CHAPTER 6: THE GHOSTS OF THE PAST

Sienna's POV

The softness of the bed was different. I opened my eyes gently, remembering where I was. My old bed had been ironed. Hard. Cold. Something that matched the life I had been living. Waking up in luxury reminded me of my new reality. A reality I still wasn't quite sure was real.

I sat up, stretching my arms above my head. The silk sheets felt smooth against my skin. I remembered what today was all about. The legal stamping of the marriage agreement. And dinner with Sebastian's parents tonight. Both felt equally terrifying.

I got under the hot water of the tub, letting it fill with warmth. I washed myself slowly, letting the heat absorb into my body. I closed my eyes, focusing on the silence in the bathroom. The silence around me.

But silence never stayed with me for long.

I could hear faint voices below. Car honks on the street. The drop of water from the faucet. And then the flashes came. They always came when I was alone.

"I JUST USED YOU TO FIND MY REAL LOVE."

Dominic's voice. Cold. Calculated. Cruel.

Laughter. So much laughter. The sound of people finding entertainment in my pain.

The sound of gurgling. Water in my lungs. My body going under.

"YOUR PARENTS DIED IN AN ACCIDENT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO STAY AT THE ORPHANAGE FOR THE MEAN TIME, SIENNA."

A woman's voice. Harsh. Impersonal. The caseworker who had told me my world was ending.

"I LIKE YOU SIENNA. BE MY GIRLFRIEND."

Dominic again. So charming. So convincing. So full of lies.

"WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE TARGETED BY DOMINIC? THINK OF THIS AS HELPING EACH OTHER."

Sebastian's voice. But this time it felt different. This time it felt like another lie.

Ding dong! Ding dong!

The sound of the doorbell pushed me out of my spiraling flashes.

I sat up immediately, gasping for breath. Water cascaded down my face and down my body. My heart was racing. My hands were shaking.

"Good morning, ma'am," a lady's voice called from outside the bathroom door. "Breakfast is ready to serve."

I could hear footsteps retreating away. My breath evened. It had been a while since I had flashes like this. The words that a woman I did not know had said to me a week after my parents died, telling me I had to go to the orphanage. But right now, with everything that had happened recently, the flashes had come back. Stronger. Louder. More vivid.

I braced up. I could handle it. I had always handled it. I got out of the tub and did the other things. Dried myself. Got dressed.

Thirty minutes later, I was standing in front of the mirror wearing a floral gown I had always had eyes on. It was expensive. The kind of thing I could never afford before. But now I had it right on my body. My fingers traced the delicate embroidery at the neckline.

I blow-dried my hair carefully, oiling through it with my fingers, and packed it into a ponytail. I added a little makeup. I looked vibrant. I looked ready for whatever today would bring. I looked like someone who belonged in this world.

I got out of the elevator to the vibrance of the living room. It was shining. Luxurious. A few staff members in the same uniforms were cleaning everything. I saw no dirt but all they did was clean and clean. This was on another level. This world. His world.

A chef came forward, his expression professional and courteous.

"Ma'am, we prepared pasta carbonara with pan-seared scallops and a side of fresh fruit. Do you want us to change anything in the course?" he asked.

I stared at the sumptuous breakfast spread in front of me. This was way too nice for just a breakfast. Did Sebastian reject food? How would he prepare such nice foods and then not eat them?

"No, it's nice. I'm okay with it," I said.

I sat on the chair and looked around. Now that I was here, why hadn't I seen Sebastian come down? I shrugged it off and dug in, cutting into the perfectly cooked eggs and toast.

A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was him. His name gliding across the screen as I had saved it: Sebastian Ashford. I chuckled before picking up.

"Hello. Good morning," he greeted with that relaxed, unhurried tone that suddenly made my heart do strange things.

"Hello," I replied subtly, trying to keep my voice neutral.

"I needed to attend to some matters as quickly as possible. I would be back in a few minutes with the lawyer," he said.

"Alright then," I replied.

There was silence at his end for a few seconds. Like he was hesitating on something. Like there was something he wanted to say but couldn't quite find the words.

"My mum could not wait to meet you," he said gently.

I cut a piece of beef and put it in my mouth, smiling even though he couldn't see me.

"I hope she won't be disappointed," I replied.

The silence again. I could hear his breathing underneath the line. His breathing was steady. Controlled. But there was something else there too. Something I couldn't quite identify.

Then an intercom interrupted the silence.

"Sir, Mr. George is here," a voice said through the speaker on his end.

"I see you have work to do," I chipped in.

"Yeah. Would be there soon," he said.

The call ended as I slowly scooped more of the pasta into my fork and put it in my mouth. What was with all the silence with him? Was there something he wanted to say and he was hesitating about it? I tilted my head, thinking about his voice. About the way he said his mother was waiting to meet me. There was something underneath those words. Something he wasn't saying.

My phone rang again, diverting my thoughts.

It was an unknown number.

I stared at the screen for a moment before answering.

"Hello, Sienna. It's been a while," a feminine voice said.

I was hearing right. I knew this voice. I had definitely heard it somewhere before. A long time ago. A voice I had tried to forget.

"Who is this?" I asked, my fork pausing midway to my mouth.

"Oh, my baby, it's nice hearing your voice again," the middle-aged feminine voice said. "I am sorry I said you should stay at the orphanage for the meantime, but I totally forgot you there."

My entire body went cold.

I knew this voice now. It was the caseworker from the orphanage. The woman who had placed me there when I was six years old. The woman who had told me my parents were gone and I had no one left in the world. The woman I hadn't heard from in over 20 years.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice suddenly very quiet.