Chapter 1: The Reunion

{I am Amara, though the name feels foreign now. For years, I’ve lived in the shadows, far away from the family that once meant everything to me.}

I stood at the grand entrance of the mansion, feeling like a stranger. The tall, iron gates loomed ahead, daring me to step inside. I hadn’t been here in years—since I was a child. My heart pounded in my chest as I remembered the day they took me away from my family, the day everything fell apart.

I tightened my grip on the invitation I had received weeks ago. The words still haunted me: "You’re invited to the family reunion, Amara. It's time you knew the truth."

I hadn’t wanted to come. But something deep inside me urged me to. I needed answers—answers about my past, about Damien. The brother I lost, the one I’d only heard about in rumors.

I took a deep breath and pushed the gates open, walking toward the front door. The mansion towered over me, an intimidating reminder of everything I had never been a part of. I remembered the stories—the lies that kept us apart. But there was no turning back now.

The door swung open, and a butler greeted me before leading me through the dimly lit halls, decorated with paintings and statues that seemed as cold as the marble floors beneath my feet. I could sense it—an underlying tension in the air. The deeper I went, the more it felt like a place built on secrets.

And then I saw him.

Damien.

He stood in the middle of a spacious room, his back to me, staring out the window as if he had known I was coming. He didn’t turn, but his voice cut through the silence.

Damien: “Amara.”

My breath hitched at the sound of his name. It had been years since I had last seen him—too many years. He was taller now, broad and commanding, dressed in a dark suit that looked too expensive for anyone's good. His presence filled the room, suffocating me in a way I hadn’t expected.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My heart raced, and my mind spun as I tried to make sense of the man standing before me. He was nothing like the little boy I remembered. He was a stranger.

Finally, he turned to face me, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine. There was no trace of warmth in his gaze—only something darker, colder.

Damien: “You shouldn’t have come, Amara.”

I didn’t flinch, though my mind screamed at me to run.

Me: “You’re the one who invited me,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “You said I needed to know the truth.”

Damien’s lips twitched into a faint smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

Damien: “Truth,” he repeated. “You want the truth? I’ll give you one—this was never meant to be a reunion. It’s a warning.”

A chill ran down my spine, but I refused to show fear.

Me: “A warning about what?”

He took a step toward me, closing the distance between us. His scent was intoxicating—like danger and something darker.

Damien: “About what you’re about to uncover.”

My heart raced as he moved closer, his presence overwhelming. Something inside me stirred—a pull I couldn’t explain. I had come for answers, but now all I wanted was to understand him.

Me: “Damien,” I whispered, my voice betraying my vulnerability. “Why did we stop being a family?”

For the briefest moment, there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something that could’ve been regret, or maybe just darkness. But it was gone too quickly, replaced by an unreadable mask.

Damien: “Some families are better off broken, Amara.”

As he turned away, I knew that stepping into this world would be more dangerous than I ever imagined. And the truth? It would be far darker than I thought possible.

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