The forest was dark, a suffocating blanket of shadows that seemed to press in on me from all sides. Twisted branches clawed at my gown as I stumbled through the undergrowth, the air thick with the stench of decay.
A voice, cold and mocking, echoed through the trees. "Mother? Where are you, my sweet mother?"
I knew that voice. It was her. The woman who I thought was my mother. The woman who had raised me, guided me, and filled my life with lies.
Suddenly, the trees parted, revealing a clearing. In the center stood a cage, wrought from iron and pulsing with dark magic. Inside, a figure huddled on the ground, her face hidden by a mass of tangled hair.
"Mother!" I cried, rushing towards the cage.
As I drew closer, the figure lifted her head. Her eyes, once bright and full of life, were now hollow pits of despair. Scars marred her face, and her clothes were tattered and filthy.
"Isabella…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Get out. She's coming."
A wave of nausea washed over me. The woman in the cage… it was my mother. My real mother.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows. The woman who raised me, a cruel smile twisting her lips. "Such a touching reunion," she sneered. "But I'm afraid it's time for you to wake up, darling."
She reached out, and her fingers turned into claws, sharp and deadly. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. The darkness closed in, and I felt myself falling… falling…
I gasp awake and see the clock. 4:00am. nothing new...ace mustve went to the guest room. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The nightmare was so vivid, so real. It felt like a warning, a glimpse into a horrifying truth.
I grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed a familiar number. I needed him. I needed Torrance more than ever.
(Phone Conversation)
Isabella: (Voice shaking, barely a whisper) Torrance…
Torrance: (Instantly alert, his voice deep and soothing) Isabella? What's wrong? Are you hurt?
Isabella: No… no, I'm not hurt. But… I need to tell you something. Something terrible.
Torrance: Take a deep breath. Tell me what happened.
Isabella: (Hesitantly, her voice thick with tears) I- I found my mother's diary… well, the only one who raised me.… but it wasn't her real mom...
Torrance: Isabella, slow down. What did you find?
Isabella: (Sobbing quietly) She isn't my mother...she is my aunt! my mother is locked away. and Aunt has been pretending to be my mother this whole time.
Torrance: (A long silence, followed by a low, dangerous growl) She is alive? Your real mother is alive?
Isabella: I don't know where. She can't be dead... She must be alive!
Torrance: Isabella, listen to me. I'm going to find her. I promise you, I will find your mother.
Isabella: (Desperation in her voice) But what if she's dead? What if it's too late?
Torrance: Don't think like that. We will find her. I have eyes and ears everywhere, Isabella. I will tear this world apart if I have to, but I will find her.
Isabella: I believe you… I do. But I'm so scared, Torrance. Scared for myself, for Athenia, for my mother… and for you.
Torrance: Don't worry about me. Worry about staying safe. Lock the doors, and don't trust anyone until I get there.
Isabella: Okay… okay, I will. But… please be careful, Torrance.
Torrance: Always, Isabella. Always for you.
The line went dead, leaving me alone in the darkness, the weight of the world pressing down on me. I believed him, I truly did. Torrance was a force of nature, a man who moved in the shadows, dismantling criminal empires and tearing down corrupt institutions. If anyone could find my mother, it was him.
But fear still gnawed at me, a cold, persistent dread. What if she was already dead? What if my aunt discovered that I knew the truth? What if I had put Torrance in danger?
I was the Queen of Northernglades, a powerful leader, a woman who was supposed to be strong and fearless. But in that moment, I felt like a frightened child, lost in a world of lies and secrets, with no one to trust but a man who stalked me, a man whose darkness held a strange and undeniable allure. And as I sat alone in the pre-dawn hours, one thought echoed through my mind: I needed to survive. For myself, for Athenia, for my kingdom, and, perhaps most of all, for the mother I had never truly known.