The cold, damp air of the basement wrapped around me like a shroud. I lay on the unforgiving concrete floor, each breath more ragged than the last. Pain lanced through my body, but it was the betrayal that cut the deepest. My vision blurred, yet I could still make out Alex's figure, standing over me with a cruel smirk on his lips.
"Why?" I whispered, my voice barely more than a breath.
"Because you were in the way," he replied coldly. "You and your family."
Memories flooded my mind—the warmth of my mother's embrace, Isabella's laughter, the innocent days before everything turned dark. Lily, my cousin, once like a sister, had orchestrated it all alongside Alex.
A shadow moved in the corner of my vision. I blinked, trying to focus. A figure emerged from the darkness and lunged at Alex. The sound of fists connecting with flesh echoed through the room. Alex fell, crying out in pain.
Whoever it was, they were relentless, raining blows upon him with a fury that matched the rage burning in my heart. I tried to lift my head, to see the face of my savior, but my strength was fading fast.
"Stella" a voice whispered in my mind. It was my own, yet it felt distant. "Don't give up. You can't let them win."
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I silently begged. "God, please... Give me another chance. Let me avenge my family. Let me finish Alex and Lily. Please..."
My vision darkened, the world slipping away. But even as the light faded, the resolve within me grew stronger. I wouldn't let this be the end. Somehow, someway, I would return.
And they would pay.