Tamed Heart

Chapter 3

I thought losing my father was the worst thing that could happen to us.

I was wrong.

The next thing that broke… was the silence.

It shattered without warning.

A loud bang echoed through the hall,

The doors flew open so violently that the sound echoed across the entire hall.

Every head turned.

Every voice went silent.

A large group of people walked in like they owned the place.

Men dressed in black.

Rough.

Cold.

Heartless.

Their presence didn’t just disturb the peace… it shattered it completely.

They grabbed planks, breaking everything they could lay their hands on.

“What is the meaning of this?” I snapped, stepping forward, instinctively moving in front of my mum like I could shield her.

One of them stepped forward.

A man with dyed red hair, his eyes dull and cruel, his presence suffocating.

The smell of alcohol and smoke followed him like a shadow.

He didn’t look at me with sympathy.

He looked at me like I was nothing.

“Your father owed us money,” he said flatly. “A lot of money.”

The words didn’t register at first.

I just stared at him.

Then anger rose.

Hot.

Sharp.

Explosive.

“And that gives you the right to walk into his burial and cause a scene?” I shot back, my voice shaking with rage.

He smirked.

Like this was amusing to him.

“Well…” he leaned in closer, “I’m just getting started.”

Before I could react, he walked toward the front… and grabbed the urn.

My father’s ashes.

That was all that was left of him.

“No—!” I rushed forward, my heart slamming against my chest.

But I was too slow.

He picked it up.

“NO!” I screamed, my voice breaking.

“Please!” my mum cried, falling to her knees. “Please don’t do this…”

He laughed.

Like our pain was entertainment.

I clenched my fists tightly as I glared at him.

He tossed the urn lightly in his hand, playing with it carelessly like it was nothing more than a toy.

Like my father’s entire existence meant nothing.

“Stop!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face. I wiped them quickly. I needed to be strong.

“Drop it… that’s my dad. I will pay you whatever he owes…”

For a moment, he just looked at us.

Taking it in.

Enjoying it.

Then he placed it back.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Relief flooded me so suddenly my knees almost gave out.

But it didn’t last.

“You will pay every single kobo he owes?” he said, pointing his walking stick at me. “That’s a whole lot of money, child.”

I stepped forward with determination. “Even if I have to work every day of my life, I will make sure I return every penny he owes you.”

He laughed.

“Fine then. But until the debt is paid… the house is ours.”

My heart dropped.

“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “You can’t do that. You don’t have the right to claim my father’s property.”

He laughed again.

Mocking.

Cruel.

“I already did.”

He shoved a document toward me.

My hands trembled as I took it.

It was a contract clearly stating the mansion as collateral.

Then I saw it.

My father’s signature.

Clear.

And just like that…

The house…

Our home…

Gone.

“You should find somewhere else to stay, young lady. I’ll be in touch,” he added casually, with the most irritating smile I had ever seen.

The world tilted.

Nothing felt stable anymore.

Everything was crumbling before us, and we were powerless against it.

It was only at that moment I realized how much my father had been covering for us.

He carried all the burden.

Without him… how would we survive?

I ran as fast as I could.

I don’t know how long it took me to get home, but eventually, I did.

My mum ran beside me.

My heart pounded like it was trying to escape my chest.

When we got there—

It was already too late.

The door was open.

Voices echoed inside.

Strangers.

They were taking everything.

All the memories I had left of my dad… were being taken away.

“Stop!” I screamed, rushing in.

But no one listened.

No one cared.

Before I realized it, it was all gone.

Empty.

The furniture.

Clothes.

Memories.

Everything.

It felt like we had never lived there at all.

My mum collapsed—weak, drained, defeated. Tears flowed uncontrollably.

“How do we survive?” she cried. “What do we do now?”

I didn’t have an answer.

I didn’t have anything.

Before we could even process it, we were dragged out.

Thrown out.

The door slammed shut in our faces.

And then locked.

And just like that…

We had nothing.

No home.

No comfort.

No safety.

Absolutely nothing.

That night, we sat at a phone booth like strangers in our own lives.

The night was extremely cold. My sister shivered in my arms.

I hugged her tightly to keep her warm, but it didn’t help much.

We forced smiles at passersby who looked at us suspiciously.

It was like we had to pretend we were only there temporarily.

I called everyone I knew.

Friends.

Relatives.

Anyone.

Most didn’t pick up.

The few that did claimed they were either out of the country or not in a position to help.

One by one…

The world turned its back on us.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get worse…

The rain came.

Pouring heavily, like the sky itself was against us.

It was cold.

Unforgiving.

“What do we do now?” my little sister cried. “Daddy… please make the rain stop…”

That broke me.

Completely.

My mum held her tightly, both of them soaked and trembling.

I looked around desperately and found a small, dirty corner barely shielded from the rain.

“Come,” I said, my voice firm despite everything. “Let’s go there.”

My mum hesitated.

“It’s too dirty… you know me, honey. I can’t survive in a place like that.”

Something inside me snapped.

“It’s better than standing in the rain!”

She still didn’t move.

I grabbed my sister’s hand and pulled her with me, wrapping my jacket around her small body.

Then I ran back out into the rain, searching.

For anything.

For help… maybe.

And that’s when I saw it.

A red SUV.

Parked.

My heart stopped.

My entire body froze.

It looked exactly like the same car.

No…

It couldn’t be.

But my legs moved on their own.

Slow.

Unsteady.

I walked toward it.

Each step heavier than the last.

My hands trembled as I reached the back.

My eyes locked onto the plate number.

AE-6888.

The world went silent.

The sound of the rain faded.

The noise around me disappeared.

All I could think of…

Was my father’s murderer.

My chest rose sharply as panic, anger, grief—all of it crashed into me at once.

He was here.

The monster who destroyed my life…

Was here.

Somewhere close.

Breathing.

Living his life…

While my father was gone.

My family was homeless.

Broken.

My legs refused to move.

The police were obviously protecting him. They acted like it didn’t exist—but the vehicle was right in front of me.

And that was all the evidence I needed.

My body trembled.

My eyes stayed fixed on that number.

Burning it into my soul.

I felt so much anger.

Something stronger.

Darker.

Rage.

I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my skin.

“You took everything from me…” I whispered.

“My father… my home… my life… I will take everything from you too. AE-6888.”

It was a promise.

A dark promise I intended to keep.

The rain poured harder, soaking me completely—but I didn’t move.

I didn’t care.

“I will find you… even if I have to burn in hell just to get to you.”

My voice was no longer weak.

“You will pay for everything.”