already think you’re dead. Or, if they found out you had escaped, I am certain that they will be watching, and waiting for you to make a move. So, as long as you remain as Alicia, you will never get close enough to destroy them.”

My pulse raced, my breath shallow as his words sank in. Forget Alicia Costa? Bury who I was? My entire life, my identity—gone?

Hector’s voice was calm, but it held an undeniable finality. “You need to become someone else. Someone untouchable. A woman they would never see coming. You need a new identity, a new life, a new purpose.”

I clenched my fists, swallowing down the last remnants of hesitation. If this was what it took, if this was the price I had to pay to make them suffer as I had suffered—then so be it.

Hector’s lips curled into a smirk, his dark eyes gleaming. “You will become Francheska Falcon. My wife. My dead wife.”

My breath caught in my throat. I had lost everything. I had nothing left to lose. And yet, this offer... this deception...

It was my only way forward.

I reached out and took his hand.

And with that, my vengeance will begin.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, Hera and Hector took me to a secluded estate—Hector’s secret place, as he called it. The drive was silent, tension thick in the air. I could barely process what was happening. I was no longer Alicia Costa. I had agreed to bury her.

Inside the house, Hector and Hera sat me down and told me about Francheska Falcon.

“Everyone still believes she’s alive,” Hector said, his voice steady but cold. “She died while we were abroad, but no one knows the truth except me and Hera.”

I swallowed hard. “How did she die?”

Hector’s jaw tightened. “Her death is tied to the debt the De Santis family owes me.”

He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t push. Instead, Hera took over, describing Francheska in detail.

“She was timid, reserved, always hiding from the crowd,” she said. “She loved flowers, just like you. And she was a painter.”

My breath hitched. “She painted?”

Hera nodded. “She found solace in it.”

Just like me. Memories of my mother encouraging me to paint when my father died flashed in my mind. Francheska and I were eerily similar. It was almost as if fate had placed me in her shoes before I even realized it.

Hector leaned forward, his dark gaze piercing. “Your resemblance to her is uncanny, but it’s not enough. If you want revenge, you need to fully become her.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You need to change your face.”

The words slammed into me like a blow. I stared at him, frozen.

Hera sighed. “It’s the only way. The De Santis and Russos know Alicia Costa. If you go after them with this face, they’ll find you before you can even make your move.”

My stomach twisted. Changing my face meant erasing every trace of Alicia Costa. There would be no turning back.

Hector watched me, his expression unreadable. “It’s your choice. But if you truly want to destroy them, this is the only way.”

I clenched my fists, my heart hammering in my chest. This was the price of revenge. The final nail in Alicia Costa’s coffin.

I exhaled sharply and nodded. “Do it.”

Hera squeezed my hand. “We’ll go to Bay City. I have a private clinic there. No one will know.”

The next day, Hera and I left. The journey felt surreal, as if I were being transported into someone else’s life. In a way, I was.

The surgery was brutal. Darkness consumed me, and when I woke, a searing pain engulfed my face. My entire body felt heavy, as if I had been buried alive.

Blinking through the haze, I turned my head slightly and froze. Hector was sitting beside me.

“You’re awake,” he murmured, his voice rougher than usual.

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Why are you here?”

His gaze flickered with something unreadable. “I needed to see if it worked.”

I wanted to scoff, but the pain was too much. I shut my eyes, exhaustion pulling me under again.

Days passed. The recovery was slow, and Hector and Hera were there through it all. It was strange, seeing Hector—cold, ruthless Hector—handling me as if I were fragile. He barely spoke, but his presence never wavered.

The day the bandages were removed, my heart pounded violently in my chest. I took a deep breath and faced the mirror.

I gasped.

Hera had done it. The face staring back at me wasn’t mine. It was hers. Francheska Falcon.

I reached up with trembling fingers, touching my new features. The same high cheekbones, the same delicate lips. The same woman Hector had once loved.

I turned to him, searching his face for a reaction. His eyes darkened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Hector—”

Before I could finish, he grabbed me and pulled me into a crushing embrace. His body trembled slightly against mine.

“Alicia,” he murmured, his breath warm against my hair. “We need to make this worth it. You and Francheska deserve justice.”

His words sent a shiver through me, but the intensity in his voice, the raw, restrained fury, made my breath hitch. There was something dark, something deeply personal in the way he said it, as if every syllable carried the weight of his torment.

“It was Sergio De Santis,” he whispered, his voice thick with something unspoken, something lethal. “He forced himself on her. Again and again. He broke her in ways no one could see, made her feel powerless, worthless.” His grip on my arms tightened, his fingers digging into my skin, as if grounding himself in the present, as if stopping himself from completely unraveling. “He didn’t just hurt her,” Hector continued, his tone laced with venom. “He destroyed her. He made her feel like nothing, like she was just another pawn in his twisted games. And when she had no way out… she ended it herself.”

I stilled, my heart stopping for a beat, the weight of his words crushing down on me like a collapsing building. My mind reeled, flashes of my own suffering intertwining with hers. And then another realization struck—Sergio wasn’t just any monster. He was the father of the woman who had orchestrated my ruin, Serena De Santis-Russo. My mind screamed at me to process, to react, but all I felt was an overwhelming numbness spreading through my veins.

“She was his niece.” The revelation was a dagger to my gut, twisting deeper with every second. My breath hitched, nausea coiling in my stomach. This wasn’t just about revenge anymore. This was about the tangled web of power and cruelty that had ruined both Francheska and me. Sergio had destroyed his own niece, and his daughter had ensured my downfall. The De Santis family had orchestrated both of our tragedies.

My stomach lurched. If I became Francheska, I wouldn’t just be playing Hector’s wife—I would be walking straight into the den of the family that had stolen everything from me. Sergio had tormented Francheska until she took her own life, and Serena had torn mine apart without a second thought. Now, I would be playing the role of a woman who had suffered at the hands of the very man whose daughter had helped orchestrate my destruction. I would be walking into the lion’s den, living the life of a woman who had been violated by the same man who had ruined mine.

And there was no backing out now. The stakes had shifted. My revenge was no longer just about me—it was about Francheska, about Hector, about justice for the innocent lives Sergio had shattered.

I clenched my fists, my resolve solidifying like steel.

I wasn’t just going to take them down.

I was going to make them suffer. Sergio. Serena. And Antonio.