Chapter 2 The Day My Childhood Ended

Living in a grand villa with ten maids and one butler who assisted Matt felt like a dream at first. Matt always called me by my name-Verena Gabriel-just like my parents once did. Except... when he said it, it was softer. Just Verena. No formality. No distance. Just warmth.

He fed me, read to me when I lay in bed, bought me everything I needed, taught me how to cook, and watched movies with me late into the evening. He made sure I went to school and felt safe. But there was something about the look in his eyes-those strange, beautiful light blue eyes with hints of pink. They always carried a shadow, like guilt. Like a secret he couldn't confess.

I didn't know what it meant. I just looked back at him with my soft grey eyes, trying to understand.

Days turned into months, and in a blink, I was thirteen.

That day changed everything.

I got my first period while at school. Scared and confused, I called Matt in a panic, sobbing over the phone, "Matt, I'm bleeding! Am I going to die?!"

He arrived in less than ten minutes-his face pale with fear, breath shaky, and eyes wide. He rushed into the nurse's room, and I cried harder when I saw him. Without thinking, I whispered, "It's you. I love you," and before he could react, I stole a kiss from his lips with trembling hands and closed eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital.

Matt was sitting in the corner of the room, his face a little red, his eyes tired. He looked at me from a distance and asked gently, "Are you feeling better now?"

My grey eyes found his. I nodded. "Can I go home, Matt?"

He let out a soft sigh. "I'll call the nurse."

I smiled faintly as we left the hospital in silence. But something had changed.

Something inside me was shifting.

Since that day, I had questions I couldn't silence. About Matt. About what he did when I was at school. Where he went. What he was hiding. Everyone in the villa avoided the topic when I asked. Their silence made my curiosity burn even more.

So one night, while the moon hung heavy outside my window, I made a decision.

I would sneak into Matt's room.

And what I found there... would change everything.