Bound by Fate

Bound by Fate Episode 7

BOUND BY FATE

Episode 7: The Orphanage

The first rays of sunlight pierced through the cabin windows as Adrian loaded their bags into the car. Neither of them had slept. The photograph and the mysterious address weighed heavily on their minds.

Maya clutched the brass key tightly in her hand.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "If I grew up in an orphanage, why don't I remember it?"

Adrian glanced at her before starting the engine.

"Trauma can erase painful memories. Sometimes the mind hides the truth to protect itself."

The drive was long and quiet. As they left the city behind, the roads became narrower, lined with towering trees that seemed to stretch endlessly toward the sky.

Finally, an old iron gate came into view.

The faded sign read:

**St. Mary's Children's Home**

The building looked abandoned. Broken windows, cracked walls, and weeds covered the once-beautiful gardens.

"It closed nearly twenty years ago," Adrian said. "No one has lived here since."

Maya stepped out of the car. The moment her feet touched the ground, an uneasy feeling settled over her.

"I've been here before," she murmured.

A flash of memory crossed her mind.

A little girl crying.

Someone shouting.

A woman in a white dress carrying her away.

The vision disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Maya?" Adrian asked.

"I'm fine... I think."

They entered through the rusted front doors. Dust floated through the air, and every footstep echoed through the empty halls. Children's drawings still hung on the walls, faded by time.

As they reached the old office, Adrian searched through broken cabinets while Maya wandered into another room.

There, she found dozens of old photographs.

One picture made her stop breathing.

It showed a group of children standing outside the orphanage.

Among them was a little girl wearing the exact silver locket Maya now carried.

"It's me..."

She traced the image with trembling fingers.

Suddenly, another child in the photograph caught her attention.

A young boy stood beside her, holding her hand.

His face looked strangely familiar.

Before she could say anything, Adrian called from the office.

"Maya! Come here!"

She hurried over.

Spread across the desk were several old files.

Most had been destroyed by water and age.

But one file remained untouched.

Its cover read:

**CONFIDENTIAL – MAYA HART**

Adrian slowly opened it.

Inside was Maya's adoption record.

Her eyes widened.

"My parents... they didn't abandon me."

Adrian kept reading.

"They never signed any adoption papers."

"What?"

"It says you were placed here by court order after both of your parents were declared dead."

Maya frowned.

"But that's impossible. Why would a court send me here if I still had relatives?"

Before Adrian could answer, they heard footsteps upstairs.

Slow.

Heavy.

Deliberate.

Someone else was inside the orphanage.

The footsteps stopped directly above them.

Then came the sound of a child laughing.

Maya looked up, her face turning pale.

"Did... did you hear that?"

Adrian nodded silently.

He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small flashlight, and whispered,

"Stay close to me."

As they climbed the old staircase, the wooden steps creaked beneath their feet.

The laughter echoed once more.

When they reached the second floor, they found an old nursery.

The room was empty.

But written across the wall in large red letters were the words:

**WELCOME HOME, MAYA.**

To Be Continued...