Then Naira walked in.

White dress. Red eyes. Perfect tears.

“Please, Calen, Jason,” she said softly. “She’s our sister too. Isn’t this too cruel?”

She sniffled and wiped her eyes like she couldn’t stand to watch me suffer.

And somehow, they started to feel sorry for her.

I laughed, even with blood in my mouth.

“You’re so good, Naira. Why don’t you become an actress? You’d win a FAMAS award for sure.”

Calen slapped me again, harder.

Jason pulled Naira close, like she was the one who needed comfort.

“Please don’t hurt her anymore,” she said, pretending to cry into his chest. “She doesn’t mean it. She’s just upset.”

I stared at them... my brothers who used to protect me, now completely blind. They couldn’t see me anymore. Only the monster she made them believe I was. And Naira stood there, crying fake tears, knowing she’d won.

....

Then one day, Naira got accepted into a fashion school in Paris, the whole house changed.

For the first time in years, everything was quiet.

My brothers stopped yelling. They stopped hitting me. They just… stopped caring.

No more punishments. No more basement.

They looked past me like I wasn’t even there.

Like I was just a shadow that somehow kept moving.

It should’ve felt peaceful.

But silence can hurt too.

I started studying in secret, late at night when everyone slept. Old books from the library, stolen papers from Jason’s office. I didn’t know why I was doing it. Maybe just to remember I could still think. Turns out, I was good at it. I learned fast. But what’s the point of being smart when you’re locked in a house you can’t escape?

Months passed like that.

The maids barely looked at me anymore.

“Poor thing,” one whispered once. “She used to be the young miss.”

Another laughed. “Now she can’t even lift her head.”

A third muttered as I walked by, “If I were her, I’d run away and never come back.”

I wished I could.

Then one evening, everything shifted again.

Calen called a meeting at the dining hall. Everyone was running around, cleaning, shouting orders. The chandelier was polished, silverware changed twice.

“The Langford company is partnering with the Vale Corporation,” one of the maids said, eyes wide. “They say it’s huge.”

I froze when I heard the next whisper.

“The heir’s coming himself,” another said. “Dane Vale. He ruined three companies just because they crossed him.”

Even the guards looked nervous that night. The whole mansion smelled of polish and fear.

Calen told me to serve wine during the dinner. “Stay quiet,” he said. “Don’t talk unless spoken to.”

So I stood by the wall when they arrived.

Dane Vale walked in first.

Tall. Cold. His eyes were dark red under the light—sharp enough to cut through the air. The whole room went still. Even Calen looked smaller next to him.

Jason laughed too loudly, trying to sound friendly. Calen kept talking about numbers and deals. But Dane didn’t seem to care. He barely nodded, just watched them like he already knew their worth.

When it was my turn to pour the wine, I walked over, trying not to shake. My hands trembled anyway.

He looked up.

Our eyes met for one second. Maybe less. But it was enough.

He didn’t look at me like I was a servant.

He looked at me like he saw something he recognized. Like he saw me.

My heart stopped.

Jason noticed and laughed again. “Don’t mind her, Mr. Vale. That’s one of our servants.”

Dane didn’t answer right away. His gaze stayed on me for a beat longer, and I had to look away before my brothers noticed the way I couldn’t breathe.

That was the first time in ten years someone looked at me and didn’t see a ghost.

Weeks passed after that dinner.

Dane Vale kept coming back to the mansion for meetings with Calen and Jason. He never spoke to me, never even looked at me directly. But sometimes I could feel it... his eyes. Watching quietly from across the room, studying, unreadable.

Calen looked nervous whenever Dane was around. Jason, on the other hand, seemed angry for reasons I didn’t understand.

One afternoon, I was told to stay in the kitchen while they had a meeting. But the door was slightly open, and I could hear everything.

Dane’s voice was calm. “I want her.”

The glass I was holding almost slipped from my hands.

Dane wants me?

