Zayan woke up that morning with a storm raging behind his eyes. His mood was black, darker than it had been in weeks. The walls of the mansion seemed too tight, the air too thick. As he walked into the kitchen, his eyes caught the empty seat at the table.
"Nora!" he barked. His voice boomed like thunder.
She appeared, timid and fragile. "Good morning," she said softly.
"Did you eat?" he demanded.
Nora stayed quiet.
"I said did you eat, Nora?"
She shook her head slowly, her fingers twitching nervously.
Zayan's face twisted with frustration. "Again?! You didn't eat again? Didn't I tell you to take your vitamins and your food?"
Nora took a step back, startled.
"You're so stubborn all the time! You never listen! YOUR BRAIN IS JUST LIKE A CHILD!"
His hand lifted, as if by instinct, ready to strike—but then:
"ZAYAN!"
Melanie's voice cut through the room like a blade. She rushed in, stepping between them, holding Nora close. Nora was shaking in her arms.
"Are you mad?!" Melanie snapped, eyes wide with fury.
"She doesn't listen—she never does!" Zayan shouted, still breathing heavily. "I told her to eat and—"
"And that gives you the right to scream at her? To nearly hit her?!"
"I… I didn't mean—" Zayan muttered, realizing what he had said.
But the damage was done.
Nora, frozen in place, blinked and whispered, "What did you just say?"
Zayan's anger evaporated. His mouth opened, then closed. "I… I didn't mean it like that…"
Nora stepped away from Melanie, her voice soft but cutting. "I don't remember everything, Zayan. And that's not my fault. But even now, I never blamed you for anything. Never… not once."
She turned to leave, her voice trembling. "Bye-bye, Zayan."
She dressed the twins quietly, fed them with trembling hands, and packed only two dresses. As she tiptoed downstairs, she found only Max at the door—no guards. She left a letter on the table, kissed the air one last time, and whispered:
"Bye-bye…"
Then she walked out, toward the Lilith Mansion.
Zayan rubbed his face. "I messed up," he whispered.
Melanie stared at him. "There are things you never say to a woman like Nora. Not when she's already suffering. Not when she's pregnant with your third child." Her voice cracked. "She's not broken, Zayan—she's just hurt. And now, you made it worse."
Then Meira and Cersie burst in.
"You shouted at Nora? Why?" Cersie asked.
"It… it just happened…" Zayan stammered, guilt flooding him.
A guard stepped in. "Mr. Kai? Mrs. Nora asked me to give you this."
He handed Zayan a small letter, with a few white flowers tucked into it.
**Don't worry anymore. Your burdens are now gone.
Me and my babies will be safe.
Nora doesn't remember anything—yes.
But maybe one day I will.
Nora loves Z a lot.
But Z hurt Nora.
And Nora's feelings too.
I wish I could remember.
Maybe then… you wouldn't get so angry.
I love you, Z.
—Nora**
Zayan dropped the letter, knees hitting the floor. "I made a fucking big mistake."
He ran to the twins' room—empty. Checked every corner Nora used to sit in—nothing. He pulled up the security feed and saw it: her walking away, eyes full of tears, turning back one last time to wave at the mansion.
And then she was gone.
Back at the Lilith mansion, Zofia gently patted Nora's head as she sobbed in her lap. Yasia and Boris played with the twins in the corner.
"It's not my fault that I forgot myself," Nora wept.
"Shhh… it's okay, baby," Zofia murmured.
Zayan tore his room apart. Glass shattered, furniture cracked. He collapsed in the middle of the chaos, clutching a photo of Nora—smiling, hugging him. He scrolled through pictures on his phone—Nora with the twins, Nora with him, Nora laughing. A beautiful life, now slipping through his fingers.
Meira gathered the gang and banged on his door. "Zayan Kai, open this door before I break it!"
Reluctantly, Zayan unlocked it. The door opened, and they froze.
"Woah…" Dabira said.
He had destroyed everything.
"I know where she is," Sachi said, scrolling on her phone. "She's with her family… the Liliths."
Zayan's eyes lit up. "Where?!"
"But the lady Zofia said not to come near the doorstep," Sachi warned. "Because Nora cried a lot. She's tired. Broken."
"How do you know?" Kian asked.
Sachi smiled faintly. "Salvius. Her brother. He told me."
Now every day, Zayan stood across the Lilith mansion, just watching. Watching Nora cradle the twins, eyes dull, smile absent. She was alive—but not whole.
"I'm so sorry, love," he whispered through tears. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I can't live without you. I love you, Nora… I really, really do."