Lorelei and Cora

Chapter 1 explains how Jaylen became Lorelei's monster.

Lorelei's parent's story

Hi, I'm Lorelei, and my family is unique. I live with my dad, Jaylen, my stepmom, Ella, and my stepsister, Cora, who is my age. But it wasn't always like this. Let me take you back to a time before I was born when my parents' lives were quite different. Back then, Jaylen thought he had the perfect life. He was fortunate to have a caring mom named Stella, a loving dad named Jackson, and a girlfriend named Casey, who meant the world to him; he couldn't imagine life without her. After being together for a year, Casey went to the hospital for a routine check-up. She was in pain, and her monthly visit was overdue. During this visit, Casey received heartbreaking news: she was diagnosed with stage 1 cervical cancer and discovered she was three months pregnant. When Casey told Jaylen about this, he was thrilled at the prospect of starting a family with her. However, he had no idea about the cancer as Casey kept her diagnosis a secret from him. She was unable to have surgery to remove the tumor, as it might endanger the pregnancy, putting both their lives at risk.

Four months into her pregnancy, Casey noticed her belly beginning to protrude, signaling the new life growing inside her. However, she hesitated to share the news with Stella and Jackson, unsure how they would react. Casey was aware of Jaylen's father's strong religious beliefs, which added to her anxiety. Despite Jaylen's efforts to reassure her, Casey's worries persisted, prompting him to find excuses to postpone visiting his parents with the joyful news. As the months passed and Casey's pregnancy advanced, she felt the weight of not having informed Jaylen about her cancer diagnosis and the sadness of not telling his family. Finally, when she was six months pregnant, Casey and Jaylen went to tell Stella and Jackson to ease Jaylen's distress, as he longed to share the news with his cherished parents. Upon hearing this, Stella responded with happiness and excitement, celebrating the new addition to their family. However, Jackson's reaction left Casey feeling overlooked and disheartened. He expressed disappointment over Jaylen's decision to start a family before marriage, adding to Casey's emotional burden as their unborn baby was a part of their family. The absence of her parents intensified Casey's sense of isolation despite Jaylen's comforting presence and the constant companionship of her unborn baby. Although Stella reassured her that they could always visit, Jackson's disapproval made it difficult, as he insisted they leave with only their belongings, abandoning the items he and Stella had bought for Jaylen and Casey and never returning to his parents' home.

Seven months into her pregnancy, Casey began to feel pain unrelated to childbirth or Braxton Hicks's contractions. Increasingly anxious, she sought medical help and was heartbroken to discover that her cancer had progressed significantly. The idea of not being around for her baby or watching her child grow with Jaylen filled her with deep sorrow. On her way home, she considered discussing the possibility that Jaylen might need to be a single dad. She took a moment to reflect while Jaylen arranged the baby's room and dozed off on the couch. Unfortunately, she started dreaming of Jaylen coming toward her to harm her, leaving bruises on her body, and just as he was about to bring a knife, she woke up terrified. Sweat trickled down her forehead from the nightmare. Once she calmed down, she felt intense pain in her cervix, along with the baby kicking inside her. Resolutely spreading joy, she called Jaylen over to feel the kicks. He hurried to her side, and she flinched at his arrival. Gently, she positioned his hands on her belly, tensing slightly at his touch where their baby kicked. As he felt the movements, he was filled with joy. Jaylen was so grateful that he decided to share the beautiful nursery he had prepared for their baby, which brought happiness to Casey's eyes. Despite their difficulties, she never expected things to turn out so wonderfully. Jaylen's love and support made Casey feel her pain lessen, which made her hesitant to tell him about her cancer. However, she feared sharing this with him and wanted to remain silent because her dreams frequently happened.

