His voice sounded panicked for the first time in years. I felt his hand reach for me desperately.

But he missed. The world spun violently.

Then came the impact.

Pain exploded through my body as I crashed onto the lawn below the hospital building. Something sharp pierced my palm.

The silver locket had shattered beside me. Tiny metal pieces and broken glass scattered across the grass, stained red with my blood.

But somehow...

That wasn't what hurt most.

My vision blurred badly. Far away, I heard screaming. Then footsteps. Fast. Desperate.

The next thing I knew, Dimitri dropped to his knees beside me so hard it looked painful.

"Annika!" His hands trembled while lifting me carefully into his arms. "Look at me. Open your eyes. Fuck... Annika!"

I stared at him weakly. His face looked pale. Terrified. The same expression he used to make years ago whenever I got hurt.

For a second, my chest tightened painfully. Was he... worried about me? Did he still care? Even a little?

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Dimitri roared at the hospital staff around us. "CALL THE DOCTORS NOW!"

Then darkness swallowed me again.

...

When I woke up, pain hit me everywhere at once. It felt like every bone inside my body had been shattered and rebuilt wrong. I could barely breathe without hurting.

Voices came from nearby.

"Mrs. Romanov suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries," the doctor said quietly. "She needs complete rest after this. If she doesn't recover properly, there could be permanent complications later."

Dimitri answered immediately. "Use the best medicine available. I don't care about the cost."

My heart trembled weakly.

The doctor nodded before leaving the room.

A few seconds later, Dimitri turned around and noticed I was awake. Our eyes met. For one brief second, I saw worry there. Real worry. But it disappeared so fast I almost thought I imagined it.

His expression turned cold again instantly.

"Don't misunderstand," he said flatly while walking closer to the bed. "I'm not doing this because I care about you."

I stared at him silently.

Dimitri looked down at me with those familiar cruel eyes again.

"I just don't want you dying too soon," he continued coldly. "If you die now, then all this suffering would've been pointless."

My chest hurts. Not physically this time. Something worse.

"From the moment your parents killed my family, our ending was already decided."

His eyes darkened completely.

"One of us was always going to destroy the other."

Tears slipped silently down my face.

I felt stupid. So stupid. For believing his panic downstairs meant something. For hoping there was still love hidden somewhere inside him.

It wasn't love. It was guilt. Or habit. Or maybe nothing at all.

I slowly closed my eyes. Then whispered softly, "Fine." My voice cracked badly. "Then I'll die.”

The room fell silent.

A few seconds later, Dimitri frowned slightly.

"What did you just say?"

He leaned closer to hear me properly.

I opened my mouth slowly. But before I could answer, the hospital room door suddenly burst open.

A nurse rushed inside nervously.

"Mr. Romanov, Ms. Velasquez is supposed to go for another check-up, but she refuses to cooperate unless you go with her."

Dimitri's expression changed immediately. He straightened up without hesitation. Then turned and walked toward the door. Not even one more glance at me. Not one.

The second the door closed behind him, I stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time. Then I laughed quietly to myself.

Of course. What was I even expecting?

I slowly reached up and pulled the IV needle from my arm despite the sharp pain. Blood immediately slid down my skin. But it didn't matter anymore.

My time was almost over anyway. If I was really going to die... then I should prepare everything myself. Because Dimitri definitely wouldn't.

An hour later, I finished the discharge papers alone despite the doctor's protests. I left the hospital quietly wearing loose clothes over my bandages.

First, I went to a small photo studio.

The photographer smiled politely at me.

"What kind of photo would you like, miss?"

I stayed quiet for a moment before answering softly.

"A funeral portrait."

The man's smile disappeared instantly. But he still nodded gently and helped me sit down under the studio lights.

I forced myself to smile for the camera. Even though my eyes already looked dead.

After that, I went to the cemetery. The air smelled cold and empty there.

I walked slowly between rows of graves until I found a small quiet spot. Then I bought a burial plot. Not too large. Just enough for one person.

Lastly, I chose a small urn with trembling hands. Simple. White. Easy to carry.

