THE REJECTED DAUGHTER

CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6: The Fire Inside

Elena barely slept that night.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind a storm of rage and grief. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her mother’s face—soft, loving, and forever frozen in the past. She imagined the fear her mother must have felt in those final moments, the helplessness of knowing she wouldn’t make it back to her daughter.

And her father—how could he have lied to her all these years? How could he bury the truth like it was just another business deal gone wrong?

Her chest tightened.

They had stolen her mother from her. They had tried to erase her existence. And now, they were coming for her.

No.

She refused to let them win.

When the first rays of sunlight crept through her window, Elena pushed back the covers, forcing herself out of bed. The air was cold, but the fire burning inside her was hotter. She wasn’t going to hide. She wasn’t going to be a pawn in anyone’s game.

She was going to fight.

A knock at the door startled her. She turned, finding Luca leaning against the frame, his dark eyes unreadable as always.

“Get dressed,” he said simply. “We start now.”

Elena didn’t hesitate.

She threw on leggings and a hoodie, lacing her sneakers tightly as if she were preparing for battle. And maybe she was. Because from this moment forward, she wasn’t the same girl she had been yesterday.

She was done being weak.

When she stepped out of her room, Luca was already waiting by the front door. He didn’t say anything, just handed her a black jacket and walked outside.

Elena followed.

The cold morning air bit at her skin, but she didn’t flinch. She climbed into Luca’s car, gripping the seatbelt tightly as they drove out of the city, past the towering buildings and into the unknown.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked.

Luca kept his eyes on the road. “Somewhere you can learn.”

She swallowed. “Learn what?”

Luca’s lips twitched slightly, almost as if he found her question amusing. “How to survive.”

A shiver ran through her, but it wasn’t fear. It was something else. Something darker.

For the first time in her life, she felt like she was stepping into her true purpose.

After nearly an hour, they pulled up to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. The building was old, rusted, and surrounded by a chain-link fence. It looked like the kind of place people went to disappear.

Elena stepped out of the car, her heartbeat steady despite the nerves coiling in her stomach. She wasn’t going to show weakness.

Luca pushed open the heavy metal door, revealing a vast open space. The air smelled of dust, metal, and sweat. A few punching bags hung from the ceiling, worn from years of use. There were mats on the floor, a set of weights in the corner, and an eerie silence that made her skin prickle.

“This is where you’re going to train,” Luca said, walking inside.

Elena frowned. “You expect me to become a fighter in an empty warehouse?”

Luca turned to her, his expression unreadable. “I expect you to survive.”

The words hit her like a slap.

This wasn’t a game. This wasn’t some movie where she learned how to throw a punch and magically became a warrior overnight.

This was war.

And if she didn’t learn fast, she would die.

Luca rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms as he moved to the center of the room. “First lesson,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “Never hesitate.”

Before she could process his words, he moved.

In a blink, he was in front of her, his hand gripping her wrist, twisting it just enough to make her gasp.

“Too slow,” he murmured. “If I were your enemy, you’d already be dead.”

Elena yanked her hand back, heart pounding. “You didn’t even give me a chance!”

Luca smirked. “No one’s going to give you a chance, Elena. You either react, or you lose.”

Her jaw clenched.

She refused to lose.

Luca stepped back, nodding toward the mats. “Again.”

Elena exhaled sharply and got into position. This time, she wouldn’t hesitate.

This time, she would fight.

And she would win.

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