A car accident
Soraya pov
I turned to the side, my eyes widening in shock as I tried to react—but I was too late. My car was hit with force by the truck.
It rolled down the road, car parts breaking and scattering until it finally came to a halt. My car was upside down, and I was hanging upside down too, held tightly by my seatbelt. I could feel my bones aching; my leg and hand were stuck, warm blood rushing out of my body like a river.
The car immediately began to catch fire. That was when I heard footsteps approaching my side. The person bent down. I couldn’t see them, but I prayed they had come to help.
“H—help…” I tried to say. Everything was hurting, even my throat.
The person picked up his phone and said,
“It’s done.”
He stood up and walked away, leaving me in the burning car. Slowly, I felt my consciousness slip away.
This was it…
This was the way I would die— in an accident, hurt, paralyzed, without getting help from anyone. Life is unfair to me.
---
Earlier…
After eating dinner, Soraya locked herself in her room. She was busy sketching, letting herself drift into an unknown world. She was so immersed in it that she didn’t hear the pounding on her door.
She took off her headphones and walked toward the door, opening it. “Is there a problem?” she asked, already knowing who would knock like that.
Standing in front of her was her stepsister, Lorelei. She folded her arms, a frown on her face.
“Is there a problem?” she mimicked Soraya. “Of course there is, dumbass. I’m having a club party tonight, and I don’t have any dresses to wear,” she said, staring at her nails.
“So?” Soraya asked. She wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
Lorelei scoffed. “So? I need a dress.” She pushed her way into Soraya’s room.
“Hey! You can’t just walk in like that.” Soraya tried to stop her, but Lorelei was already inside. She walked into the closet and picked out a very beautiful dress.
“Don’t touch that. That was the last gift from my mum,” Soraya said. She hadn’t even worn the dress yet.
Lorelei laughed. “It’s pretty. That’s exactly what I want.” She began walking out of the room.
Soraya followed behind her, determined to stop her this time. But when Lorelei walked down the stairs and ran into her mother, Soraya stopped short. She hid behind the railing. Her stepmother was a witch—she didn’t want to run into her.
“What are you doing?” Mirela asked, her eyes landing on the dress Lorelei was holding.
“Mum, look at this dress. Why does Soraya always get the best things?” Lorelei asked, her voice filled with envy.
Mirela sighed. “I’ll get you whatever you want, so don’t worry. His inheritance will go to you, so you can have whatever you want,” she said.
Lorelei frowned. “You know it’s not possible, Mum. Dad loves Soraya. She’s his first love’s daughter. Of course the inheritance and everything would go to her.”
Mirela laughed. “I know. And that’s why I’ll make her gone.”
A smile crept onto Lorelei’s face. She understood perfectly what her mother meant.
Soraya’s heart pounded in her chest. She had overheard everything. She quickly ran back to her room.
Gone? What does she mean by gone? Soraya asked herself, panicking, unable to think properly.
Dad. I have to tell Dad about this. First, I need to get out of this house.
She picked up her phone and a credit card and walked out of her room. She was about to leave the house when a voice stopped her.
“Where do you think you’re going so late at night?”
She turned around to see Mirela. Her heart nearly stopped. Her hands began to shake, but she tried her best to stay calm.
She raised the credit card. “I’m going to buy some snacks and a new paintbrush,” she said, managing to sound normal.
“Fine,” her stepmother said.
Soraya nodded and walked out. Mirela’s eyes lingered on the door for a moment before she turned and went to her room.
---
Soraya tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her heart pounding louder than the storm outside. The road ahead blurred under the headlights, stretching endlessly into the darkness. She hated driving at night. She always had.
Her phone vibrated beside her.
Father calling.
Relief washed over her chest.
She answered immediately. “Dad—”
“Soraya,” her father said, his voice distracted and rushed. “I can’t talk long. The board meeting is—”
“I need to see you,” she interrupted, her voice shaking despite her effort to stay calm. “Please. It’s about Stepmother and—”
“Can’t it wait?” he asked gently.
“No, Dad, it can’t. Anything I try to tell you about her, you always give the same response,” she said, her voice trembling.
He sighed. “We’ll speak tomorrow. I promise.”
Tomorrow. He always said tomorrow.
The line went dead.
Soraya swallowed hard, blinking away tears. She pressed her lips together and focused on the road again. She needed space right now. A long drive should do the trick. It didn’t help that it began pouring, heavy rain crashing down.
It’s raining. I should head back home. The long drive can wait, she told herself. But the thought of calling that house her home made her skin crawl. The thought of seeing that woman again made her uneasy. Still, what choice did she have?
She was about to make a turn when the headlights behind her flashed.
Once.
Twice.
She glanced back to see which car was behind her, the distraction costing her precious seconds. A loud horn blared again—then she heard it.
The sound of a speeding truck.
She turned to the side, eyes widening in shock.
A truck was speeding toward her from the side road.
“No—!”
Before she could react, the impact was deafening.
Metal screamed. Glass shattered. The world spun violently as Soraya’s body was thrown around. Pain exploded everywhere—too much, too fast.
As her consciousness faded, one thought echoed in her mind like a curse:
They didn’t want me alive.
Then everything went dark.