I stared at it silently for a long time before whispering bitterly to myself, "At least this way... nobody will have to prepare it after I'm gone."

….

When I got back to the villa, I heard footsteps in the living room. Before I even stepped in fully, something small and white rushed toward me. My Persian cat. It rubbed against my leg instantly, purring like nothing bad ever happened here.

My breath broke. I dropped to my knees and held it tightly. "Mimi..." my voice shook as I buried my face in her fur. "You're still here..."

This was the cat Dimitri and I raised when we were eighteen. Back when he still smiled at me. Back when the world still felt like it could hold us together. I remembered him sitting on the floor with me, laughing while holding Mimi. "If we ever end up like this," he had said back then, "then we'll already be a family. No matter what happens outside."

Family.

That word hurt now. Because nothing here felt like family anymore.

Mimi brought a toy mouse and dropped it in front of me, waiting. I forced a small smile and patted her head. "Good girl," I whispered. "Mommy will make you something nice."

I cooked meat porridge with shaking hands even though my body still ached from everything. Mimi ate happily while I watched in silence, my chest tightening more with every bite she took. Three days left. That was all I had. What would happen to her when I was gone?

I couldn't let her stay here.

So I searched the whole day and finally found a retired couple of teachers. Kind faces, quiet home, a yard, and experience with cats. Safe. That was enough.

I packed Mimi's things slowly, her food, her toys, her bed. My hands shook the entire time. Then I crouched in front of her.

"I'm taking you somewhere safe," I whispered. "You'll be okay there... right? You'll forget me, won't you?"

She just purred and rubbed against my hand. I smiled even though my eyes burned.

Before I could leave, the villa door opened. Footsteps. Cold air followed. Kelsey walked in like she owned the place now.

Her eyes landed on Mimi. A slow smile curved her lips. "So this is what's left," she said. "Annika, Dimitri really did a good job breaking you. Everything you loved is already gone... and yet this little thing is still here."

I stepped back and held Mimi behind me. "What do you want?" my voice shook.

Kelsey tilted her head. "I don't want anything," she said softly, then laughed under her breath. "I'm just surprised he forgot this one."

My chest tightened. "Dimitri never said you could touch her," I said quickly. "This cat is ours. He raised her too. He wouldn't allow this."

Kelsey's smile turned colder. "You're still defending him? That's pathetic. He hates you, Annika. He hates everything tied to you. Why are you still pretending otherwise?"

She snapped her fingers.

Two bodyguards stepped inside immediately.

My body went cold. "No," I said, pulling Mimi closer. "Don't come near her."

But they didn't stop. One of them grabbed Mimi by the collar. Mimi screamed and struggled in my arms. "No, please!" I cried out, trying to pull her back. "Don't touch her!"

They shoved me hard. My head hit a huge decorative vase beside the wall. Pain exploded through me and blood instantly ran down my forehead. But I didn't care. All I saw was Mimi. Struggling. Terrified.

"Mimi!" I crawled forward. "Let her go!"

Then everything happened too fast. I pushed forward again and accidentally bumped into Kelsey. The giant vase wobbled. Then it tipped. And fell straight onto her.

A loud crash. Shattering porcelain. Kelsey screamed.

Silence followed instantly. She collapsed under the broken pieces. Blood spread beneath her. My breathing stopped.

Then Dimitri's voice tore through the villa.

"What the hell is going on?!"

He rushed in and saw Kelsey on the floor. His expression changed instantly. He ran to her, lifting her into his arms like she was the only thing that mattered.

"Kelsey," his voice softened immediately. "Look at me. Stay awake. I told you to be careful after everything."

Then his eyes snapped to me. Cold again.

"You fucking pushed her? She just had surgery. Are you trying to kill her?"

I was still holding Mimi's limp body. My whole body was shaking. "My cat..." I whispered, voice breaking. "She killed Mimi first. She didn't do anything wrong. She was just sitting there! She's just a cat, Dimitri..."

For a second, his eyes flicked to Mimi. Something passed through his face then it disappeared.

