CHAPTER TWO
The Day Everything Changed
Claire's hands trembled violently as she gripped her phone. Tears blurred her vision, but no amount of blinking could erase the horrifying scene etched into her memory.
Her parents.
Her Nana.
Gone.
The people who had been her world were no longer there to laugh, love, or guide her. Their absence felt like a wound carved directly into her soul.
Fighting through her sobs, she finally found her voice.
"Claine..."
A painful silence followed.
"Mom, Dad, and Nana are gone."
Her breath hitched.
"Someone killed them."
On the other end of the line, Claine fell silent. For a moment, Claire wondered if the call had disconnected.
Then she heard him inhale sharply.
"Claire, listen to me carefully."
His voice was steady, but she could hear the rage lurking beneath it.
"I need you to stay strong. Stronger than you've ever been before."
His words hardened.
"And if someone is responsible for this, I swear they will regret the day they crossed paths with our family."
A tear slid down Claire's cheek.
"We'll make sure of it."
The promise should have comforted her.
Instead, it made her cry harder.
"Please get here quickly," she whispered.
"I can't bear this pain anymore."
"I'm already on my way."
His response came instantly.
Then his tone shifted.
"Where are the guards?"
Claire looked around the mansion grounds.
The silence suddenly felt strange.
Unnatural.
"There aren't any."
"What?"
"There are no guards here at all."
A dangerous pause followed.
"That doesn't make sense," Claine said quietly. "There should be security around the estate twenty-four hours a day."
His suspicion immediately ignited.
"Are you alone?"
"No."
Claire glanced at her best friend.
"Shayna came with me."
"Good."
Relief briefly softened his voice.
"Give her the phone."
Claire handed the device over.
"My brother wants to talk to you."
Shayna accepted it.
"Hello, Claine."
"Shayna, I'm sorry to ask this of you, but please stay with my sister."
"You don't have to apologize."
Shayna looked at Claire, whose eyes were swollen from crying.
"Claire is family to me. I won't leave her side."
A brief silence followed.
Then Claine exhaled.
"Thank you."
"I'll be there soon."
The call ended.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
The weight of grief hung heavily between them.
Finally, Claire sank onto a sofa.
Her body felt numb.
"What am I supposed to do now?" she whispered.
"Why does my heart hurt this much?"
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Why does it feel like the universe is taking everything from me?"
Shayna moved closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I don't know why these things happen."
Her voice was gentle.
"But right now, we need to focus on one step at a time."
Claire stared blankly ahead.
"Like what?"
"Calling the police."
The suggestion snapped Claire back to reality.
She nodded slowly.
"You're right."
A faint, broken smile appeared on her lips.
"Thank you for being here."
Shayna squeezed her hand.
"Always."
Unable to hold back any longer, Claire threw her arms around her friend.
The two remained locked in a long embrace while grief consumed the room around them.
A Few Hours Later Red and blue lights flashed across the estate.
Police officers moved in and out of the mansion while investigators documented evidence.
The atmosphere felt cold.
Heavy.
Wrong.
Then a black SUV came speeding through the gates.
Before it had completely stopped, Claine jumped out.
His eyes immediately searched for one person.
Claire.
The moment she saw him, she ran.
All the strength she had been desperately holding onto shattered.
She threw herself into his arms.
"I'm glad you're here."
Her voice cracked.
Claine wrapped his arms around her tightly.
His chest tightened at the sight of her.
She looked exhausted.
Broken.
Lost.
"I kept hoping this wasn't real," Claire whispered.
She looked toward the mansion.
"I kept telling myself it was a nightmare."
Tears filled her eyes once more.
"I thought maybe I'd wake up and everything would be normal again."
Claine closed his eyes.
"I know, Noitcartta."
The childhood nickname slipped from his lips naturally.
"I know."
He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"If I could change what happened, I would."
His jaw tightened.
"And I won't let anything happen to you."
Claire instantly pulled away.
The warmth vanished from her expression.
"What did you just say?"
Claine frowned.
"Claire—"
"No."
She shook her head.
"Don't."
Her voice trembled.
"Don't make promises."
Pain flashed across her eyes.
"I'm tired of promises that never come true."
The words struck him harder than any punch.
She gestured toward the mansion.
"Everyone always promises to protect the people they love."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"Look where those promises got us."
Silence swallowed the space between them.
"I don't believe words anymore."
Her eyes met his.
"I believe actions."
Without waiting for a response, she turned around and walked inside.
Moments later, her bedroom door slammed shut.
The sound echoed throughout the mansion.
And straight through Claine's heart.
For several seconds, he stood motionless.
Then his grief disappeared behind a mask of control.
Turning to the security team he had brought with him, his voice became cold and commanding.
"Clean this place up."
"Yes, boss."
"Make arrangements for tomorrow's burial."
"Understood."
"And under no circumstances is anyone to disturb my sister."
"Yes, boss."
The men immediately dispersed.
Claine then turned toward Shayna.
"You can stay in one of the guest rooms tonight."
"Thank you."
His expression softened slightly.
"You've done more for Claire today than anyone else."
Shayna offered a small smile.
"That's what family does."
After she left, silence returned to the mansion.
A suffocating silence.
The kind that follows tragedy.
The kind that hides secrets.
Later that night, Claine sat alone in his father's study.
A bottle of vodka rested on the desk beside him.
He poured a glass.
Then another.
And another.
But no amount of alcohol could drown the images replaying inside his mind.
His family was gone.
His sister was shattered.
And something about this tragedy didn't make sense.
The missing guards.
The lack of witnesses.
The perfect timing.
It was too clean.
Too planned.
Too deliberate.
His grip tightened around the glass.
The muscles in his jaw flexed.
Then he spoke into the darkness.
"Whoever did this..."
His voice was low.
Dangerously calm.
"...I will find you."
The room fell silent.
Outside, thunder rumbled across the night sky.
And somewhere in the shadows, the person responsible remained unaware that they had just become the target of a man with nothing left to lose.