CHAPTER : 2. THE BEGINNING OF SORROW.

Melissa was awakened by the heavy splashes of water on her body,her whole body and hair was drenched.

She raised her head slowly to see who did such a thing to her, but scurried backwards in fear because of the horrible disfigured face staring down at her.

She was unable to push backwards despite her struggle, that was when it dawned on her that both her hands and feet were in chains which hindered her movements.

“Where am I?” she spoke terrifiedly, avoiding the dangerous gaze of the man in front of her.

“ You are in my territory young lady.

Why is a pretty girl like you doing here? What is your crime?” He bellowed intensifying his gaze on her.

“I didn't do anything , I swear!”

She hurriedly defended herself.

“Lord Damian would not send you here if you did nothing wrong. It is either you did something bad which offended him or you stole from him.”

“I will ask the little girl, What is your crime?”

He spoke leaning towards her.

“I didn't do anything! And I did not steal from him!" Melissa lamented as she couldn't hold the tears anymore.

“That's not my business miss, you were sent here to me and I was ordered to torture you, whether you talk or not I'm still going to follow orders . That's my job, "he said.

She was shocked because she had initially thought his reason for questioning her was because he wanted to help her, but turned out he did not care at all. She lowered her head in bitterness, on top of it the cold floor on which she sat wasn't comforting. It only made her shiver more.

Memories of her mother flooded her mind. All she could think of was her parents, she remembered how her mother would take her out on every one of her birthday's. They would go shopping together, blow out candles on her birthday and bake cakes together.

ONE YEAR AGO.

IT WAS ON HER BIRTHDAY THAT HER MOTHER FIRST COLLAPSED AND WAS IMMEDIATELY RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL.

On June twenty third, a day she will never forget in her life. She had woken up very happy, full of excitement. She shared candy, cakes, snacks and a lot of items to friends , neighbors and schoolmates that were earlier bought by her and her mother when they went shopping.

Every year on her birthday, her parents always made sure to make it special. They would decorate the house beautifully and treat her like a princess.

Her mother especially loved making sure everything was perfect. She was a very social woman who always invited friends and family from all walks of life to celebrate together.

That evening, the house was full of laughter and joy.

Melissa came down the stairs wearing a beautiful blue dress, and everyone cheered as they welcomed her. She smiled brightly as she joined her parents to cut her birthday cake. They hugged her and gave her kisses on her cheeks. She has always been a girl who loves her parents very much and they loved her too. pictures were taken, people clapped, and the room was filled with celebration. Waiters moved around and served abundant food with drinks to everyone, packages were also shared to little kids.

But in the middle of all that happiness, something changed.

Her mother suddenly felt a strange ache in her chest. At first, she brushed it off

Her husband looked at her with a concerned expression.

"It's nothing," she said. "Let's continue."

A few minutes later, the pain returned. This time it was stronger. She thought maybe she had been standing for too long and decided to sit down. Melissa noticed and gently held her hand, helping her towards a seat.

But before she could sit down, she suddenly collapsed.

The room went silent for a moment, then panic broke out.

"what's happening?" people cried out. "Call an ambulance!"

Everything turned into confusion and fear.

Guests rushed forward trying to help.

Later that night in the hospital, doctors confirmed the diagnosis. Rachel, Melissa's mother, had suffered a heart attack.

They explained that her heart condition had likely been developing for a long time without her knowledge. Regular check ups might have discovered it earlier. Now, she needed immediate medical attention. Depending on how her condition responded, she might require surgery in the future.

Later that same month, things started falling apart for Melissa's father. His business began to decline rapidly; clients vanished and profits began to disappear. What had once been a thriving business empire consisting of car dealerships, rentals and several retail stores slowly began to crumble. At the same time, his attention and resources were entirely consumed by his wife's medical care. Every available cent was poured into hospital bills, medication, and treatment. He was no longer thinking about expansion, he was operating purely in survival mode.

Despite the chaos, Rachel remained the same loving woman she had always been. She was kind, generous, and deeply cherished by everyone who knew her. Though some friends and family tried to pitch in where they could, everyone had their own burdens to bear. Slowly,it began to feel as though the family was utterly alone in the storm.

Then, the final blow landed.

Melissa's father, Raymond Daniel Bultman's business collapsed entirely.

He could not comprehend how a life's work had vanished so quickly; one moment he was successful, and the next, everything was gone. Forced to liquidate most of his properties just to keep up with medical expenses.

Tragedy struck again when a portion of his remaining funds was stolen. To make matters worse, he was targeted and attacked by thugs,losing the final bit of savings he had desperately scraped together for his wife's surgery and to rebuild their life and business.

Melissa was deeply affected by the crisis as well. As a seventeen year old teenager staring down her eighteenth birthday the following year, the sheer scale of it all was overwhelming.

With everything unraveling at home, she became intensely reserved, quietly withdrawing from her schoolwork, her hobbies, and her friends.

She sat silently in class, her mind constantly drifting to her family, agonizing over whether her mother would survive, worrying about her father, and feeling crushed by everything collapsing around them.