"It's better this way," he said flatly.

My breath stopped. "What?"

He adjusted Kelsey in his arms without looking at me. "Anything that proves we ever had something good, shouldn't exist anymore."

My vision blurred completely.

So that was it. Even Mimi. Even the last soft thing I had. Everything had to be erased.

Kelsey weakly spoke in his arms. "Dimitri, my head hurts... I'm dying."

He immediately softened again. He kissed her forehead gently. "It's okay, I'll take you to the hospital. Just stay with me."

Then he turned to the guards. "Lock her in the basement."

He didn't look at me again. Not even once.

They dragged me away while I still held Mimi. The basement door slammed shut. Darkness swallowed everything.

The basement door opened after I didn't know how long. My body was already half gone by then.

Kelsey walked in like she owned the place, holding a small pot in her hands. "Are you hungry?" she asked casually. "Did you miss that little cat of yours?"

My stomach dropped. Something inside me already knew. No. No, please!

She slowly lifted the lid. Steam rose up. Inside was a thick, grayish soup. My breath stopped completely.

Before I could even move, she stepped closer and grabbed my chin tightly. "Come on, bitch! Let’s fix your loneliness."

And then she shoved it into my mouth.

I choked instantly. "No... no... stop—!" I tried to push her away, but my body didn’t listen. I was too weak, too broken to fight properly.

She held me tighter. "Swallow it! Don’t be rude. It’s your precious Mimi."

My vision blurred instantly. Mimi. My Persian cat. My baby. My last warmth in this house.

I tried to spit it out, but more of it went down my throat anyway. I gagged hard, tears spilling uncontrollably as my whole body shook.

"Kelsey—!" I choked. "Why would you... why would you do this..."

She finally pulled away and looked at me with a bright smile, like she had just done something normal. "Because you needed closure. And Dimitri would’ve done it anyway. You should thank me."

I collapsed on the floor immediately, coughing violently, but nothing came out. Nothing. Only burning pain and emptiness.

When the pot was finally empty, she clapped her hands once like she was satisfied. "There," she said softly. "Now you’ve really let go of your precious mimi. Too bad she becomes soup. Yummy, right?"

Then she left laughing.

"M-mimi..." my voice cracked as I curled up on the ground. "Mimi... I’m sorry..."

But there was no answer. Only silence.

I don’t know how long I stayed there. Maybe hours. Maybe longer.

My body started burning after that. Fever rising fast. My wounds from before got worse, infected, aching with every breath I took. I couldn’t even sit up properly anymore. Everything blurred in and out.

At some point, I felt arms lifting me. Warm, careful and familiar in a way that hurt. Someone wiped my face gently with a damp towel. Cleaned the dirt off my skin like I still mattered.

Then something cold touched my forehead wound. Medicine. Soft hands bandaging me slowly.

A voice came. "Anni..."

My heart stopped. That voice, I had heard it before. So many years ago. When I was sick. When I was crying. When I still believed he loved me.

Dimitri.

I forced my eyes open slightly. Everything was blurry, but I could see him. He was sitting beside me, his eyes red, his face tense like he was holding something back. He carefully fed me medicine, his hand steady even though his expression wasn’t.

For a moment, I almost thought I imagined it. Why was he here? Why now? Did I even deserve this?

My eyes trembled as I stared at him, afraid to blink. Afraid he would disappear again.

He looked at me for a second like he wanted to say something. But then his phone rang. The sound cut through everything.

He let go of my hand immediately and stood up, walking a few steps away to answer it. "Kelsey."

"Dimitri! I just came from the hospital. They said I missed my period for over a month. I think... I might be pregnant."

My breath caught.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Kelsey continued quickly, "I already thought of names. If it’s a boy, Skyler. If it’s a girl, Danica. Do you like them? I want you to choose too."

Silence.

Then Dimitri’s fingers tightened around the phone. Skyler. Danica.

Those names hit something deep inside him. I saw it even from where I lay. His expression changed slightly. Like he had been stabbed without warning.

I remembered those names too. Years ago. When I was still Annika. When I still smiled without fear.