Jason’s voice rose, “You can’t be serious! She’s a servant. She’s a murderer. She killed our parents. She doesn’t deserve your time or money.”

Dane didn’t react. “You’ll get the billion dollar contract if you agree.”

There was silence. Then I heard Calen say, after a long pause, “Fine. If that’s what it takes.”

Jason didn’t speak for a while, then muttered something low. Agreement.

My stomach twisted. I didn’t understand what they meant until Calen called me into the living room.

He didn’t look at me when he spoke. “Pack your things. You’re leaving with Mr. Vale.”

I froze. “Leaving?”

Jason walked over, grabbed my arm so hard it hurt. His voice was low but sharp enough to slice through the air. “You better behave around him. Dane doesn’t like clumsy, stupid girls. And he sure as hell doesn’t like murderers.”

I nodded, my voice stuck in my throat. His grip tightened for a second before he let go and turned away without another word.

I went back to my small room and started to pack. Five sets of clothes, all worn and torn from years of washing. No jewelry. No perfume. No shoes that really fit. I folded them slowly, hands shaking, not because I was scared but because I didn’t know what came next.

Before I left, I looked around the room one last time. The cracked walls, the broken lamp, the thin blanket that never kept me warm. The place that took everything from me.

Then I closed the door.

.....

The car ride with Dane was silent. He sat beside me, calm, unreadable, watching my reflection in the window. I didn’t know what he saw. Maybe just a girl who had nothing left to lose.

When we reached his mansion, I couldn’t believe it. The air was clean. The lights were soft. No shouting. No footsteps chasing me down the hall. No eyes filled with hate.

He turned to me. “Here, no one can hurt you.”

Something broke inside me. I started to cry, real tears that wouldn’t stop. I didn’t even know what I was crying for.... fear, relief, or the fact that someone finally said I’d be safe.

He then stepped closer and pulled me into his arms. His chest was warm, steady. My hands gripped his coat like it was the only thing keeping me from falling.

He whispered, “Would you believe me if I said I fell in love with you?”

I wanted to. I needed to.

So I nodded, still crying, my tears soaking into his shirt.

He tilted my chin up and kissed me. Gentle at first, then deeper, stronger. It felt like warmth after a lifetime of cold.

That night, I gave him everything. On the sofa, in the quiet light of his home, I gave him the only thing I still owned—myself.

I thought it was love.

I thought it was freedom.

But it was only the beginning of another kind of cage.

Moving into Dane’s mansion felt like stepping into someone else’s dream.

He gave me the biggest room. The bed was soft, the sheets were silk, the closet full of clothes I never thought I’d wear. There were shoes lined up by color, jewelry that sparkled when the light hit it.

Every morning, someone brought breakfast to my room. Every night, he came home with gifts. But he never took me outside. Not once.

No dinners. No parties. No walks in the city.

One night, I asked quietly, “Can I go with you next time?”

He smiled, leaned in, and kissed me instead of answering.

And just like that, the question was gone.

The staff barely spoke to me. They looked through me like I wasn’t real. Some smiled politely. Most just bowed and left. I tried to pretend it didn’t hurt.

I told myself it was fine. I loved him. He said I was his. That was enough, right?

One night, as he held me, Dane whispered, “I’ll marry you one day.”

I believed him completely.

We spent quiet nights together. He would pull me close, stroke my hair, and say nothing. For the first time in years, I felt safe. Like maybe I finally belonged somewhere.

When he left for Paris, he kissed my forehead and said softly, “Wait for me.”

I did.

Days turned to weeks.

No calls. No messages. But I kept waiting.

Then one morning, while cleaning up the breakfast tray, I heard the maids whispering near the hall.

“I heard Mr. Vale’s fiancée studies in Paris,” one said.

The other gasped. “What about the girl here? Candy? I thought she was the fiancée.”

A quiet laugh followed. “No. She’s just a bed warmer.”

