The morning light poured gently through the tall windows of the Langford estate, painting the marble floors in soft gold. But even the sun could not chase away the chill that clung to the house since the day Aira disappeared. Once alive with chatter and warmth, the estate now felt hollow—every corridor echoing with silence, every room carrying the weight of absence.
Inside one of the guest rooms, a soft groan broke the stillness. Elena stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open, lashes brushing against pale cheeks. She blinked at the ceiling, confused, her vision swimming before it steadied.
Aira? It was the first thought that filled her fogged mind. Where was she?
And then, in a rush, memories crashed down. The screams. The darkness. Hands reaching, grabbing. Aira's voice, trembling yet fierce, shielding her like a wall of flesh and bone. Elena's chest tightened, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Aira!?" Her voice cracked as she jerked upright, panic sharp in every syllable. "Where's Aira?! Someone—please!"
Her cry split the silence, and within seconds hurried footsteps echoed down the hall. The door burst open. Mira rushed in first, her eyes wide with relief. Behind her came Mrs. Langford, Jayden, Liam, and eventually Alec. But of all the faces flooding the doorway, one was missing.
Aira's.
"Elena!" Mira rushed to her side, tears brimming in her eyes. "You're awake!"
Mrs. Langford pressed a trembling hand over her chest, exhaling shakily. "Thank God…"
But Elena barely heard them. Her voice rose, urgent, demanding. "Where is she? Where's Aira?"
The question froze the air. Everyone exchanged uneasy looks. Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.
Elena's voice grew louder, desperate. "Where is she?!"
Jayden stepped forward carefully, his voice forced into calm. "You should rest, Elena. You've been through—"
"DON'T tell me to rest!" she cut him off, her voice shattering like glass. Her eyes blazed. "TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"
The room trembled with her fury. Finally, Mrs. Langford spoke, her tone stiff. "She left."
Elena's breath caught. For a moment, her confusion showed in the widening of her eyes. "What?"
Mrs. Langford hesitated, then continued coldly, "She asked her father to send her abroad. He agreed. Just like that—she's gone."
Jayden scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Good riddance, honestly."
The words struck Elena like a slap. Her mouth fell open. "What… what are you saying? You think she ran?"
"She put you in danger, Elena," Mrs. Langford replied firmly, her voice colder than the morning air.
"No!" Elena's voice cracked, fierce and raw. "She saved me!"
The words sliced through the room, silencing every breath.
Elena pressed a hand against her chest, forcing the words out through tears. "I remember everything. Celeste—she lured us. It was a plan. Aira knew. She tried to drag me away but it was too late. They grabbed us. They hurt us." Her voice broke into pieces, but she pushed on. "She stood in front of me when they tried to touch me. She screamed. She begged them to stop. And I… I passed out while she kept fighting."
Mrs. Langford's lips parted. For once, no words came.
Elena's trembling hand pointed at them all. "And you… you blamed her?"
Jayden opened his mouth, his voice low, defensive. "That's not what—"
"Don't!" Elena snapped, fire flashing in her eyes as she cut him down. "Don't twist it! You blamed her! You punished her! You let her go without even asking what she endured in that basement!"
Her words hung heavy, making everyone flinch.
The door creaked then, and Mr. Langford entered. He leaned against the doorframe, his face lined with exhaustion, but his eyes burned with something between fury and grief. His voice was steady, but sharp as a blade.
"Because no one wanted to know."
The weight of his words made everyone turn.
He looked at them all, his jaw tight. "I watched Thomas Brown slap her in this house. And none of you stopped him."
Elena's breath trembled. "He hit her… after everything she went through?"
"Yes." Mr. Langford's voice dropped lower. "And she didn't even flinch. Because she expected it."
Guilt began to creep in like poison. Mira's eyes glossed with tears. Alec shifted uncomfortably, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. Even Jayden lowered his gaze, shame breaking through his arrogance. Only Liam stayed still, his expression unreadable, his silence louder than words.
Mrs. Langford's voice was barely a whisper. "We didn't know…"
"You didn't want to know." Mr. Langford's stare was merciless.
The tension thickened as the door opened once more. The Brown family entered—Thomas, Lily, Sana, and Rayen. Their faces were stiff, unreadable masks.
Mr. Langford's voice cut the air like a judge delivering a sentence. "She's awake. And she remembers. Sit down."
Something in his tone made even Thomas silent. They obeyed.
Elena's red-rimmed eyes darted to them, blazing. "Where is Aira?"
Sana scoffed, folding her arms. "Gone. Good. Maybe now she'll stop embarrassing us in another country."
The words ignited Elena's fury. "Embarrassing?!" She screamed, her voice trembling with rage. "She saved me!"
Thomas frowned, brows knitting. "What are you talking about?"
Elena leaned forward, her words sharp as knives. "I'm telling you the truth. Celeste planned everything. Your daughter—Aira—protected me with her life. She begged them to stop touching me. She screamed until her throat bled. She fought while I passed out. And what did you do? Slap her?"
Lily's hands began to tremble. Sana blinked, stunned.
Elena's tears streamed freely now, but her words grew stronger. "She never told you. She never asked for sympathy. She just left. Broken. Alone."
Rayen tried weakly, "We thought she—"
"You didn't think!" Elena cut him down with venom. "You judged!"
Mr. Langford's voice thundered across the room, laced with disgust. "You raised her. And yet you never saw her."
Thomas's fists clenched, his voice faltering. "We didn't know…"
Elena's gaze turned cold as steel. "Because your pride mattered more than your daughter."
Lily's eyes filled with tears as she lowered her head, shame knotting her throat. Mira wept quietly, her shoulders shaking. Alec stared at the floor, unable to meet Elena's burning eyes.
The room became a graveyard of silence. Every heartbeat felt heavy with guilt, but no one spoke. Apologies hung on their tongues, chained by their egos, by their pride.
Elena's voice came softer now, but each word pierced like a blade. "She didn't leave because she wanted to. She left because you gave her no choice. Because this house… was no longer her home."
Mr. Langford's tone was low, solemn. "I tried to stop her. But her eyes… they were empty. That girl you all knew—the one who smiled, who laughed—she's gone."
Elena nodded slowly, tears sliding down her cheeks. "You didn't just lose a daughter. You lost a soul that once loved you all. And now she's nothing but hollow."
No one dared to move. No one dared to breathe.
And the girl who once lit every room with her smile now haunted them with her absence.