"Diego, bring him out!"
Diego hurriedly grabbed one of the men and pushed him roughly in front of Luca.
"Boss.... please.... I..."
"Shut the fuck up." Luca ground his teeth angrily. "Did you actually think I'd never find out that you've been in contact with Greg?"
"Boss... please..." The traitor's voice cracked with desperation as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I... I never meant to betray you, Boss. It was a mistake. I didn't know..."
"Punish him and then kill him," Luca ordered before turning sharply and walking back into the mansion.
The man was stripped of his clothes roughly by the others. Sophia felt her hands tremble uncontrollably as they dragged him towards the cold, metal pole that stood in the center of the gathering.
"Are you sure you want to see this?" Kim's voice trembled with concern as she glanced at Sophia. "They're about to torture him."
Sophia couldn't tear her gaze away. It was as if some invisible force rooted her to the spot, compelling her to witness the act. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched with growing anxiety. One of Luca's men grabbed a hot knife, and began carving cruel patterns into the traitor's back.
The man's agonized screams pierced the air, sending chills down her spine. She stumbled back, overwhelmed with horror. The echoes of his cries reverberated in her mind. The sight triggered a sudden, vivid flashback— In her mind's eye, she saw a young boy writhing in agony, his back being cruelly carved with patterns. The scream of pain echoed in her ears, sending chills down her spine.
Confused and overwhelmed, Sophia stumbled away, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Kim followed closely, worried.
"Sophia, what's happening?" Kim asked urgently.
"I... I saw something," Sophia managed to gasp out, her voice trembling with fear and confusion. "In my head... I saw..."
Before she could explain more, a sudden intense pain shot through her head. She cried out in agony, desperate to understand. She felt an urge to go to Lana's room. Each step was a struggle against the unbearable pain.
Finally at Lana's door, Sophia's vision blurred with tears and pain. With one last effort, she raised her hand to knock, but the pain overwhelmed her. Sophia collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably as darkness closed in.
**Ten Years Ago**
Sophia was inside the lake, struggling until a hand grabbed her and pulled her up. She saw his face slightly—it was a teenage Luca who pulled her out before she lost consciousness. Moments later, her eyes fluttered open to see the other boy, the young boy, over her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, but she couldn't reply. She was trembling hard.
Luca stepped in, glaring at the boy. "Back off and get away from her."
The younger boy glared but didn't move.
"Stop acting as though you're the one who saved her," Luca shouted angrily. "Why...why did you push her, Santi?"
"I didn't do it...it was a mistake."
"It wasn't a mistake, you pushed me," Sophia cried out, sitting upright as Luca rushed to her.
"Are you alright?" Luca asked, helping her stand up.
"Yes...yes.." she nodded. "I'm going to tell everybody what you did, Santi. You tried to kill me...I'm going to tell Father."
"Nobody will believe you, Sophia, especially Father," the boy spat out, but Sophia shrugged.
"We'll see about that." She walked past him, but he gripped her arm roughly. He was slightly taller than her but definitely stronger.
"You're not going anywhere," he barked. Thankfully, Luca stepped in again and pushed him away.
"Stay away from her, you bastard," Luca yelled, but Santi attacked him instead, and they began to tussle.
"Stop, please, Luca, let's go." Sophia begged.
Luca pushed Santi away and started walking with Sophia, but Santi attacked him from behind and hit him with a stone. Enraged, Luca pushed the boy, who fell and hit his head on a rock.
"Oh no!" Sophia cried out, mortified, as blood spilled from Santi's head. "Is he dead?"
"I...don't know."
Just then, someone approached and began screaming. "Luca...Luca...Luca..."
"It's Mr. Salvatore," Sophia yelled in horror. "What are we going to do?"
"Let's go meet him. I don't think he's dead," Luca shook his head in denial.
Mr. Salvatore finally arrived, his eyes widening at the scene before him. "What the...hell...what happened to your brother, Sophia?"
