Breaking the Heart

Chapter 4 My Sister's Death

When I was twelve, our mother was dying. Knowing she didn't have much time left, she made my sister and me draw lots to decide who would go to Harbor City to find our father.

The father who had abandoned her. The father we had never even met.

She told us wealthy families were nothing but hell. She refused to let both her daughters step into that abyss.

In the end, my sister went. She became Elara, the only heir to Vance Holdings. And I stayed in the countryside.

That was where I met Caelum. We depended on each other and lived a simple but happy life.

In fact, almost no one in the world knew that the eldest daughter of the Vance family had a twin sister.

My name was Nancy. Not even our father knew.

Yet despite the distance, Elara and I remained close. We couldn't stay together like we had when we were children, but we talked on the phone often.

Every time we spoke, she told me she envied me. Back then, I couldn't understand why. She had everything people could only dream of, including our father. If anything, she should have been the one everyone envied.

Until five years ago, she suddenly disappeared. Our father jumped from a building and killed himself. Overnight, Vance Holdings was swallowed by Thorn Holdings.

By the time I rushed to Harbor City and finally found Elara, she had already been thrown into the basement of Siren Lounge, like a dog and a plaything for a group of construction workers. Elara was tortured to death by those animals.

The day I buried Elara's belongings was the very same day Prince Kaelan of Thorn Holdings held his grand engagement ceremony with the famous actress Fiona. The news flooded every screen in Harbor City.

Before she died, Elara cried and begged me to leave. She told me never to come back. She told me to live well for both of us.

'But… how could I not come back? Every night when I wake from nightmares, I can still hear your screams echoing from that basement as they tortured you to death.'

'And I can still see the giant screens in the shopping district, Kaelan gently slipping the engagement ring onto Fiona's finger while confessing his love.'

'How could I ever forget that? Elara… after five years, I'm finally back.'

My nails dug into Caelum's arm so hard they left bloody marks. "Do you know what Yuna told me today?" I said hoarsely. "She admitted it herself. The man who ordered Elara's death was Kaelan. Now that I've come back, he will pay for it with blood."

Caelum slammed his fist into the wall beside us. The concrete cracked, leaving a deep dent as blood dripped from his knuckles. His eyes burned red with fury.

"And for that you're willing to let that man use you?" he roared. "Let him treat you like his toy? You're degrading yourself."

I tore a strip from the ruined hem of my dress and wrapped it around his bleeding hand. Keeping my head lowered, I refused to meet his eyes.

By now, I had learned how to stay calm. "Yes," I said quietly. "Maybe I am. What's the big deal about sleeping with men? It's not like I'll lose a piece of myself."

Caelum lost control. He shoved me back against the wall. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "If anyone can have you, then so can I."

He grabbed the back of my head and kissed me roughly. A hoarse sound tore from his throat, as if he wanted to swallow me whole.

But he was only twenty-three. To me, he was still just a boy.

I bit his lip until blood filled my mouth, then used all my strength to slap him across the face. "Caelum," I said firmly, "anyone else can. But not you."

He stared at me in disbelief and slowly stepped back. The look in his eyes was exactly the same as the day I first met him when we were twelve.

Back then, he had been fighting a group of boys. I helped him win the fight, then laughed and told him he was weak. That was the expression he gave me.

'I'm sorry, Caelum.'

'But I have to stay by Kaelan's side.'

'I have to.'

Caelum turned and disappeared into the darkness without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, I leaned against the wall. All the strength drained from my body. I covered my mouth and finally broke down in tears.