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π€ CHAPTER 1 β THE CHILD WHO KNEW WHAT SHOULD NOT EXIST
The banquet hall was too perfect to feel real.
Crystal chandeliers shimmered above polished marble floors, scattering soft light across tables filled with guests who smiled like they had rehearsed happiness in advance.
Everything in the room was controlled.
Even the laughter.
Even the silence between conversations.
Julian West stood near the center of it all, dressed in a tailored black suit that cost more than most peopleβs monthly lives. Tonight was supposed to be simple.
An announcement.
A new beginning.
A public confirmation that his world had been rebuilt after loss.
Beside him stood Vivian.
Elegant. Composed. Perfectly positioned like she belonged in every photograph this room would ever produce.
And somewhere in this carefully built illusionβ
a child shattered it.
βI want Anna.β
The voice was small.
But it didnβt belong in a room like this.
Every conversation stopped.
Even the music seemed to hesitate mid-note.
At the far end of the hall stood Sophie West.
Seven years old.
Barefoot under a long pale dress.
Her hands were clenched tightly at her sides, shakingβbut not stepping back.
Her eyes were wet.
But stubborn.
Focused.
Alive in a way that didnβt match the silence around her.
Across from her, Anna stood frozen.
A young maid in a black uniform and white apron.
Her hand slowly rose to her mouth.
Not in shock.
In fear.
Because she knew this moment was wrong.
Not socially.
Not emotionally.
But dangerously.
Julian turned immediately.
βSophie,β he said sharply, walking toward her. βWhat are you doing?β
The girl didnβt move.
βI said I want Anna.β
A pause.
Then softerβ
βSheβs the only one who doesnβt leave when I cry.β
The words landed heavier than expected.
Something in Julianβs expression shifted.
Confusion first.
Then discomfort.
Then something worse.
Recognition.
Behind him, Vivianβs smile disappeared.
Not instantly.
But carefully.
Like a mask slipping without permission.
Julian crouched slightly.
βSophieβ¦ what do you mean βcryβ?β
Sophieβs lips trembled.
βAt night,β she whispered. βWhen I wake up.β
Her voice cracked.
βYou never come.β
The room changed.
Not visibly.
But structurally.
Like something inside it had shifted weight.
Anna stepped forward slightly.
βNo, sweetheartβ¦β she said gently. βGo back to your father.β
But Sophie shook her head fast.
βNo.β
She ran forward.
Grabbed Annaβs wrist with both hands.
Hard.
Desperate.
βI donβt go back,β she said.
βBecause she stays.β
The word βsheβ made Julian freeze.
βWho?β he asked.
Sophie looked up at Anna.
And whispered:
βMommy.β
Silence collapsed.
Not gradual.
Instant.
Even Julianβs breathing stopped for half a second.
Anna went pale.
Vivian stepped forward immediately.
βThatβs enough,β she said sharply. βThis is inappropriate behavior. The child is clearly confusedββ
But Sophie interrupted her.
βNo.β
Her voice rose for the first time.
βIβm not confused.β
A pause.
βI remember her voice.β
That sentence broke the room.
Julianβs expression tightened.
βWhat voice?β he asked quietly.
Sophie turned slightly toward Anna.
And said:
βThe song.β
Anna froze completely.
Her fingers trembled.
Her lips partedβbut no sound came out.
Julian noticed.
And for the first time tonightβ
his control slipped slightly.
ββ¦What song?β
Sophie stepped closer to Anna.
βThe one Mommy sang before she disappeared.β
The entire hall went still again.
But this silence was different.
It wasnβt shock anymore.
It was something heavier.
Uneasy.
Like something buried had just started breathing.
Julian turned slowly toward Anna.
Not as a maid.
Not as staff.
But as something unfamiliar.
βSing it,β he said.
Anna shook her head immediately.
βNo.β
A pause.
βPlease donβt ask me that here.β
But Julianβs voice dropped.
βSing it.β
The request wasnβt loud.
But it didnβt need to be.
Because now it wasnβt a request anymore.
It was pressure.
Annaβs eyes filled.
Her hands trembled at her sides.
The guests leaned slightly forward without realizing.
Even Vivian stopped breathing properly.
And slowlyβ
Anna closed her eyes.
And sang.
Softly.
Barely above a whisper.
Only three lines.
But the moment it entered the roomβ
everything changed.
Julianβs face went pale instantly.
He recognized it.
Not logically.
Emotionally.
Instinctively.
Because that song wasnβt public.
It wasnβt written down.
It wasnβt shared.
It belonged to one person only.
Clara West.
His wife.
Dead for four years.
Julianβs voice cracked.
ββ¦Where did you hear that?β
Anna opened her eyes slowly.
And whispered:
βClara taught me.β
Silence shattered again.
Vivian grabbed Julianβs arm immediately.
βSheβs lying,β she said quickly.
But Anna turned toward her for the first time.
And said quietly:
βNo.β
A pause.
βYou are.β
That was when the temperature in the room dropped completely.
A servant rushed in through the side doors.
Pale. Breathless.
βSirβ¦ someone opened the east wing.β
Julian froze.
The east wing.
A place sealed since Claraβs death.
A place no one was supposed to enter.
Not even him.
Sophie tightened her grip on Annaβs hand.
βSheβs there,β she whispered.
Julian turned immediately.
βWhat?β
Sophieβs voice shook.
βIn the room she cried in.β
May you like
And without waitingβ
she ran.
