That night, the silence inside the mansion felt heavier than ever.
It wasn't the peaceful silence from before… the kind that lets you rest.
No.
This one was suffocating.
I stayed still near the entrance for a few seconds after my father disappeared upstairs, his last words still echoing in my mind, repeating over and over like a warning I didn't fully understand yet.
Carter… they're never far…
I slowly lifted my gaze toward Giulia.
She was no longer hiding her reaction.
Her face had lost all warmth, her eyes filled with something between fear… and anger.
"You shouldn't have said his name" she whispered sharply.
"I didn't have a choice," I replied, my voice slightly shaking despite my effort to stay calm."He introduced himself."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if trying to control herself, then walked past me toward the living room, gesturing for me to follow.
"Come."
I hesitated.
Then followed her.
The living room was empty now, the children gone to their rooms, the television turned off, leaving behind a strange quietness that made every step feel louder than it should.
Giulia stopped in the middle of the room.
Then turned to face me.
"You don't understand what you're getting into, Liora."
"Then explain it to me!" I finally snapped, frustration rising in my chest."Since I arrived here, nothing makes sense! You forbid me from going outside, you hit me, you talk about secrets, about doors, about names and now my father reacts like this just because of a surname?!"
My voice echoed slightly.
But I didn't care anymore.
"I deserve to know.." I added, more quietly this time.
She looked at me for a long moment.
Really looked at me.
As if she was seeing not just me but someone else through me.
"…You have your mother's eyes" she murmured.
My heart skipped.
"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.
She turned away, walking slowly toward the window, her arms crossing as she stared into the darkness outside.
"Everything started years ago," she said."Before you were born."
I stayed silent.
Listening.
"Our family… the Vance… and the Carter family were not enemies."
She paused.
"We were partners."
I frowned.
"Partners…?"
"In business. In power. In influence," she continued."Your father and Richard Carter built something together. Something big."
Something in her tone made me uneasy.
"But things changed," she added, her voice lowering."And when they did… it destroyed everything."
"What happened?" I asked, my heart beating faster.
She hesitated.
"Your mother happened."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
"What do you mean…?"
Giulia turned back toward me, her expression now serious, almost cold.
"Your mother wasn't just your father's wife," she said slowly."She was the reason everything collapsed between the two families."
I felt my hands tighten.
"And now," she continued,"you… are walking straight into their world."
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
"…Kael doesn't know who you are," she added."And that's the only thing protecting you right now."
I swallowed.
"So what? I just stop seeing him?" I asked.
She didn't answer immediately.
"That would be the safest choice."
I let out a quiet laugh.
Not because it was funny.
Because it felt impossible.
"I can't."
She looked at me.
"I barely know him… but I don't feel like he's dangerous," I said honestly."He's not like what you're describing."
Giulia's gaze hardened slightly.
"That's exactly what makes him dangerous."
A chill ran down my spine.
Before I could respond
A sudden noise echoed from upstairs.
A door.
Closing.
Hard.
Both of us froze.
"My father…" I whispered.
Giulia immediately moved toward the stairs.
"Stay here."
But of course I didn't.
I followed her quietly, trying not to make any noise as we reached the second floor, where the long corridor stretched into darkness, the same one I had seen before… the one with the locked doors.
A faint light was coming from one of the rooms.
Giulia slowed down.
Then stopped.
"…That room," she whispered.
My heart started pounding.
"The one that's always locked…" I said quietly.
She nodded.
The door was slightly open.
That had never happened before.
We exchanged a look.
Then, slowly
She pushed the door open and what we saw inside
Changed everything.