My heart felt numb, my mind blank, as I dressed. I wasn't going in. I would return to Damian's mansion tonight. I had already informed Ezekiel of the news, and they moved swiftly to clean up the mess at the field. Leo had delivered the body of that bastard to the governor's house. I had also told Leo that Amber was responsible for Mr. Hipolito's child's rape, and she should be the one the governor held accountable for his children's deaths. The two Fontanilla were gone now. Leo took Ace to the mansion, while Sebastian went straight there himself.
I knew Damian would have no hesitation in trying to kill me—but I was ready for whatever might come.
As I stepped out of the dorm, my face remained blank, though my eyes, bloodshot and raw, betrayed the storm within. My fingers itched from gripping the trigger. One wrong move from anyone who dared to cross me right now would unleash horrors I would regret for a lifetime. Every gaze I met in the hallway I returned with a threatening stare, warning them silently: stay away.
"Oh my God! I heard she's the youngest Fontanilla. She must be devastated," a girl muttered as I passed her in the hallway. Her words froze me mid-step.
I looked at her coldly. "Do you want to comfort me? You can," I asked.
"I-I… I'm… expressing my sympathy," she stammered.
"Do you want to see him off to the other side?" I cut her off. My voice was low but sharp. Tears stung my eyes, threatening to spill, and with every word she spoke that reminded me of Ace, I saw his lifeless face before me.
The girl went pale, clutching her book to her chest as she glanced around, realizing all the students were watching. She bowed her head and muttered an apology before turning to leave.
I exhaled slowly. I realized, once again, how much I had become a demon, letting my grief and anger turn against anyone innocent. I wanted to release the tears from the corners of my eyes, but this hallway was not the place. I ignored the curious gazes and walked on. Everyone at the mansion was waiting for me.
Should I run from Damian?
The first time his hand had struck my cheek, the pain had been sharp, loud, unrelenting. I was used to such sensations, yet this time felt different—his large, heavy palm burned my skin, and even my heart seemed bruised beneath it. I could neither resist nor complain, because part of me wanted to accept his wrath. I had never cried under his punishment before. But now, tears threatened to break free.
"You are the source and end of every misfortune in my life. What else haven't you destroyed?" His voice and eyes burned with fury, focused entirely on me.
I didn't respond. Silence stretched between us, broken only by the harsh cadence of his breathing. In his office, I knew this might be where my life ended. All of his men remained outside the door, barred from entering.
Another slap hit me, harder this time. My small facial cuts reopened, my lip split and bleeding. If this had been any other day, I might have fought back—but I deserved every strike. I had to pay for the loss of Ace, because I couldn't bear to accept that his death was my fault.
I understood Damian's rage. He was a parent, and losing a child was a pain beyond words—pain perhaps worse than the day I lost my own father.
"I shouldn't have brought you back to life!" I barely registered the vase in his hand before it shattered against my head. "I will kill you!"
Tears fell freely now. I watched him from the floor—crying, roaring like a lion unbound. His shouts became kicks against my body, each strike raking through my stomach and torso, until finally the impact of one caught my face.
Then, silence. The sharp image of Damian blurred, and I saw only chaos—he flung everything in the room aside as if I were already nothing. I could do nothing but let the endless tears flow.
The door opened. Ezekiel entered. Even without words, I knew his entry was deliberate—Damian had forbidden anyone from coming in. His fist was tight as he glanced at me on the floor. Bitterness curled in my chest.
I whispered, "Sorry, Kiel. Forgive me…"
Then I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, my father's face appeared. I was seated on a metal chair, bound with chains, while Kiel busied himself securing me. I whispered his name, and though he heard me, he didn't look up.
"Dad… thank you for being my dad," I murmured, my voice raw.
Kiel stopped, glared at me, and roughly seized my arms to bring my face up. His eyes radiated both anger and pain.
"You will not die. You will get out of here alive, Sheii. You have to return to your father," he said through clenched teeth. "I will not let ten years of caring for you be wasted because of a Fontanilla. There is someone waiting for you outside. Remember who you are."