"Dimitri," I had told him once while sitting in his lap, "if we ever have kids, I want a boy named Skyler and a girl named Danica. So even when we’re old, we’ll still remember how we started."

I remembered how he laughed back then. How he kissed my forehead. How he said, "Then I’ll give you both of them, Anni. A whole future just for us."

Now that memory felt like someone else’s life.

Kelsey’s voice came again through the phone. "Dimitri? Are you there?"

He exhaled slowly. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Those names are fine."

My chest cracked open. Fine. Just fine. That was all it took now.

Then he added, "I’m coming to the hospital now."

He hung up.

For a moment, he didn’t move. Then he turned back toward me. Our eyes met.

He looked conflicted for half a second but then it disappeared again.

He walked closer slowly, staring at me like I was something already fading. I wanted to ask him something. Anything. Do you still remember me? Was any of it real?

But my voice wouldn’t come out.

He stayed there for a second longer, then finally turned away.

The door closed behind him.

And the world went silent again.

I stared at the ceiling for a long time. Then I slowly closed my eyes.

So that’s it. He had someone else now. Someone who could give him a future. Someone who wasn’t me.

A bitter thought slipped through my mind.

Was I finally free to disappear now?

Because for the first time… it didn’t feel like I had anything left worth holding on to.

….

Dimitri never came back after that.

One day, I left the mansion for the first time alone.

I ended up at my favorite coffee shop near the river. The same little café Dimitri used to bring me to during winter nights when we were younger. Back then, he would pull my frozen hands into his lap beneath the table and warm them while laughing softly.

Now I sat there alone.

A cup of untouched coffee rested between my hands. My body still felt weak from the fever. Then suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from the table behind me.

Vivienne.

I froze instantly.

She sat with two wealthy-looking women near the back corner of the café, laughing casually while stirring her coffee.

"Vivienne, it's already been seven years. Annika's family took all the blame for the accident. Don't you feel even a little guilty?"

Vivienne scoffed loudly. "Guilty? For what?"

Another friend lowered her voice nervously. "For killing them." she whispered. "Everyone knows how badly Dimitri tortures Annika now. Especially those livestream punishments every anniversary."

My fingers tightened slowly around the coffee cup. The world around me started sounding distant.

"Why not just tell Dimitri the truth? That night wasn't completely Annika's parents' fault either."

Vivienne laughed. "Are you insane? If Dimitri finds out the truth, he'll kill me himself."

My heartbeat stopped.

The girls stared at her in shock while Vivienne leaned back lazily in her chair. "Dimitri and I aren't even real siblings by blood," she muttered carelessly. "My parents adopted me when I was little. After they died, I became the only family he had left. If he finds out I caused the crash..." She let out a dry laugh. "I'm dead."

My breathing turned uneven. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. Couldn't even feel my hands anymore. The café suddenly felt too small. Too loud. Too hot.

"Besides," she said smugly, "Annika's parents are already dead anyway. Poor idiots actually believed me when I threatened their daughter."

One of the girls blinked. "Threatened?"

Vivienne rolled her eyes dramatically. "I told them if they didn't confess to the police, I'd make sure Annika disappeared and was chopped to pieces." Then she laughed while taking another sip of coffee. "And they actually sacrificed themselves for her. Pathetic."

My vision blurred instantly. Tears slipped silently down my face. No. No… My parents knew. They knew the truth the entire time.

My shaking fingers slowly reached into my coat pocket. I pressed a record on my phone beneath the table. Just in case.

"You're actually crazy, Vivi. What if Annika ever finds out?"

"Who cares? Nobody believes that bitch anyway." Then she smiled coldly. "I hated her from the beginning. My brother loved her too much," Vivienne continued bitterly. "It was disgusting. So I pretended to be her best friend while secretly ruining things for her the entire time."

My body went completely numb. The elevator accident. The allergic reactions. The locked basement. The minor car crashes. The broken stairs. The "accidents."

Suddenly every memory slammed together inside my head all at once. And every single trail led back to Vivienne.

