Chapter 1 – The Twilight In Despair

With all hands on deck, accompanied by the silence of concentration that determined the fragile life of a soul, the only sound that could be heard was the beeping of the heart monitor.

“Scalpel,” the surgeon ordered, his tone calm and firm.

Everything had been going well-until it wasn’t. Suddenly, the tension in the room spiked. The steady beep of the heart monitor began to falter, and the lines on the screen showed Hamilton’s heart fading away. The surgical team responded swiftly, applying pressure to the bleeding area, using clotting agents, transfusing blood, and doing everything they could to keep him alive.

Outside the ICU, the tension was palpable. Several men could be seen pacing back and forth, their anxiety evident as they tapped their feet against the ground. She scanned the room, her gaze locking on their faces, all filled with worry and fear. Everyone was so absorbed in their emotions that no one seemed to notice her. Her bandaged head throbbed with pain. She had run away from the nurse attending to her to search for her parents. Seeing her family gathered here, including some unfamiliar faces, she knew her parents were inside the ICU, undergoing surgery. She clasped her hands together, silently praying for their survival.

“Why would Mum hate them so much? They look so worried…” Clarisse muttered to herself after finishing her prayer. Her mother had never allowed her to visit any of their relatives, and she would often argue with her father, insisting he cut ties with them. It always made her believe that they were bad people, but now, seeing their worried expressions and the anxiety in their eyes, she realized that when her parents recovered, she would tell her mother just how much her father’s family cared for them.

Just then, the operating room door opened, and the surgical team emerged. Everyone jumped to their feet upon seeing the doctors and immediately rushed toward them.

“Doctor, how did it go?” a man, whom Clarisse later learned was named Ferdinand, asked eagerly.

The doctor sighed deeply and looked at them, his expression somber. “Mr. Hamilton was a strong man, and we did everything we could…”

“Mr. Hamilton? Dad? What about Mum?” Clarisse asked, but no one answered. It was as if she wasn’t even there.

“Cut to the chase and tell us how it went,” another man said, his voice sharp with impatience.

“I’m sorry, but we lost him,” the doctor said, his voice heavy with regret.

“Does that mean the wife is dead and you couldn’t save the husband?” Patricia asked.

“We are so sorry,” they offered their sincere apologies and sympathy before walking away.

Everything became blurry. She felt a chill as her wet dress clung to her, and she shivered in shock. The news of her mother’s death upon arrival at the hospital, followed by the devastating message of her father’s passing during surgery, hit her like a ton of bricks. It left her trembling, overwhelmed with grief. She felt dizzy and looked up at her family, hoping to ask if everything she’d heard was true, wondering if she was just dreaming. But to her shock, she saw smiles on their faces. Smiles, not grief. The truth hit her with full force: she was now all alone. They weren’t family-they were frenemies.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. With no one to comfort her as she cried, she collapsed to the ground in despair, burying her face in her hands. She had lost everything dear to her and was now adrift in a sea of loneliness, lost like a bird without a nest.

“Shouldn’t we be crying? At least pretend to,” Ruby said.

“That’s true. At least for the sake of the little girl here,” Jorge added, supporting her.

“Do I look like I care? You have no idea how happy I am that idiot is gone. Now all the shares are ours,” Ferdinand said nonchalantly, picking his ear.

“Don’t say that. We can’t let the world point fingers at us,” Patricia whispered in his ear.

“Right,” he agreed. “So, what are we going to do about her?” Ferdinand asked, pointing at the little girl crying on the floor.

“We’ll take charge of her,” Patricia quickly said, earning an instant glare from Ferdinand.

“What are you doing?” he snapped.

“What else? She’s your brother’s daughter, so of course, we should take care of her,” Patricia replied.

“No, we can’t,” Ferdinand said, shaking his head.

“Why can’t you?” Ruby asked. “Your wife already volunteered, and I don’t think anyone else is willing to take the responsibility.” She gave them a cheeky smile before pulling Jorge away.

Ferdinand was livid. “What are you doing?” he yelled, yanking his hand free from Patricia. “Are you sure you want to take responsibility?”

“Responsibility for what?” Patricia asked, confused.

He furrowed his brow, still irritated. “You just said we should take charge of the girl.”

Patricia laughed. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to care for her. Have you thought about her parents’ properties and shares? Where should all of Hamilton’s wealth go?”

He reasoned with what she had said and shook his head, grinning. “You’re such a smart and intelligent woman. I never thought of that.”

“Well… I did,” she replied.

