The ride to his house was quiet and heavy, and no one spoke to me the entire time. I kept my eyes on the window, even though I was not really seeing anything outside, because my mind was still stuck in that moment at home. I could still hear my father's voice telling them to take me, and I could still feel the way he refused to look at me.
When the car finally stopped, one of the men opened the door and told me to come down. I stepped out slowly and lifted my head, and the first thing I saw was the mansion. It was large and silent, with tall gates and bright lights, and everything about it felt controlled and distant. It did not feel like a home, it felt like a place where people followed rules without asking questions.
He walked in front of me without saying anything, and I followed him inside. The doors opened before we reached them, and when I stepped in, everything inside looked clean and perfect, almost too perfect, like nothing was out of place. It made me feel uncomfortable because I did not belong in a place like that.
He stopped walking for a moment and spoke without turning around. He told the maids to take me to my room and make sure I stayed there. That was all he said. He did not look at me, not even once, and then he walked away like I did not exist.
Two maids came forward and told me to follow them. I looked back for a second, hoping he would say something else, but he was already gone. I followed them quietly because there was nothing else I could do.
They led me through long hallways and up a staircase until we reached a room. One of them opened the door and told me this would be my room. I stepped inside slowly and looked around. The room was big and clean, with a soft bed, large windows, and everything arranged neatly. It looked comfortable, but it did not feel like mine.
They told me to rest and not to leave the room unless I was called. I nodded without saying anything, and then they left, closing the door behind them.
I was alone.
I stood there for a while, not moving, just trying to understand what had just happened. Everything felt unreal, like I was still dreaming and would wake up at any moment. But I knew I would not.
I walked slowly to the bed and sat down, placing my hands on my lap. The room was quiet, too quiet, and the silence started to feel heavy again. I lay down after a while, staring at the ceiling, thinking about my father, my home, and everything I had just lost.
Time passed.
I did not know exactly how long, but it felt like hours.
At some point, I must have closed my eyes, because the next thing I heard was a knock on the door.
I sat up immediately.
The door opened before I could respond, and several maids walked in. Not just two this time, but more, enough to make the room feel smaller.
My heart started beating faster.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice low and uncertain.
One of them stepped forward and said it was time.
Time for what?
I did not understand, but they did not explain. They just told me to stand up and come with them.
I hesitated for a moment, but then I stood up and followed them. They led me out of the room and through a different part of the house, one I had not seen before. The hallway was quieter, and the air felt colder the deeper we went.
We stopped in front of another door.
One of them opened it.
"Go inside," she said.
I looked at her, confused, but then I walked in slowly.
The room was bright and unfamiliar, filled with mirrors and arranged tools, and before I could ask anything, the maids entered behind me.
That was when I realized something was about to happen.
"What is this?" I asked, my voice slightly shaking.
No one answered me.
They moved around me calmly, like they already knew what to do, and before I could fully react, they started preparing me. They told me not to resist, that it would be easier if I stayed still.
I did not understand everything, but I understood enough to know I had no control.
So I stayed still.
They worked on me carefully, washing my hair, cleaning my skin, and adjusting everything about me like I was something that needed to be fixed. Then one of them picked up scissors.
I froze.
"Wait… what are you doing?" I asked quickly.
"Please stay still," she said.
And then she started cutting my hair.
I watched silently as it fell around me, piece by piece, and I felt something inside me drop with it. They continued without stopping, shaping it the way they wanted, not the way I would have chosen.
When they were done, they dressed me in new clothes, ones that fit perfectly, like they had already planned this before I arrived.
When everything was finished, one of them handed me a mirror.
I looked at it slowly.
The girl staring back at me looked different.
Cleaner.
Changed.
But her eyes still held the same confusion and pain.
"That is how he wants it," one of them said quietly.
I lowered the mirror.
He.
Everything was for him.
They led me out again and took me back to my room. When I stepped inside, it looked the same, but I did not feel the same anymore.
The door closed behind me.
And I stood there, alone again, realizing something I could not ignore.
I was not just brought here.
I was being prepared.