"He...pushed me into the lake, and then Luca saved me. When we were about to leave, he attacked us and mistakenly fell on the rock."
Mr. Salvatore shook his head. "Come on, go back to the mansion. I'll take care of this."
Sophia and Luca both went to the mansion, both shaking with fear. "I have to go meet my father right now. I'll see you later, Luca."
"Alright, Sophia."
"Thank you, Luca…" she breathed. "And just so you know, you didn't do anything wrong." She smiled, although at the back of her mind she was afraid, terrified of how her father would react to this.
He nodded but didn't say anything as she walked down the hallway.
Sophia waited for her father for some minutes before he stormed into her room angrily. "What happened, Sophia? What happened to Santi?" Dante, a tall, bulky man with strong facial features, yelled angrily.
"Father, please, it was a mistake," she stood up from her bed, squirming.
"What mistake, Sophia?"
"Luca and I were together near the lakeside. Luca stepped out to get something when Santi came and attacked me, pushing me into the lake."
"What were you doing out there with that boy?"
Sophia's brows furrowed in confusion, shock, and pain. She had just told her father about her brother attempting to murder her, and this was his reply?
"Father, didn't you hear what I said? Santi pushed me into the lake! He tried to kill me!" Her voice shook with desperation.
"It doesn't matter anymore," her father said coldly. "He's dead. Santi is dead."
She shook her head in horror, unable to contain her sorrow. "It was a mistake, it was a mistake," she kept repeating amidst tears.
"Listen to me, little girl," Dante gripped her shoulders roughly and shook her hard. "You're going to keep quiet about your brother pushing you into that lake. And when you're asked who killed Santi, you're going to say it was Luca."
"No, Father, please don't," she was terrified. How could she lie against the person who helped her?
Dante's grip tightened, and he shook her even harder. "You're going to do exactly that, or I swear I'll take you back to the dungeon."
"No, please, Father, don't. I beg you," she was scared, hyperventilating. She never wanted to relive that horror.
"Good, then you'll do as I say," he pushed her to the floor before walking out of the room.
Sophia lay there, sobbing, feeling utterly broken and trapped. She knew what she had to do, but it tore at her very soul. She had to lie to protect herself, even if it meant betraying the one person who had saved her. Why, why did her father have to treat her like this? Why did he have to resort to such extremes just to punish her?
She lay on the floor for what felt like hours until Mr. Salvatore came into her room to bring her out. She didn't protest, just followed him like a zombie. It was already dark, but she could hear noises coming from outside. There was a large gathering with a bonfire in the middle. Shivers ran through her when she saw the headless bodies of a man and woman lying on the ground. Beside their bodies were their heads, and she screamed in horror. It was Luca's parents; she was certain they were the ones.
"No, no," she shook her head in tears. "No, please, no."
Looking up at the makeshift stage, she saw someone tied naked to a pole, covered in blood. She could barely recognize him if not for the bracelet on his arm—the red bracelet she gave him.
"Luca!" she screamed and tried to run to him, but Mr. Salvatore pulled her back.
"Behave yourself, Sophia!" he shouted.
"No one who kills my son and tries to hurt my daughter will escape. Tonight, they'll perish," Dante declared from the stage. He came down and approached Sophia slowly.
"Dad, please, let him go. He's innocent," she pleaded.
"Shhhh," Dante placed a finger to his lips. "You're going to go there and carve this dagger into his body." He handed her the dagger, but she shook her head.
"No... Father, please..."
Dante pushed her towards the stage. "You're going to do it, Sophia, or else...."
She shook violently, her last experience in the dungeon invading her mind. Without thinking, she took the dagger and looked at Luca.
Could she do this? He was a friend, the one who saved her... how could she betray him? She hesitated in front of him, trembling visibly.
Luca managed to look up and see her through the blood covering his face.
"Sophia," he called faintly, managing a small smile. "Sophia, please help me."
Sophia's heart broke. She stood there, the dagger in her hand, torn between her father's demands and her loyalty to Luca.