“Okay then,” he said, pecking her on the cheek before turning to the girl. “Hey… what’s her name?” He looked back at Patricia and asked.

“You don’t even know your own brother’s daughter’s name?” she chuckled, shaking her head at him. “Not that I care.”

“I think it’s Clarisse.”

“Hey, Clarisse!” he called out.

Crying bitterly on the floor, Clarisse heard everything they were saying. Now, she understood why her mother hated them so much, and she wished a stranger would come and take her away-anywhere, but away from them. But no one came.

“Hey, Clarisse!”

She heard her name. With tears in her eyes and mucus running from her nose, she looked up and saw the disdain in their eyes.

“Can you run?” they asked, the least expected question. Why were they asking her that? What for?

She didn’t realize it was a question that marked the beginning of her life filled with mystery and suffering. It was the start of her nightmare. She thought that night would be the worst ever, but she was wrong. The worst nights were only just beginning.

In the most painful way, she came to understand what kind of question it was. It was a question that questioned whether life was truly or ever fair. If it was, to what extent?

12 years later…

Smack!

The thunderous slap across her cheek echoed through the room. The sting of the blow felt like a lightning bolt, jolting her senses. Her cheek burned with pain, and her head spun from the force of the hit. She winced, struggling to hold back tears as humiliation and anger rose within her. This was not the first time Patricia had struck her, but the embarrassment and fear never seemed to fade.

The rage in Patricia’s eyes was a shadow that loomed over her, a constant reminder of her powerlessness and insignificance.

“How did my clothes get stained!?” Patricia yelled at her, but Clarisse couldn’t find the words. She knew the gravity of the situation. Not talking back to her was one of the rules she had learned to never forget. Disobeying her was like seeking out the tigress’s wrath, or cutting the tail of her cub. She had received the slap because she had tried to explain herself.

“Are you deaf?” Patricia yelled again, but all Clarisse could do was tremble in fear.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” she managed to say, her voice shaking as tears threatened to spill.

“Sorry? Is ‘sorry’ going to fix my dress? Is that how your mother taught you?”

As Patricia’s tirade continued, Clarisse cowered before her, afraid to look her in the eye. Her body ached from the endless hours of labor, her feet sore from standing on the cold tiles.

“It will all end in two days. Take it in, Clarisse. You can do it-just two more days,” she whispered to herself, her mind trying to find solace in the thought. She believed there would be no escape from the cruelty, no respite from the misery of her life. She thought her entire existence would remain a never-ending cycle of pain, degradation, and hopelessness.

But deep in the heart of her despair, a spark of defiance smoldered. A tiny flame that refused to be extinguished.

In just two more days, she would be free of this place and these people.

She didn’t say a word until Patricia threw the dress at her face and stormed off. Clarisse slowly pulled the dress down from her head, using it to wipe away her tears. Just then, someone tossed a pair of dirty panties onto the floor in front of her.

“Do I always have to remind you to come and pack my panties? Is it only when they start to smell and make my room stink that you remember your duty?”

“I’m sorry,”

“Ugh! You disgust me,” she said, covering her nose as she prepared to walk away. But then she turned and added, “A quick reminder, you know I don’t like those machines washing my undies. Do it by hand, thoroughly.” With that, she walked off.

Clarisse squatted in defeat and began to pack the underwear. It was her duty to wash their clothes, do the dishes, and tidy up their rooms. She barely had time to sleep, let alone have any time for herself. Tears filled her eyes as she packed the underwear. It was humiliating. She was consumed by rage, anger, and fury-angry at her parents for leaving her behind with this cruel family, angry at her mother for saving her that night. But now, something inside her had shifted. Her resilience had been restored. She had a tiny spark of hope and had been counting the days. Only two more days to escape from this hell.

She walked out of the room to see the new maid pulling one of the other maids to one side. They always did that whenever they wanted to gossip about something. It wasn’t new among the maids, so Clarisse didn’t pay attention. She already knew the conversation was about her.

“Not like they treat any of us maids nicely, but what’s her deal? Does she have some special offense?” the new maid asked.

“Not anyone that I know of,” the other maid replied.

“Since my arrival, if I still can’t master the house rules, it’s because of the constant yelling, nagging, and beatings from this maid. Did she snatch the Madam’s husband?”

“Can someone as pale and lean as her even seduce the chairman?” The other maid laughed, but the laughter quickly died as she glanced at Clarisse. Her expression shifted to one of pity. “Ever since I’ve been here, there’s one thing I’ve never seen-her smile. I can’t even imagine what it looks like. She is the daughter of the chairman’s brother.”

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