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“What’s the story with your family?”

The question hits me out of nowhere. My body tenses instantly.

For a second, I pretend I didn’t hear him. But he’s watching me, waiting. I slowly push myself up into a sitting position, the sheet sliding down to my waist. He follows, sitting up beside me.

I sigh.

My arms wrap around myself, rubbing slowly as a chill creeps over my skin, not from the cold, but from memory. Just thinking about it makes my stomach knot.

I stare at the wall for a moment, gathering courage.

“Sarah hated me the very moment she married my father,” I begin quietly.

“She didn’t even try to hide it. From the first day she moved into the house, she made it clear I wasn’t part of her family.”

I swallow hard, my throat tightening as the memories come rushing back.

“As I grew older, she turned me into a maid,” I continue. “I cleaned the house, cooked, washed clothes… everything. And if I made the smallest mistake, burned food, broke a plate, forgot something, she made sure to punish me.”

My hands tremble slightly. I force myself to keep talking.

“Sometimes… they would hold me down and force my head into water. Over and over. Sarah called it discipline.” My voice cracks. “They said it would teach me to stay in line.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Andrei’s reaction. His jaw is clenched so tightly the muscle there ticks. His hands curl into fists on the bed, his knuckles turning white, but he doesn’t interrupt me.

So I tell him everything. The fear, the humiliation. The way I learned to stay quiet just to survive.

Andrei’s voice is low when he speaks. “And that’s why you hate swimming.”

I nod slowly. “Yeah.”

A long pause follows. Then he asks the question that still stings, even after all these years. “Where was your father in all of this?”

A humorless chuckle escapes me before I can stop it.

“My father?” I repeat.

I shake my head slowly. “He pretended not to know what was going on.”

Andrei’s brows draw together. “Why?”

I let out a bitter breath. “Because Sarah had more money than him. The family she came from was rich. Powerful. My father needed their money to expand his business.”

“So he turned a blind eye to everything they did to me. When I complained, he told me to stop being a spoiled child and do as Sarah said. He said her coming into our lives was going to change everything for the better.”

Another hollow laugh slips out of me. “My life did change, quite alright.”

I look down at my hands. “But it definitely wasn’t for good.”

Silence settles over us again. Then, without a word, Andrei reaches for me.

He pulls me into his arms, wrapping them around me tightly, holding me against his chest like he’s trying to shield me from something that happened years ago.

His voice is rough when he finally speaks. “I will never let anyone hurt you again.”

I believe him.

“Are you going to kill them? My father and his family?”