Chapter 01 - Invisible Chains

New York, a year earlier...

Kyera Winter walked into the living room and saw her aunt Siena on the verge of collapse. Sitting on the sofa, her eyes lost in emptiness and a half-empty glass of wine in her hand, she looked more like a painting of suffering than a real person. Siena didn't notice Kyera's presence, and the silence in the room was so heavy that Kyera had to take a deep breath before approaching.

— Aunt Siena? Are you all right? – asked Kyera, cautiously, breaking the suffocating silence.

Siena turned around slowly, and the pain on her face gave way to surprise. Her red, swollen eyes stared at her, confused, as if she was deciding whether to be happy or annoyed by Kyera's presence. Kyera's heart raced, even though she didn't know why.

—  Kyera, darling, shouldn't you be at work? – murmured Siena, her voice filled with sadness and frustration.

— Phill decided to close early today, – replied Kyera, not understanding what was going on. – Auntie, what's going on? Why are you like this?

Siena hesitated for a moment before letting out a long sigh. Her voice shook as she spoke:

—  I can't keep this a secret any longer. – Tears began to roll down her cheeks. – Your mother, Kyera... She's gone.

The words hit Kyera like a punch in the stomach. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. The last time she had seen her mother, she had only been a child. Since moving to New York with her aunt, she had never heard from her mother or any of her other relatives from Lone Ridge. She had grown up without contact, but she had always hoped for a reunion, for answers that would explain why she had been abandoned.

—  What do you mean, my mother's gone? – Kyera's voice faltered, still unable to process what she had just heard.

Siena nodded slowly, tears welling up.

—  She died of cancer two months ago, in the hospital in Lone Ridge. She suffered a lot and the treatment didn't work. – Siena explained, taking a small sip of her wine before looking sadly at Kyera. – But know that, even from a distance, she loved you very much. She deeply regretted not seeing you for all those years.

Those words hammered into Kyera's mind. Two months. Two months and she only found out now?

—  My mother died two months ago and nobody told me? – Indignation exploded inside her, along with an urgent need to understand. – Why didn't you tell me before, Auntie?

Kyera's scream filled the air, echoing her frustrations. Hot tears began to roll down her face. Siena looked like she was about to fall apart.

—  Kyera, it's not that simple. There were reasons, good reasons. – tried to justify Siena, her voice failing miserably.

But Kyera could no longer control her anger. The whole thing felt like an overwhelming injustice.

—  Good reasons? How can you say that? – Kyera turned away, hurt. – My mother was ill, she passed away, and no one told me anything. What did I do to deserve this silence? Why did everyone leave me in the dark?

Siena got up and walked over to Kyera. Her face was so red that Kyera couldn't tell if it was anger or the effect of the wine.

—  Darling, I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know until it was too late. When she got sick, there was nothing left to do, – said Siena, running her hand over Kyera's face.

—  I could have gone to see her. – Kyera whispered, tears choking her voice. – I barely remember her face, but I loved her.

—  I know, darling, I know. – replied Siena, hugging Kyera as she had never done before. Siena had always been eccentric, fun, but Kyera had never seen her cry like that. He'd never seen her express so much feeling, except through her paintings.

—  I have to go there! – Kyera said suddenly, walking away. – I want to visit my mother's grave.

Siena frowned, staring at Kyera with her big green eyes, just like her own.

—  What did you say?

—  I said I'm going to visit my mother's grave.

Siena's expression changed. Something dark took over her face.

—  You're not going!

— What? Of course I'm going! Of course I'm going! I have the right to know more about my mother, to visit her grave.

Suddenly, Siena let out a growl that made Kyera flinch. She grabbed Kyera's arms tightly, shaking her.

—  You're not going, Kyera! I forbid you to go to Lone Ridge! –  shouted Siena, with a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes. – You have no idea what happened, the problems that surrounded your mother, why she sent you here!

The tears that Kyera had been trying to hold back began to flow freely. She didn't understand what her aunt was trying to hide.

—  What are you hiding from me? I have a right to know!

Siena let out a sigh, but didn't give in.

—  You're forbidden to go to Texas, Kyera. It won't do any good for you to go there. Your mother didn't want you to go, – said Siena, releasing her and slowly walking away. – Respect her wishes and stay away from that town. Live up to Sara's sacrifice.

Their gazes met in a silent confrontation, until Siena abruptly turned and left the apartment, leaving Kyera alone with a whirlwind of emotions. Kyera needed answers, she needed to understand what sacrifice her aunt was talking about and why she was acting like that. But at that moment, all she felt was the pain and injustice burning inside her.

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