As Casey entered her eighth month of pregnancy, her anxiety and fear regarding Jaylen and giving birth grew stronger every day. Three weeks ahead of her due date, her water broke. Jaylen rushed to her side, driving recklessly to the hospital and ignoring all traffic signals. Once they arrived, he discovered Casey unconscious and visibly pale. Worried about both her and the baby, he attempted to feel the pulse on her wrist, only to find it weak. When Jaylen called for help, the first response he received was dismissive. However, after he carried Casey to the entrance, they promptly moved her to a delivery room. The doctor instructed Jaylen to wait outside, creating an agonizing four-hour wait filled with hope and excitement for their child's arrival. When a nurse finally appeared, her serious demeanor sent a chill through him. Instead of the joy he anticipated, she handed him a note from Casey, revealing the heartbreaking news of her passing, which Casey had requested to convey, believing it was the reality while taking their baby to the nursery. In shock, Jaylen read the note, overwhelmed with fear, as he realized he must face the daunting responsibility of fatherhood alone, without the support of his parents or his beloved Casey. The profound sadness of losing Casey, along with their dream of parenting together, engulfed him. Reading the note also exposed the suffering Casey had hidden from him, leaving him feeling shattered for not recognizing her pain beyond the pregnancy symptoms. Approaching the nursery, Jaylen experienced a whirlwind of emotions, grappling with the significant choice of raising the child himself or putting it up for adoption. He wished his baby a brighter future and the love of caring parents. Yet, when he saw his daughter for the first time, he couldn't overlook her striking resemblance to Casey. In that impactful moment, Jaylen resolved to fully embrace his role as a father and take on the challenging task of raising his daughter, honoring the dreams he and Casey had for their child. He named their daughter Lorelei as a tribute to their shared hope, fulfilling Casey's wish to name their child Lorelei. In this way, he vowed to express his love for Casey by nurturing and cherishing their daughter with unwavering commitment.

Before the surgery, Casey had regained consciousness, and she handed her surgeon a note requesting Jaylen to be told she had passed away and to give him the note. However, Casey went into shock, leading to an emergency C-section. Luckily, Casey's surgery was easy, as she didn't have any cancer in her cervix as a doctor read someone else's results instead of her file. Five minutes following the lengthy 4-hour and 20-minute procedure, Casey slowly stirred awake. She winced, feeling a dull ache emanating from the staples in her belly, remnants of the necessary incision made to deliver her precious baby. Tired but relieved, the doctors offered their apologies to her, explaining that there weren't any signs of cancer in her cervix and advising her to rest to recover quickly after the surgery. As she listened to Jaylen from inside the room, she heard Jaylen read her note aloud, making Casey overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow. Tears streamed down her face as she realized she wouldn't be there for her daughter. She regretted not having the opportunity to share her diagnosis with Jaylen, even though it wasn't her test results. Unable to stay in the hospital longer, Casey swiftly got out of bed, holding her stomach in pain from the surgery as they had cut open her lower abdomen down to her uterus, which made her feel weird due to every incision, stitch, and staple inside and outside of her belly. As Casey struggled to stand due to the pain, she felt as if her insides had been removed and put back into place, even though it was just her daughter who had been taken out. As she cautiously approached the door of her room, she saw Jaylen walking behind the nurse as she took Jaylen and her daughter to the nursery. Casey trailed behind them for 4 minutes with quiet steps before slipping into a room without getting any attention or any sign of urgency from Jaylen.

Suddenly, a noise behind her made Casey pivot, only to find another young woman her age, cradling a newborn baby and attempting to breastfeed for the first time. That's when Casey told the woman her situation and explained the dream of baby daddy Jaylen beating and raping her, as her dreams always come true. Due to this, the young woman tells Casey her name, and Ella then gives Casey a job at a strip club after helping Casey change her identity and name to a girl named Joane to keep her safe from Jaylen. Unfortunately, a year or two later, Jaylen visited the same strip club Ella owned, so that day, Casey ran for safety to escape as fast as she could, even with barely wearing any clothes. The following day, Casey approached Ella and confided that her ex-boyfriend, Jaylen, had visited the strip club where she worked. Due to this, Casey asked if there was anything else she could do to work under Ella and to be supported by her. To Casey's delight, Ella offered her a job as a limo driver for famous people, as she had recently purchased a limo company. This way, Casey felt safe and happily accepted the offer and became Ella's first employee, but not for Ella's family, as she doesn't need a driver yet for her family.