DETACHED

Chapter 1 Home was never safe Nestled among the rolling hills of Bavaria lay the quiet town of Edelheim. Time seemed to move differently there. Cobblestone streets stretched between rows of charming half-timbered houses, their windows decorated with colorful flower boxes that bloomed through every season. A silver river flowed peacefully through the heart of the town, crossed by an old wooden bridge that had connected generations for centuries. Every morning, women filled the market square with laughter as they sold warm pastries, freshly picked herbs, and beautifully handwoven fabrics. The scent of pine trees mixed with wood smoke drifted lazily through the air, giving the town a comforting warmth. When night finally arrived, the stars covered the sky like tiny lanterns, and Edelheim settled into its familiar silence. To outsiders...It looked like paradise. But every paradise has its secrets. Amara Marcus kicked at the loose dust beneath her worn shoes as she dragged herself home. She had been wandering the streets since sunrise. Her stomach growled from hunger. Her legs ached from exhaustion.Still she preferred the ache in her feet to the pain waiting behind her front door. At just twelve years old, Amara had already learned the most important lesson of survival.The later she returned home, the fewer hours she had to endure her father's beatings. The evening breeze brushed against her face as she walked through the quiet streets of Edelheim, whispering the same prayer she whispered every night. Please let them be asleep just this once. Amara was nothing like the other children her age. While children laughed, chased one another through the streets, and returned home only when their parents called them in for dinner, Amara spent every day calculating how to avoid pain. Her warm brown skin carried a soft golden glow beneath the moonlight. Her amber eyes were large and expressive, though they rarely revealed what she was feeling.Dark waves of hair rested gently against her shoulders, framing a face that many would have called beautiful. But beauty had never protected anyone. She was unusually quiet not because she had nothing to say, but because life had taught her that silence was safer. Harsh words no longer hurt her. Neither did insults.Even the beatings had become part of her routine.Pain had become normal. Ironically, people mistook her silence for weakness. Teachers worried about her, neighbours pitied her, and children at school thought she would be the easiest target.They were wrong.Bullies never lasted long around Amara.It wasn't because she fought them. She didn't, she simply stood there, she never cried, she never begged, she never reacted. She looked at them with the same empty eyes she had learned to wear at home until they became uncomfortable and walked away. There was something terrifying about a twelve-year-old girl who had grown so familiar with pain that fear no longer showed on her face. In Edelheim, children whispered that Amara Marcus was strange. The truth was far sadder. She wasn't fearless. She had simply forgotten what it felt like to expect kindness. When Amara reached the small wooden house she called home, she stopped. Her heart pounded. Slowly, she reached for the doorknob and eased the door open just enough to look inside. Darkness, no lights, no voices, no movement. Her shoulders relaxed. Maybe... Just maybe... She had made it home late enough. She quietly stepped inside and began closing the door behind her. "Where are you coming from?" The deep voice shattered the silence.Amara froze.Every muscle in her body stiffened. Marcus had been sitting beside the doorway in complete darkness. Waiting. Marcus was Edelheim's Director of Structural Development. He supervised the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, commercial buildings, and the town's marketplace.To the people of Edelheim, Marcus was a respectable man .Polite, soft-spoken, professional. The kind of man who greeted everyone with a smile. No one would have believed that the same man became a monster the moment he stepped inside his own home. "Amara." His voice grew louder. "Where are you coming from?" She trembled. Twelve years, she had lived with him for twelve years, yet she still couldn't get used to the sound of his voice. "I... I..." The words caught in her throat. Before she could answer, another voice drifted lazily from the living room. "Amara..." Evelyn mumbled through her drunken sleep. "Just answer your father... and let me sleep in peace..." Moments later, she fell silent again. Marcus clicked on his flashlight. Its harsh beam landed on Amara's frightened face. Disgust twisted across his features. "You are weak." He spat the words as though they tasted bitter. "And your useless mother couldn't even give me a son." He laughed bitterly. "If she had given me a boy, I wouldn't be wasting my life on this worthless bastard child." Without warning, he grabbed Amara by the collar and threw her violently onto the floor. She crashed against the wooden boards. Before she could recover, Marcus stormed toward Evelyn, his boot slammed into her stomach. Evelyn cried out in pain, clutching herself as she rolled off the couch. Amara wanted to scream.She wanted to run,s he wanted someone anyone to save them but she remained silent. Because experience had taught her one cruel truth. Screaming only made him angrier. Marcus turned back toward his daughter. He grabbed her arm and hurled her into the television stand. The old furniture shook violently. A framed family photograph crashed onto the floor. Glass shattered across the room. Marcus slowly crouched until he was eye level with Amara. A cold smile spread across his face. "My dear daughter..." His voice was almost gentle. "Where have you been?" He slowly raised his hand. Amara shut her eyes. She knew what came next. Then... Knock! Knock! Someone was at the door. Marcus stopped. His face darkened with rage. "Who the hell is knocking at this hour?" He rose to his feet, his fists clenched. "I swear..." "I'm going to kill whoever it is."