The words hit harder than any slap I’d ever taken. I went back to my room, shut the door, and cried until my eyes burned.

When I woke up the next morning, my body felt heavy. The smell of food made me sick. My head spun every time I stood up.

One of the maids noticed. “You should see a doctor,” she said.

I went alone. My hands shook the whole way.

After the test, the doctor smiled. “Congratulations,” she said softly. “You’re two months pregnant.”

My heart stopped, then started racing. I pressed the paper to my chest, tears spilling down my face. “He’ll be so happy,” I whispered. “I know he will.”

I thanked the doctor and hurried home, holding the report like a treasure.

Maybe now he’d take me out. Maybe now I’d finally belong.

When I reached the mansion, I heard his voice from the living room. My heart jumped. He was back.

I ran toward the sound, smiling so wide it hurt.

Then I heard a laugh.

A woman’s laugh.

I froze. It couldn’t be. I knew that laugh.

I pushed the door open.

Naira was sitting on Dane’s lap, kissing him.

His hands were around her waist.

They both looked up. Dane’s eyes were cold, like he didn’t even recognize me. And Naira? Naira blinked, pretending to be surprised.

“What are you doing here?”

Dane didn’t even stand. “Where have you been?” he asked flatly. Then he turned to the side and added, “Go prepare some drinks and snacks for my visitor.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

My voice came out small and looked at Naira. Really looked at her. “W-why are you here?”

She gave a short, sharp laugh, the kind that felt like a slap. Then she stood, crossing her arms like she owned the place. “You’re really asking me that?”

She lifted her left hand and shoved it in my face. A diamond ring sparkled under the light. “I’m Dane Vale’s fiancée. See this?”

My whole body went cold. The room tilted.

No, it couldn’t be real.

I turned to Dane. My lips trembled. “T-tell me she’s lying.”

He didn’t look at me. Didn’t even flinch. Just stood there, jaw tight, eyes somewhere else.

The silence was worse than anything he could’ve said.

Naira stepped closer, her perfume filling my lungs like poison. “Babe,” she said to him sweetly, “why is that Langford slave in your house?” She pointed at me like I was dirt. “Don’t you remember what I told you? She’s the reason MY mom and dad are dead. Jason and Calen Langford hate her for killing them. They locked her up for years. And now you bring her here? You’re hurting me, Dane. You’re really hurting me.”

My throat closed. I couldn’t even breathe right.

Every word felt like a blade scraping against my ribs.

I waited. Just one word from him. Just something.

But Dane only sighed. His voice was flat. Empty. “Naira, listen. I only brought her here to be my bed warmer. Nothing else. Just someone to warm my bed at night.”

My knees went weak. My fingers shook.

The words didn’t sound real.

Bed warmer?

So that’s all I was...

The maid was right.

The man I thought saved me, the one who promised me safety, a future, was just another monster.

“Oh, okay. You’re a man.“ Naira tilted her head, pretending to understand. “You have needs. Fine.”

She walked over to him and pulled him by the collar. And right there, in front of me, she kissed him. Long and deep.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away.

When she finally let him go, she turned back to me. Her eyes burned with hate.

“You bitch,” she hissed, and before I could step back, her hand cracked across my face.

SLAP!

The sound echoed.

I stumbled, clutching my cheek, feeling the sting crawl under my skin.

“Of all people, it had to be you?” she shouted.

I wanted to say something. Anything. But no words came. Just tears.

Naira raised her hand again, but Dane caught her wrist. “Enough,” he said sharply. Then he looked at me, expression blank. “Candy, go to your room. Don’t come down unless I tell you.”

My voice was gone.

All I could do was nod and walk away, holding my face.

Each step upstairs felt like walking through water.

When I reached my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, shaking. The folded paper slipped from my pocket. The sonogram.

I stared at it for a long time, my vision blurring.

“Our baby,” I whispered.

