CHAPTER ONE: FATE BROUGHT HIM
“Throw her into the pool. Besides, no one cares if she lives or dies,” Cecilia’s cruel voice echoed through the quiet environ, her cold eyes shining with heartless disdain.
Wasting not even a second, her friends dragged Luana closer to carry out their leader’s wicked command.
But Luana struggled, squirming out of their grip. “Cecilia, why are you so bent on killing me? We’re sisters, remember?”
“Hahaha! Sisters? In your dreams, my dear. We can never be sisters!!”
“No matter how much you hate me, that doesn’t change the fact that we came from the same father. Why do you despise the sight of me? Though I’ve tried so many times to reconcile with you?” Her eyes were already brimming with tears.
“Hate you? Hahaha! I’d appreciate it if you asked yourself that same question. If you were me, would you like to be with someone like yourself? No, right?” She smirked, then turned to her friends and began mimicking Luana’s mother’s exact expression the day she abandoned her.
“Mom, Mom wait! Take us with you, please,” Lucia, Cecilia’s friend, mocked Luana with a dramatic voice.
“Go back to your father. Don’t add to my burden,” Cecilia added coldly, keeping the same mean expression Luana wore that day.
“Mom, please... Victor is sick. He needs you around. Take us with you, please,” Lucia continued, cruelly mimicking the helpless girl.
“Let go of me!”
“Hahaha!” Their laughter echoed heartlessly around them.
“Listen, my dear sister,” Cecilia spat. “You shouldn’t blame anyone but your mother, the one who left you without looking back. Remember, she’s the reason your brother became a vegetable.”
“Stop, Cecilia! Stop, please...” Luana pleaded, her voice shaking. She didn’t want to keep being taunted with the past.
“Your brother is a vegetable. Your mother couldn’t take care of him. The hospital will keep being his home. Let him deal with that.”
“Stop! Stop! Cecilia, stop!!” Her voice shot up with every word, a mix of pain, anger, and desperation.
Cecilia didn’t hesitate. She gave her a resounding slap, adding to the beating they’d already given her. She dug her fingers into Luana’s scalp and yanked her face up roughly.
“You don’t dare interrupt me when I’m talking. Look, I’m going to push you into this pool, and no amount of pleading will change my mind. No one else is still in school, so don’t expect a savior. You’re going to sink deep into this pool. Hahaha!”
“What... what have I done this time that you want to kill me like this?” Tears slid freely down her cheeks. She knew Cecilia could really do something this evil... but why?
“Come on, girl, don’t play innocent here. You know exactly what you did.”
“No, I did nothing wrong! I’ve never done anything wrong to you. And even if I did, it wasn’t intentional,” she defended herself, her voice cracking.
“Shut up!” Another slap landed across her face. “Why didn’t you write my name on your script during the exam?”
“I thought I explained that already. The teacher stood beside me. She knew my name, she saw I hadn’t written it down and demanded I fill it in right there in front of her. I couldn’t help the situation. It was just one subject. Why take it this far?”
“Your explanations are quite bulky. I won’t buy that. Can you imagine the humiliation I faced today? I was mentioned among those who failed the course!”
“I’ve always been humiliated too! I always wrote your name on my scripts. You got the credit while I failed! Dad always gifts you for getting distinctions while he scolds me. Why can’t you let it go this once?”
“Let it go?” Cecilia sneered. “Of course. I’ll let you go but, once you get down into that pool. Do you know the interesting part? You’ll struggle, but you won’t escape death. You can’t swim. Yes, you can’t,because your arm is broken. It was smashed with a rod the day you tried to rescue me from those ugly drunkards. Hahaha! You’re too naïve for my liking, Luana. It pisses me off!”
“Everything I did... I did it because I saw you as family. Why on earth do you despise me this much?”
“Throw her into the pool!” came Cecilia’s final command, like a true villain’s last line in a nightmare.
Her friends didn’t hesitate. They hurled Luana into the water, then looked around to make sure no one had seen them before sneaking away.
Luana fought for her life. She wasn’t ready to die. Not yet, not like this.
At least... not when her brother still needed her. She had to live and take care of him. No one wanted them, not even their parents. She couldn’t count how many times they’d been trampled upon, how often they were starved, overworked, and beaten without mercy.
She shouted. She cried. She begged for help. But no one came.
Her strength gave out. The water became her enemy, and her vision turned blurry as she sank deeper into the cold bottom of the pool.
Then, suddenly, she saw a figure swimming toward her. A male figure, a stranger she couldn’t recognize.
Her body was numb and she lost consciousness the moment he got close enough and grabbed her.