I closed my eyes. "Ace… died. I have to pay for it, Kiel. I can't go on living after what happened," I whispered, sobbing.
"Lebrina!" His voice softened, and he cupped my face, letting his anger dissolve briefly. "I will not force you to become a soulless demon like them. But think of your father… think of me. I am here because you are here. If you choose to die, you throw away everything I've done for you."
"Kiel…"
"Lebrina." His voice alone calmed me, a fragile tether in the storm. He left me with nothing but a gentle tap on my cheek, a final reassurance before leaving the room.
I cried silently, staring at the door after him. I wanted to live for Kiel—but half of me still embraced the death that awaited.
I stayed in that room for hours, wrestling with impossible choices, with the temptation to surrender to death tugging at every thought. Eventually, I became aware of Max's presence.
Max. The demon of his family, yet the softest of hearts where family was concerned. He loved Ace—more than I could comprehend—and I had no idea how he would punish me. The room stayed cold, silent except for the chain rattling whenever I breathed.
I hadn't seen him since Ace's death.
"Remove the chains," he ordered. His voice was low, detached — the kind of calm that precedes a storm.
The guards obeyed him and my body collapsed once the metal left me, knees hitting the floor. Two men helped me up, setting me across from Max. I could barely raise my head. Every breath hurt.
"Nothing to say?" His tone cracked, anger slipping through. "You should at least say sorry."
I shut my eyes and cried silently as sorry wasn't enough. Nothing was. He harshly drew his gun and cocked it, pointing it straight at my forehead. But still, I didn't move.
"Goddamn it!" he shouted, pulling the trigger — the click was deafening, but no bullet came. He had turned the barrel away at the last second, breath shaking.
"Why aren't you begging?" he demanded, voice breaking. "Why don't you plead for your life? Fall to your knees and tell me you didn't mean it! Tell me you didn't mean for my brother to die!"
Tears fell — his and mine. He grabbed me by the arm, dragged me up, and slammed me against the wall. The muzzle pressed to my temple. But his hand trembled.
For the first time, I saw it — not rage, but heartbreak. His eyes were red, not from fury, but from mourning. The monster I thought I knew wasn't there; only a man who had lost a brother.
The door burst open again and this time, it was Leo. He froze at the sight of us — his brother's in ruin.
"Beg, Xena," Max whispered. Not in anger but in desperation. "Just say you didn't mean it. Say you didn't want him dead. I'll let you live if you do."
"Xena, please," Leo said quietly from behind him. "Please, just say it."
Max's gun dropped a little, his shoulders shaking. "Ace saved you," he whispered. "He died protecting you. Don't waste that. If you won't say it… I'll end this myself."
The words struck like ice. Ace saved me. He had died for me. If I die now, it would mean he died for nothing.
My knees gave out. I sank to the floor before Max and both of them froze.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, followed by a sob. "I am angry at your family, but I never meant to hurt Ace. It's my fault he died. Forgive me."
Leo exhaled sharply, relief washing over him. Max released his gun, letting it clatter to the floor. Slowly, they turned, leaving me alone in the room. I stayed there for a moment, weeping, before finally rising.
The hallway to my room stretched endlessly. My legs felt like lead as I dragged myself forward, step by agonizing step. Once inside my room, I let the shower run, letting the water wash over my wounds while I continued to cry. My blood mingled with the water, staining it red.
I dressed quickly, ignoring the pain, and made my way to Ace. I found him in the mansion's living room, lying peacefully inside a white coffin. His father and siblings stood around him. Leo watched me approach silently, while Max remained turned away, quiet. Damian stared out the window, dressed in black like the others. The sight of them whole yet together in such circumstances was gut-wrenching.
I focused on Ace's gentle face, pressed my palm against the glass separating us, tears falling freely.
"Thank you, Ace. I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Better for all of us if you don't see him right now, Xena," Damian said, still staring out the window. "Take your eyes off him."
I didn't respond. One last glance at Ace, then I left the mansion. Nothing had changed. Ace was gone. The plan continued. I would leave Damian's hell behind, return to my father—and this time, I would bring Kiel with me.