Then I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I cried until I couldn’t breathe, until the world outside faded, and all I could hear was the sound of my own heart breaking while downstairs, I knew Naira was throwing herself into his arms again, pretending to cry.

And he was letting her.

....

I woke up with my eyes swollen and my chest aching like I had cried myself empty.

The sunlight slipped through the curtains, soft and cruel at the same time. It made everything look too normal, like last night never happened.

I pushed myself up, head throbbing, when I saw her.

Naira.

Sitting on the couch like she belonged there, legs crossed, calm and smug, holding something between her fingers.

It took me a second to realize what it was.

The folded paper.

My sonogram.

“So,” she said lightly, twirling it between her fingers, “you’re pregnant, hmm?”

I froze. My heart stopped.

“Give that back,” I whispered.

She smiled like a cat that caught something small and helpless. “Not yet. I want you to hear a story first. It’s a good one. You’ll like it.”

“I said give it back.”

Naira ignored me. She just leaned back, eyes glinting with something sharp and ugly.

“You always thought you were so good, didn’t you, Candy? Always so loved. So lucky. You want to know how I became his fiancée?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to hear. But she went on anyway, her voice syrupy and cruel.

“Two weeks ago, my brothers told me Dane took you. Jason and Calen. Remember them? They said you were living in his house. That he was protecting you.” She laughed, but it didn’t sound human. “Can you imagine how that felt? You, the little Langford nobody, suddenly in his arms.”

She stood and began pacing, like she was telling a bedtime story. “You were always the favorite. Even when we were kids. So I decided to take what’s yours. All of it.”

She paused and looked at me with that painted smile. “Jason told me Dane was going to Paris for business. I begged him to introduce me. I made sure to look perfect that night. You should’ve seen me. All white silk and tears, like a wounded angel. Men fall faster when they think they’re saving someone.”

I stared at the floor, trying not to cry, but my chest felt tight again.

She laughed softly. “You know what sealed it? The shooting. Oh, Candy, it was brilliant. Jason hired men to stage it. I made sure Dane saw everything. The guns, the panic. I pretended to shield him, even fell on the ground. There was fake blood everywhere. I looked like a hero. He carried me all the way to the hospital, you know? Stayed all night by my side.”

Her eyes gleamed as she remembered it. “When I woke up, he told me I saved his life. He swore he owed me everything. So I told him what I wanted.”

She walked closer, slow and deliberate, crouched down in front of me. “I told him I wanted him. I wanted to be his woman.”

I stared at her. The words didn’t even sound real anymore.

Naira smiled wider, showing teeth. “He gave me this ring. Promised me the world. All because he thought I took a bullet for him. Guilt is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

Something in me cracked then.

I started laughing. Quietly at first, then louder. It came out wrong, broken, like I had forgotten how to breathe.

Naira’s smile faded. “What’s so funny?”

I wiped my face, still laughing through the tears. “That’s all it took? Fake blood? A few hired men? That’s how you got him?”

Her jaw tightened. “Don’t laugh at me.”

But I couldn’t stop. It hurt to laugh, but I did anyway. “You can have him,” I said quietly. “I don’t care anymore.”

Her face changed. The anger flickered away, replaced by something colder. She tilted her head, smiling again, softer this time. Almost sweet. But her eyes didn’t match.

I knew that look.

I stood, backing away. “What are you doing?”

She stepped closer. “You’re pregnant. I’m his fiancée and his savior.” Her smile deepened. “Let’s see who he saves first.”

Before I could move, she grabbed my arm. Her nails dug into my skin. I tried to pull free, but she held on tight.

“Let go of me, Naira!”

Her voice suddenly turned loud, trembling like a victim. “Candy! Stop! You’re hurting me! Why do you always hurt me?”

“I said let go—”

Before I could finish, she stumbled backward, still clutching my wrist. My foot slipped on the edge of the stair.

Everything happened too fast.

Her scream tore through the house. “Candy! Please, don’t hurt me!”

Then there was nothing but motion.

We fell.