Chapter 83
Chapter 83.
Joseph Bliss.
Sunday night—in the psychiatric clinic.
I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. My eyes were tired, and my body and soul... I felt as if they were trapped.
I couldn't even cry. Nothing.
I felt as if everything inside me had been drained... there was nothing left.
Ever since Adrian left, after telling me so many truths that I wasn't prepared to hear, everything inside me... collapsed.
And in the days that followed... that feeling of weakness became all I had at that moment.
Because, in the end... I am just a fragile human being.
Nothing more.
And everyone around me seemed to know that.
They knew I couldn’t do anything.
Not for myself.
Not for… Sofia.
And that was the part that destroyed me the most.
My daughter was out there, completely alone.
Confused. In danger.
While I was here, I was useless, unable to do a damn thing.
Then that feeling returned.
That same, unmistakable sensation I had before being attacked at home.
The feeling that a weak prey is seconds away from being crushed—torn apart—by a predator.
Footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Slow, steady, deliberate… as if whoever walked there knew no one would dare stop him.
And truly… no one did.
That’s when I noticed.
The guards weren’t there.
No nurses.
No doctors.
No one.
It was like the entire clinic had vanished.
The door opened slowly.
And a man walked in.
Tall, well-dressed, around my age, carrying himself like someone who lived convinced that the world belonged to him.
And when he looked at me, it felt like he read my entire soul with nothing but disdain.
I didn’t even need to ask.
The energy around him told me everything.
He wasn’t human.
He was like Adrian.
Like the others.
One of them.
And worse—he radiated danger.
He stared at me like I was a broken object left in a forgotten corner.
''You’re Sofia’s father?'' he asked, his voice low and authoritative.
Of course he knew the answer.
When he said my daughter's name, my whole body froze... cold.
It felt like something intense was squeezing my heart, so hard.
At that moment, I remembered what Adrian had told me about that list, about the people who were after her.
''Who are you?'' My voice came out rough but steady. ''And what do you want with my daughter?''
He raised an eyebrow, almost surprised I had the nerve to speak.
''I was Serena’s fiancé. Before she mixed herself… with humans.''
I swear my eyes almost left my skull.
I froze.
What did he say? Serena's fiancé?
He kept looking at me with the same expression as before.
I understood right away...
It was hatred... resentment... all of that, except anything good.
And that alone told me he wasn’t lying.
My body stiffened.
Then Adrian’s words replayed in my mind.
If Adrian was right…
If that car accident had been staged…
If Serena had been murdered…
Then maybe…
I was staring into the eyes of the man who killed my wife.
That cold fear that had been eating me alive suddenly burned away.
And all I felt was rage.
''Was it you…? '' The question tore out of me. ''Were you the one who did that to Serena?''
He looked at me with apathy, as if my pain were insignificant.
''So you already know a little, '' he said flatly.
''I… I don’t know anything,'' I admitted, my voice trembling. ''All I know is my wife was murdered and people lied to me… And now my daughter is in danger.''
He took one step closer.
And his presence almost suffocated me.
That instinctive terror, the terror of prey cornered by a predator.
''She isn’t just in danger… Joseph,'' he said, speaking my name like he’d known me forever. ''The girl who was with her has already been taken. Now it’s her turn.''
My heart nearly stopped.
The girl who was with her?
Letícia?
My God…
They had taken Letícia!?
The fear that had been waiting in the shadows finally consumed me.
He continued, merciless:
''Sofia needs to awaken.''
I blinked, confused and terrified.
''W-what are you talking about? She’s just a hybrid… she.''
''No.'' He cut me off, cold. ''She is not just a hybrid.''
He leaned in, close enough for his breath to hit my ear, as if he didn’t want anyone else hearing—even though we were completely alone.
''Sofia is not like any other wolf. Not like Serena. Not like me.''
He exhaled deeply, as if choosing his words—or tired of explaining.
''What she has inside her only wakes on the edge of the abyss. It’s the kind of wolf that devours everything from the inside… and only comes out when nothing is left.''
I swallowed hard, the words sinking into me with terrifying slowness.
''If she doesn’t awaken now… she dies. The same way Serena died.''
A hole opened in my chest, everything inside me cracking at once.
''And it depends on you,'' he finished. ''Whether it happens the easy way… or the hard way.''
He didn’t explain.
He didn’t have to.
My mind began piecing everything together all at once.
Serena fleeing while pregnant.
Her family is chasing her.
The threats.
The so-called accident.
Her death.
Letícia’s disappearance.
And Sofia—
Hunted.
My God.
Everything… everything connected.
Adrian had promised to protect her.
He said she was safe.
But what if even he couldn’t shield her from this?
The thought made a knot form in my throat.
The man straightened his clothes, calm as ever.
''If you don’t do it… someone else will. And I promise you… they won’t be as merciful as I’m being right now.''
He turned and walked toward the door.
Opened it.
Held onto the doorknob.
Looked back over his shoulder—
And in his eyes, there were a thousand silent threats.
''The choice is yours, Joseph.''
He left the door open.
The key is hanging from the lock.
And walked away down the empty hallway.
Slow steps.
As if leaving an invitation.
All that remained were his words
and the echo of his footsteps.
I sat on the edge of the bed.
Looked at the open door.
And understood it was a choice.
My choice.
And mine alone.
My broken arm throbbed as I ripped the needles out.
As I pulled the wires out of the machines with effort... I got up.
I went to Sofia's photo on the bedside table and looked at her for a moment.
It was all I had left.
And before crossing that doorway, I whispered, praying that this was truly the best for her:
''Forgive me, Sofia…''
Then I walked straight into the dark.