Beginning of the Story,đ
Inside a hospital room filled with the constant beep⊠beep⊠of machines, a girl lay unconscious on the bed. Thick lashes rested against her pale skin, her eyes large and delicate, her hair long and tangledâwhile her face looked as if it had been smeared with dark ink.
Suddenly, her body jerked.
âAravâŠ!â
A middleâaged woman sitting nearby stood up in panic and rushed to her side.
âElara, my child! Youâre awake? Are you alright?â
Hearing the voice, the girlânow known as Elaraâslowly turned her gaze toward the woman. Then her eyes wandered around the room. White walls. The sharp scent of medicine. The steady hum of monitors.
She understood immediately.
She was in a hospital.
Before Elara could speak, the door burst openâ
Bang!
Both Elara and the woman turned toward the sound.
Two men stood at the entrance.
Their height and build were identicalâtall, broadâshouldered, commanding. The only difference was their faces. Their very presence seemed to drop the temperature of the room.
They walked straight toward Elaraâs bed. One of them opened a file and tossed a set of papers onto her lap.
âIf your drama is finally over, here are the divorce papers. Weâve already signed them. Put your thumbprint on them and set us free.â đż
They were devastatingly handsomeâmen any woman could fall for at first sight. And many already had. But everyone also knew their cruelty and uncontrollable rage. Because of that, no one dared to get close to them. đż
The middleâaged woman snapped angrily.
âAdrian! Aiden! What kind of behavior is this? đĄ You both said you would marry the same woman. And I married you to Elaraâthe daughter of my late friend, Seema.
You insulted her every single day, yet she never complained. And today, when she nearly died, instead of asking about her health, youâre throwing divorce papers at her?â đĄđĄ
Elara sat silently on the bedâŠ
But the truth wasâ
She was not the Elara they knew.
She was Elara, a girl who had once died smilingâfor her love, for Arav.
Hearing the name âElaraâ and seeing unfamiliar faces, a storm of questions rose inside her mind.
Who are these people? Why do they want a divorce from me? And why do their names feel so strangely familiar?
The woman spoke again, gently this time.
âDonât worry, my child. I wonât let your divorce happen.â
Elara whispered softly,
âAuntie⊠could you take me to the washroom?â
The woman froze for a second at the word auntie, then quickly composed herself and helped Elara toward the bathroom.
---
Outside the Room
As soon as they left, Adrian glanced at Aiden.
âI think sheâs planning another act to stop the divorce.â
Aiden replied coldly,
âI think so too. And anyway⊠we hate weak women. đż
Weâre mafia. And only a mafia queen deserves to stand beside us. Thereâs no way a woman like her could ever be meant for us.â đ
---
Inside the Bathroom
Elara stared at her reflection for a long time.
âThis faceâŠâ
It was exactly like the heroine of that novel.
Everything connected at onceâthe name Elara, the divorce, the twin mafia brothers.
Her breath hitched.
She had been reborn.
And not just anywhereâ
Inside a novel.
Memories that didnât belong to her surfaced. She remembered how her stepsister, Sophia, had convinced this body that Adrian and Aiden despised beauty. That was why Elara had been forced to smear her face with darkness every day.
âYouâre uneducated anyway. Father bribed officials to fake your degrees. Believe it or not, itâs your choice.â
Sophiaâs devilish smile burned into her mind.
Elaraâs lips curved into the same smile.
âEveryone knowsâsometimes a villain turns into a heroine.
But this time⊠the heroine will become the villain.â
âIâm coming, Devil Brothers⊠and everyone who pretended to be Elaraâs wellâwisher.â đ
---
Back in the Room
Without cleaning her face, Elara returned and sat on the bed.
Something about her felt different.
Adrian and Aiden both sensed itâbut chose to ignore it.
Aiden said sharply,
âSign it quickly⊠or else?â đż
Elara met his gaze calmly.
âOr else what?â
The answer stunned all threeâAdrian, Aiden, and their mother, Margaret Blackwood.
Adrian snapped,
âWhat new trick is this? Trying to stay close to us?â đĄđż
Elara let out a soft laugh.
âYouâre not important enough for me to use cheap tricks.â
For the first time, an unfamiliar ache touched both brothersâ hearts.
The door opened again.
A young woman around twentyâone or twentyâtwo walked inâwearing a mini dress, flawless fair skin, heavy makeup.
It was SophiaâElaraâs stepsister.
âSister, please⊠do what theyâre saying. How long will you keep troubling such good people?â
Elara stared at her.
Sophia Verma⊠you destroyed Elaraâs life too.
Aloud, she said coldly,
âGet out.â
âWhat?â
âLeave this room. Right now.â
Sophia stormed out in anger.
Elara raised an eyebrow at the brothers.
âSeems age is catching up to you. Donât worry about the divorceâI want freedom too.
I need rest now. Please show yourselves out.â đ€š
The corners of their lips twitched slightly as they left without another word.
Margaret held Elaraâs hand.
âMy child, weâre with you.â
Elara blinked slowly and thought,
Everyone responsible for ruining this girlâs lifeâŠ
Iâll make sure history remembers their punishment.
How did Elara end up in the hospital?
And how will the men she wants to escapeâAdrian and Aidenâone day become her obsession, her madness, her destiny?