Aurora quickly texted Jake, knowing he would be in a meeting by now. He hated interruptions during those hours, but she had no choice.
[Bae, I'm sorry, but you won't see me at home when you return from work. It's an emergency — I have to go. Bye. Love you.]
She hit send, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and sped off.Traffic.
Thick, unmoving, irritating traffic.
"Damn it, not today," she groaned, gripping the wheel in frustration. "Ughhh, I should've gone with the chauffeur. What was I even thinking?!"
The sun beat down relentlessly, adding to her mounting stress. Cars honked endlessly around her, but all she could focus on was the growing knot in her stomach."I have to get there on time!" she shouted, slamming her palm against the horn. "MOVE!"Four long hours crawled by.By the time she reached her family's estate, night had already fallen. She let out a long breath of relief — but it was short-lived.
Something was off.
The estate gate didn't open automatically as it usually did. The security booth was empty.
"What the hell…?" she whispered.She stepped out and used her access card to open the gate herself.No guards.No lights.
No sound.
The entire Brooks Mansion sat in eerie silence, shrouded in darkness like a haunted memory."Where is everyone?" she muttered, her heels clicking against the pavement as she approached the front door.Usually, the butler would already be holding it open by now, greeting her with a warm smile and bow.
But not today.Not tonight.She opened the door slowly.The silence inside was deafening.
"Sadash? Sadash, I'm home!" she called out, stepping inside.Her voice echoed through the empty corridors."Sadash! Are you here?"
She flicked on the switch beside her.And then froze.
"S-Sada—" The name caught in her throat.
Her entire world shattered in that instant.
There, hanging from the chandelier in the center of the grand living room, was Sadash her body limp, her head bowed, her feet swaying slightly in the air like a cursed pendulum.
"No… No… no, no, no! This can't be happening!" Aurora stumbled backward, hands flying to her mouth, her knees giving way beneath her."This is a dream," she whispered, voice breaking. "It has to be. I'm still in bed. I've been asleep all day — this is just a bad dream!"
A maniacal laugh escaped her lips.
"Haha… Y-Yeah, that's all this is — a nightmare…"She pinched herself.Hard.
The pain jolted her.And the image remained.
"Nooooooooooooo!"
Her scream tore through the mansion like a banshee's wail. She crawled forward on her knees, her vision blurring with tears.
"Who did this to you?!" she screamed. "Tell me, Sadash, WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!"
She clawed at the carpet beneath her, veins bursting across her forehead, eyes bloodshot with fury and grief.
"This can't be real… This can't be real!"
Her cries filled every corner of the silent house. Her heart shattered into pieces as she stared at the lifeless body of the only woman who had ever truly loved her like a mother.
"Just tell me… please… please tell me who did this to you…"
Her voice had become a whisper.A desperate plea.
MEANWHILE — Jake's Office
Jake finally checked his phone after his meeting.A message from Aurora.
He read it slowly:[Bae, I'm sorry, but you won't see me at home when you return from work. It's an emergency — I have to go. Bye. Love you.]
He furrowed his brow slightly.
"An emergency?" he mumbled.Then he smiled lightly to himself."Maybe something came up at her clinic."He set the phone aside and continued going through his reports.
He had no idea that the love of his life had just walked into the scene of a murder.
BACK AT BROOKS MANSION
Aurora remained on the floor, still trembling, her tears soaking through the carpet.Her eyes were fixed on Sadash's body, unable to look away."She didn't do this to herself," Aurora said quietly. "She would never…"
Her mind replayed their last conversation.
Sadash had been about to tell her something something about her real parents. Aurora had heard her scream.Someone had stopped her.
And they had done it by murdering her.
They killed her. They silenced her. And they made it look like suicide…
Aurora clenched her fists, rage bubbling beneath her skin.
"No," she whispered. "I won't let this go. I'll find out who did this."
She stood, slowly but steadily, her eyes now burning with fury. Whoever you are… I'm coming for you."