Misunderstanding

Chapter 31(Nancy POV)

"Lady, please get ahold of yourself!"

"Let go of me!" I screeched, my voice echoing off the ornate walls. The chill of the corridor only added to the heat of my fury. "What do you think you're doing? Are you seriously going to lock me up in a storage room? Have your brains fallen out?!" 

A surge of rage coursed through me like wildfire, igniting my every nerve. My heart raced as I struggled against their grip, feeling the rough fabric of their uniforms scratch against my skin.

First, a girl—an absolute stranger—who claimed to be my sister, appeared out of nowhere, intent on usurping my place in my family. Then, my parents, the very ones who had nurtured me, suddenly sided with her as if I were the outsider in my own home. And now, in this moment of utter humiliation, I found myself being forcefully dragged off to a filthy storage room, surrounded by the smell of mildew and old, forgotten things.

"I said, let go of me!" Livid, I lashed out, grabbing anything within reach—books, knickknacks, ornaments. The world around me blurred into chaos.

 "Lady, stop! Someone is going to get hurt!" Connor's voice was a distant shout, cut through by the deafening roar of my own heartbeat.

 I barely registered his outstretched hand before the vase shattered against his skull. Time slowed as I watched the glass rain down his head, glistening like shards of ice, mingling with the deep crimson that began to trickle down Connor's face. His eyes widened in shock, a haunting expression that would forever be etched in my memory. 

Panic seized me as I froze, the reality of the moment crashing down like a heavy wave. Connor's body slumped against the marble floor, the stark whiteness now marred by the dark puddle pooling beneath him. The air fell silent, and in that paralyzing stillness, a horrifying thought gripped me: had I killed him? 

I swallowed a scream.

This wasn't my fault. It was their fault. T-they were going to keep me confined against my will. I-I..

James's frantic cries broke the silence. "Connor! Connor! Wake up!" 

His voice was a desperate plea, bringing me back to the chaos unfolding around us. Surely Connor couldn't have died because of a silly little flower vase, right? Right?

Without thinking, I pivoted on my heels, the urgency to escape overpowering any remnants of guilt. I dashed down the hall, nearly colliding with the wall in my frantic escape. 

My mind raced as I sprinted toward the front door, fingers trembling as they closed around the door handles.

 "Lady?" A voice, puzzling and uncertain, sounded behind me.

 I spun around, my heart racing, and seized Lisa by the elbow, my other hand clamping over her mouth to silence her.

"Mhmm!" she protested, her eyes wide with fear. In one swift motion, I slipped my hand into her dress pocket, retrieving her phone, my pulse hammering in my ears. "You never saw me, you understand?" I hissed through gritted teeth, the tremor in my voice betraying my own fear. 

Lisa forced a nod. 

 I released her and bolted out of the mansion with a sense of urgency. Once outside, the cool air hit my face like a slap. I sucked in a deep breath, fumbling to dial for a taxi. Finally, after five agonizing minutes of jittery anticipation, a small orange car along the side of the road. The driver was a man in his fifties, with a receding hairline and strands of gray in his dark blonde hair. He peered up at me, his eyes suddenly widening before an amused smile played at his lips. 

Whatever, 

Anxiously, I yanked the door open, the cool metal a stark contrast to my clammy palms, and slid into the leather seats.  

"Where to?" the driver inquired, his voice a low rumble. 

"Anywhere," I breathed, my words tumbling out like a sigh of relief. "As long as it's far, far away from here." 

Once the car started moving, I finally allowed myself to relax. The gentle vibration of the engine beneath me was oddly soothing as I slumped against the soft leather seats, feeling the tension melt away.

I rolled my shoulders, feeling the knots loosen, and ran a hand through my disheveled hair, the chaotic strands slipping through my fingers. I smoothed out the wrinkles in my pants, wetting my parched lips. 

I had never been in such an distressed condition like this before. I don't know what will happen next. Everyone I love are turning against me. 

"Dear, are you alright? You seem troubled," the driver asked, his eyes flickering up at the review mirror every few seconds to observe me. 

"Yea," I shrugged.

"I didn't know you could talk."

"Uhm, excuse me?" What the heck?

"Nothing nothing. Here, have some water, you'll feel better." With one hand grasping the steering wheel, he used the other one to hand me a bottle of water. 

"Thank you." I unscrewed the loose lid of the bottled water and held it to my lips, chugging it down. It had a tang of bitterness. Ugh... 

My surroundings swirled into a dizzying haze, colors bleeding into one another like watercolors on a canvas. The last sounds I registered was the driver's muffled voice, distant and indistinct...

"Nathalie..."

Wh...what? Nathalie? Hu..huh? 

I felt myself sinking, as if the ground beneath me were giving way, pulling me into a dark, enveloping void. My strength slipped away, the ground closing beneath me as the bottle of water fell from my grasp.