Chapter 169: Incidents Before 18th Birthday...
Third Person POV
"Brother." Melissa finally spoke, her voice calm in a way that made the room feel colder. She walked straight to Seraphina and took her hand gently, almost mockingly, as if nothing was wrong. "Why are you getting so angry over something like that?"
Adrian’s eyes darkened. "Shouldn’t I be?" he shot back sharply.
"No," Melissa replied without even blinking or a flicker of guilt. "Everyone knew about this decision except Grandma. So why are you making a fuss now?"
Adrian was taken aback. Her words hit him like a tight slap on her face.
"What?" Adrian stared at her, disbelief tightening his jaw. Was this really the same soft-spoken Melissa he grew up protecting? The same girl who once cried over hurting a stray puppy... now speaking like this?
Melissa tilted her head slightly, as if he were the unreasonable one. "We did tell you, didn’t we? On my eighteenth birthday?" She dragged out the word my like the day had belonged only to her.
Adrian felt something twist in his chest. He couldn’t remember what really happened that day, but Seraphina could.
Days Before Sera’s Eighteenth Birthday...
Memories of Seraphina from the past were slightly different from Seraphina, who had been reborn for some reason.
On her 18th birthday, Seraphina was a little bit excited, as it was one of those days when she would get to see her grandmother and would receive a lot of gifts. Even her father and Asher, the brother who detested the most would give her a present.
It had been two years since she had entered this place, but her life had not changed much. She was even more restrained in this place than she was at the orphanage. She had always been bullied all her life, and coming here, it was even intensified.
But Seraphina had grown used to it now for the last two years. She didn’t mind and never complained, as whenever she tried to do something, they’d beat her and strave her.
So, she thought it was better to live the way she was living than to be starved. She was happy and wanted to live her life happily. But what she had not thought was that Melissa had been planning something else for her for a long time.
She had recorded all her hysterical behaviour and even proved to her mother that she had lost her mind.
Melissa had planted the first seed long before anyone realized what she was doing. She spoke softly and carefully, always choosing the perfect moment to let her words slip into the ears of her parents and Asher’s.
"Seraphina just needs time to adjust," she had told Mrs. Lancaster with a concerned sigh. "She’s not used to this kind of environment. Everything overwhelms her, so please be kind to her." She would always suggest that her mother be kind to Seraphina.
And these sounded harmless, even sweet.
No one suspected anything. Melissa had always been the calm and polite child in the family. And she played the role very well.
From the beginning, she acted close to Seraphina; no one would suspect her. She walked beside her, helped her with small things, speaking gently, smiling as if she genuinely cared for her long-lost sister.
But each time she smiled at Sera, she hid a blade behind it. She carefully nudged Sera into doing things that would look strange or inappropriate in front of others. She made her wear weird clothes in front of the guests, so that people would think she was a maid or something, and that was why Mrs. Lancaster was hesitant to introduce her into society, thinking that she might be bullied by the fashion police
Melissa always gave weird suggestions, planting ideas that would only get Seraphina scolded later. And Sera, starved for kindness, trusted her with all her heart. She only believed in Melissa and no one else.
Her downfall came slowly and quietly.
One afternoon, when the family was gathered for lunch, Seraphina overheard something by accident. Two maids stood near the kitchen, whispering loudly enough for her to hear.
"Sera is a burden."
"Someone needs to deal with her."
"Just poison her and let her die. It’s easy."
Sera froze in place, her hands turning cold. She couldn’t move or breathe. The moment she heard the word "poison," her head started to spin. Her mind held onto the fear, repeating it again and again until it rooted itself so deeply she couldn’t get rid of it.
From that day forward, Seraphina stopped eating. She would sit at the dining table, staring at her plate with wide, terrified eyes, pushing her food away silently. Days went by like this. No matter what they cooked, she didn’t touch anything, only drank water or snacks that was packed.
When Asher noticed the pattern, he finally snapped, slamming his palm against the table, making her tremble violently.
Initially, she had told Melissa about this incident, and Melissa was the one who suggested stopping eating until someone asks and then tell everyone... Only then would they notice her and give her attention.
However, nothing happened as Melissa had said.
"My food... is poisoned," she whispered, voice barely audible.
"Are you insane?" Asher growled, his jaw tight. "Do you think your own family wants to kill you?"
His anger only scared her more. She shook her head, tears falling silently down her cheeks, but she couldn’t force herself to eat. Once fear entered her mind, it stayed.
She had barely gotten herself out of that fear... When something new started... the nights began haunting her.
The maids Melissa controlled didn’t stop during the day; they continued their torture even at night. They rattled the windows, dragged heavy objects across the floor, whispered her name from the corner of her room. Sometimes they scratched the walls. Sometimes they dropped something by her bed to wake her, or they simply stood by the door and breathed loudly until she woke up screaming.
They told her a ghost lived in her room. And innocent Seraphina believed every word.
