When Anna opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the soft touch of a luxurious sheet against her skin.
The room she was in was spacious, with dark tapestries and heavy curtains filtering the outside light, creating a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.
The furniture, intricately carved, was made of dark, gleaming wood, and there was a faint scent of incense in the air.
Despite the elegance and opulence around her, she felt intensely dizzy and disoriented.
She tried to get up, but as she did, her head started spinning, forcing her to quickly lean on the edge of the bed.
With blurred vision, she spotted Damian, who was sitting further away, at a desk.
He seemed focused, writing in a notebook with a pen that moved quickly and firmly. He didn't seem to notice that she had woken up. For a few seconds, Anna watched him, trying to ignore the discomfort that overwhelmed her.
Even though Damian was there, the room still felt empty, cold, as if it didn't belong to her.
Damian finally looked up when he heard the faint rustle of the sheets sliding off Anna's body. With a cold and somewhat impatient tone, he said:
"It's late, hurry up. We need to go collect the prize."
Anna, still dazed, nodded slowly, trying to muster some strength. Her body felt heavy, and every step she took as she got out of bed made her stagger.
She leaned against one of the walls, breathing deeply to keep from falling. Despite her discomfort, the urgency in Damian's voice pushed her to keep going.
She couldn't show weakness.
Not now.
As she walked towards the door, following Damian's steps, she felt that every glance he gave her pierced through her like a dagger. Cold, distant. The only thought running through her mind was a constant question:
What had she done to deserve such disdain?
Although it wasn't new to her, Damian's attitude, so aloof, reminded her of how, in the orphanage, many children ignored her… until she started bringing them things from outside.
Maybe, she thought, if she kept winning money, if she proved her worth, if she brought them what they needed… they would accept her.
That hope, however small, was enough to keep her going.
Damian guided her through several hallways until they reached an office in the most secluded area of the place.
There, a sturdy, stern-looking man dressed in black waited behind a counter.
Without saying much, Damian signaled for Anna to hand over the receipt she had been given for her prize.
With trembling hands but trying to keep her composure, Anna handed all the money she had won to Damian.
He took it, but there was no gesture of gratitude or word of acknowledgment. Just a slight look of annoyance that appeared on his face as he counted the amount.
However, what hit Anna the hardest wasn't the look of indifference, but the silence that followed. They didn't exchange a single word as Damian arranged for a carriage to take them back home.
The journey back was long and heavy. The rumbling of the carriage wheels on the cobblestone road seemed to echo louder in Anna's mind with every passing second.
Everything was covered by an uncomfortable veil of silence. Damian looked at her as if she were nothing, as if she didn't exist at all, which only served to increase the distance between them.
There wasn't just a wall between them; there was an impenetrable barrier.
When they finally arrived at the mansion, the atmosphere changed. The servants greeted them at the main entrance with a bow. The air inside the house was dense, filled with a tension that Anna couldn't quite understand.
No sooner had they crossed the threshold than a familiar, authoritative, and impatient voice rang out from inside.
"Damian! Why did it take you so long?"
Anna stood still as Damian, with a proud smile on his lips, replied calmly:
"Mother, I want to talk to you in private."
His mother, raising an eyebrow, nodded without saying more, and the two of them withdrew to a room at the top of a staircase, leaving Anna alone in the foyer.
The feeling of loneliness hit her again, like a wave pulling her further away from the shore. She stood in the middle of the room, watching the servants move back and forth, busy with their tasks, but none of them paid her any attention.
Feeling suddenly weak and with a ravenous hunger that reminded her of how little she had eaten all day, she gathered her courage and approached one of the maids.
"Is there any food available?" Anna asked softly, almost timidly.
The maid, a woman with an expressionless face, didn't hesitate before responding:
"Without orders from the masters, we can't give you anything."
Anna stood there, feeling a mix of helplessness and frustration building up in her chest.
Not only was she being denied food, but the sense of being completely ignored by this family was starting to sink her deeper into the reality of her situation.
At that moment, the 'father' of the house walked through the foyer. He was a strong-built man with a stern gaze, but as he crossed paths with Anna, he didn't even glance at her, as if she were no more than a shadow on the wall.
"Where is my wife?" he asked disdainfully to the same maid who had refused Anna's request.
"The lady is in the private parlor, with her son," the maid replied with a slight nod.
Without saying another word, the father walked off in the opposite direction, leaving her alone once more in the grand foyer.
The air around Anna felt heavy, suffocating. She clenched her fists tightly, feeling how hunger and exhaustion were starting to weigh more than hope.
'This will be a tough family…,' she thought, biting her lip. 'But if I managed to get the others to accept me at the orphanage… I can do it here too,' Anna thought, encouraging herself.