"So what now? Dimitri's really divorcing Annika?"

"Probably. He'll marry Kelsey eventually." Then she laughed softly while stirring her drink. "Honestly, watching my brother destroy Annika little by little has been entertaining."

My fingernails dug hard into my palms.

"I wouldn't even be surprised if she kills herself soon," Vivienne added casually. "If that happens, then killing my parents' secrets will disappear with her."

The girls laughed together. Meanwhile, tears slid silently down my face. But something inside me no longer felt broken. I felt angry.

For seven years, I begged for forgiveness over a crime my family didn't fully commit. For seven years, Dimitri destroyed me while the real liar and killer stood beside him pretending to cry. For seven years, my parents suffered and died protecting me.

And Vivienne laughed about it over coffee. My breathing slowly steadied. I saved the recording carefully onto my phone. Then I wiped my tears away one by one.

Because for the first time in seven years… I no longer wanted to die. I wanted justice instead.

….

I went home that day with trembling hands and a heart that no longer knew how to forgive.

The recording kept replaying on my phone during the entire drive back. Vivienne's voice. Laughing. Mocking my parents. Mocking me.

For seven years, I thought my family destroyed Dimitri's life completely. For seven years, I begged for forgiveness. For seven years, I let him punish me because I believed maybe I deserved some of it too.

But my parents died protecting me.

And Vivienne sat in a café laughing about it over coffee.

By the time I reached the mansion, something inside me had already broken beyond repair.

I walked into my room slowly and stared at the old family photo beside my bed. My fingers touched the cracked edge softly.

"Mom..." My voice shook violently. "Dad..."

Tears blurred my vision immediately.

"I'm tired."

The room stayed silent.

I slowly sat on the floor while hugging the photo tightly against my chest. "You told me to survive seven years," I whispered brokenly. "I did. I survived everything."

The freezing chamber. The livestream punishments. The humiliation. The loneliness. Dimitri loving another woman right in front of me.

"I really tried..." My voice cracked apart. "I tried so hard."

My shoulders started shaking violently from silent sobs. Then slowly, something colder replaced the grief inside me.

Anger.

Pure anger.

My tears stopped.

I stared at the family photo for a very long time before whispering quietly, "I'll come find you soon."

My fingers tightened around the frame.

"But before I do..."

My expression hardened completely.

"I'll destroy them first."

That night, I opened my laptop and created an anonymous account hidden behind encrypted servers and fake locations even Dimitri's people would struggle tracing quickly.

Then I ordered a plain white porcelain mask through a private marketplace account. Blank. Expressionless. Like death itself.

Afterward, I uploaded the recording from the café.

Vivienne's confession. Every single disgusting word.

Then beneath the video, I typed slowly:

"In three hours, I will give justice to my parents who died wrongly. Wanna watch?"

The post exploded almost instantly.

Within thirty minutes, thousands of people shared it across different platforms. By the second hour, the video already had over one million views.

The comments flooded endlessly.

"This has to be fake."

"No way somebody confesses to murder this casually."

"Wait... Romanov? Like THE Romanov family? Is this an AI?"

"Another rage bait livestream."

"Watch this turn into some cringe prank."

I stared blankly at the comments while the numbers kept climbing higher.

Then suddenly my eyes landed on Vivienne's newest social media story.

A luxury five-star restaurant downtown. Champagne glasses. Designer heels. Her smiling happily beside her friends.

Like my parents never died.

Like my life was never destroyed by them.

Something dark twisted violently inside my chest.

One hour later, I sat alone inside my car across the underground parking entrance of the restaurant. The white porcelain mask covered my face completely now.

The livestream was already running.

Over three million viewers watched silently. Comments moved too fast to read.

My hands rested tightly around the steering wheel while my heartbeat echoed loudly inside my ears.

Then finally— Vivienne walked out of the restaurant alone. Laughing while talking on the phone. Completely unaware.

I adjusted the livestream camera slowly toward myself.

Then I spoke for the first time.

My voice sounded strangely calm.

"In a few minutes, someone is going to die tonight."