Shattered Innocence

V

Elena
*NEED TO BE STRONGER FOR THEM***
46 years old.

The house was dimly lit as I sat at the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of tea, trying to enjoy the quiet of the evening. My mind was elsewhere, distracted by the usual worries of bills, work, and the constant pressure of raising three daughters on my own. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off tonight. My motherly instincts were gnawing at me.

The front door opened with a sudden bang, startling me from my thoughts. I heard the hurried, frantic footsteps of Maya, Sophie, and Lily as they burst into the house. My heart sank immediately. I knew something was wrong. They were never this loud, this disoriented.

I stood up, my tea forgotten on the table, and moved toward the hallway just as they rushed in. Maya and Sophie were shaking, their faces pale, wide-eyed with fear. Lily, in the middle, was trembling so violently I thought her knees might give out. Their energy was raw, charged with something dark and frantic.

"Mama," Sophie gasped, her voice trembling. "We made a mistake."

I looked at them, my own heart now racing. "What happened?" I asked, fear creeping into my voice.

Maya swallowed hard, glancing at Lily before stepping forward. "We went to the club tonight, and... we didn't know... we didn't realize..."

I felt cold dread wash over me. "Realize what? What did you girls do?"

Sophie, always the bold one, stepped in, her voice cracking under the pressure. "We met him, Mama. We met *Death*."

The name hit me like a physical blow. The world tilted for a moment as my breath caught in my throat. *Death*. Viktor Demonai's son. The one who wore the name like a title, the one everyone feared in the darkest corners of this town. The psychopath. The monster who destroyed anyone who crossed him.

I grabbed the edge of the counter, trying to steady myself. "Tell me you didn't," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Tell me you didn't get his attention."

Lily's eyes filled with tears, her face crumpling as she nodded. "He—he noticed me. He wouldn't stop staring. We tried to leave, but... but he wouldn't let me go."

My mind raced, the horror of the situation sinking in like poison. My daughter had caught the eye of *Death*. I had heard the stories—whispers passed between those smart enough to know never to cross his path. He wasn't just a killer; he was a predator, a force of nature, and now he had fixated on Lily.

"We barely got out," Maya added, her voice tight with panic. "Sophie hit him with a glass, and we ran. But he's coming, Mama. He's going to hunt her down."

The room felt like it was closing in on me. My heart pounded in my chest, and my hands shook as I gripped the countertop harder, trying to keep from falling apart in front of them.

I turned to Lily, her face streaked with tears, her whole body trembling with fear. "You don't understand what you've done," I said, my voice low but filled with terror. "He's not just any man. He's a monster, and now he won't stop until he has you."

Lily sobbed softly, her shoulders shaking as Sophie and Maya stood close, as if trying to protect her, but I knew it wasn't enough. There was no protection from someone like him. He would tear through anyone and anything to get what he wanted, and now, he wanted my daughter.

"What do we do, Mama?" Sophie asked, her voice breaking, her eyes pleading with me to have the answer. But there was no easy solution. No one escaped Death once he had marked them. No one.

I could feel my legs weakening beneath me, the weight of the situation pressing down hard, but I couldn't let my girls see me crumble. I had to be strong—for them. I had to find a way out of this nightmare, but in the pit of my stomach, I knew the truth. There was no running from this.