Chapter Ten: A Daughter Reborn
Chapter Ten: A Daughter Reborn
ANNA
I woke up drenched in sweat, my heart hammering so violently I thought it might burst through my chest. My breaths came shallow and ragged, panic clawing at my throat until I forced myself to calm down.
It had only been a dream.
But the images clung to me like a curse.
In the nightmare, I had walked into a room and found Abel and Flora tangled together, their bodies shamelessly intertwined. They were having sex. My world shattered in that instant. I screamed, begged Abel to stop and pleaded for him to look at me and remember his vows.
“Why?” I had cried, the sound breaking from the depths of my chest. “Why are you doing this to me? Abel, don’t leave me… please.”
But his eyes were cold. Unyielding.
Then I turned to Flora, desperation twisting into anguish. “What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me so much? Why envy me when I am just as ordinary as you?”
Her laughter cut like a blade. She shoved me, dragged me into the dirt, and Abel didn’t lift a hand to stop her. Together, they pushed me down until I could no longer breathe. I screamed for mercy, clutching my stomach, but it was too late. I lost my child. Blood poured, and I felt life slipping away, the life of my child.
The agony of loss in that dream tore through me so deeply that I had wept even in my sleep.
When I jolted awake, my face was wet, and the pillow beneath me was stained with tears. My hands flew instinctively to my stomach.
The baby was still there. Safe.
I exhaled a trembling breath, clutching my belly as though my arms alone could shield the tiny life within me. It was just a nightmare. A cruel trick of my mind. But even knowing that, my body still trembled, and my heart ached as if it had been real.
I stood up after a while and went to the kitchen to get water. My hand shook as I grabbed the jug, trying to pour myself a drink. Before I knew it, the jug slipped, crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces. The sound tore through the silence of the night.
Panicking, I bent down, trying to gather the pieces, when a shard cut into my hand. I froze, frustration boiling inside me, and then just slumped against the wall, right there beside the mess. Tears rolled down uncontrollably.
I was tired. So tired of everything.
What did I ever do to deserve this kind of life?
The only time I ever felt truly happy was when my mom was alive. Back then, my father loved me. We were a family. But the moment she died, everything shifted. He remarried, and suddenly I was invisible. Selena had his ear, his heart, his trust. She brought Flora along from her first marriage, and Father treated her like his own daughter. I didn’t mind at first, I was even happy. I thought I finally had a little sister, someone to share life with.
But Flora… Flora was nothing but a thorn in my flesh. Always wanting what I had. At first, I gave freely, always giving in just to make her happy. But her demands grew shameless, outrageous. And her mother was always there to defend her, twisting things, turning my father against me. He believed them. He chose them. I never thought Flora would one day go this far.
The second time I thought happiness had found me was when I met Abel. For the first time since my mother’s death, I felt alive again. I felt on top of the world, that new exhilarating feeling. I believed in love. I thought he was my safe place, my protector, the one who would never betray me. I thought wrong.
All the promises he made, five years’ worth meant nothing. He broke them without a second thought. He slept with my sister. On our anniversary, of all nights. And when I begged him to listen, he humiliated me, insulted me, and pushed me out like I was dirt beneath his feet.
And now? Now he’s marrying Flora.
“I am not married. I have no wife. Flora Whitmore is my fiancée.”
Those words keep replaying in my head like a curse.
How long had it been going on between them? How many nights had they spent together while I lived in ignorance, believing in a lie? This wasn’t some accident. No! They planned it. I know they did. Together, they destroyed me, dragged my name through the mud, and built their love on the ruins of my pain. They planned it to send me out and get together.
Everything was fake. Every kiss, every smile, every word. All fake.
I slammed my forehead with my hand, groaning, the pain inside me worse than the one on my skin.
I have no one. No family. No friends. No one.
And the ones who should have loved me most, Abel and Flora, they are the very ones who tore me apart.
Suddenly, a firm hand caught mine, stopping me. I glanced up and saw Madame Serrano standing over me, her eyes sharp, her expression fierce.
“What are you doing, Anna?” she scolded, her voice cutting through my despair.
I quickly wiped my tears, nodding as if to convince myself. “Nothing,” I croaked. My voice sounded weak, fragile. I hated myself for it. Hated that I couldn’t stop breaking. But how could I? My emotions, my thoughts, none of it could just vanish. Everything I felt for him had been real. From my side, it had always been real. And letting go of something that real wasn’t easy. Not for me. Not like it was for him.
“I thought we talked about this,” Madame Serrano said sternly. “You need to stop.”
She took my injured hand and pulled me gently toward the sink. As she washed the blood from my fingers, I lowered my head and whispered, “It just… it hurts. It hurts so much, knowing you have no one.” My voice broke on the words.
Her grip softened. “But you have me now. You have me, Anna.”
A small, bitter smile tugged at my lips. “And I’m grateful for that.” My voice steadied. “I just… I had a nightmare. About them. That’s what dragged everything back. But I think…” I exhaled shakily. “I think I’m okay now.”
“No, you’re not,” she said firmly. “Not yet. You need to let it out. Come with me.”
She didn’t wait for my reply, just led me down a corridor. We passed through door after door until we reached a massive one. She pushed it open, and my eyes widened.
A gym. Fully equipped, every kind of training instrument lined up like soldiers waiting to be used. She led me straight to a heavy punching bag that swung slightly from its chain.
“Hit it,” she ordered.
I blinked. “What? I can’t. I don’t know how to fight. I don’t… train.” I laughed nervously, glancing at her.
Her expression didn’t change. “Listen to me, Anna. Don’t think about form. Don’t think about strength. Just take everything you’re feeling, the anger, the betrayal, the pain, the rage and pour it into your fist. Don’t hold back. Throw it all at the bag. Again and again. Until it no longer weighs on you. Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard, then nodded. “Okay.”
I pulled back and threw a punch. Then another. And another. Each strike felt clumsy, but something inside me cracked open. Every blow carried a piece of my fury, my grief, my heartbreak. I kept going, faster, harder, until my arms ached and my muscles burned. Sweat clung to my forehead, my breath coming out in ragged pants.
Finally, I stopped, my fists falling limply to my sides. I let out a long, shuddering sigh.
“How do you feel now?” she asked, her gaze steady on me.
I blinked at her, a smile tugging at my lips for the first time in what felt like forever. “I… I feel good. I feel… lighter. Better.”
She nodded. “Good. But remember, you’re carrying a child. Don’t push yourself too hard. For now, whenever you feel overwhelmed, this is where you’ll come. Take it out here instead of crying in the dark. When you’ve given birth, we’ll move to real training. Combat training. I’ll make sure you’re equipped, skilled, and untouchable.”
Her voice grew sharper, colder. “With time, the pain will dull, and you will be reborn. But from now on, you must stop giving in to weakness. Choose logic over emotion. Strength over tears. Anna, I will make you powerful. I will raise you above them all. But first, I need to know. Are you ready? Are you ready to become my daughter? To stand against everyone who betrayed you?”
My heart hammered in my chest. I thought of Abel’s face, Flora’s smirk, my father’s rejection, Selena’s lies. All of them. And I clenched my fist.
“Yes,” I whispered, then louder, firmer: “Yes, I am ready. I am ready to be your daughter, Mom. I am ready to rise above them all.”
Her lips curved into a wide grin, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
“Now that’s my daughter,” she said proudly. “Come. Let’s get some sleep. We have long years ahead of us… and a war to win.”