The Illusion of Home

“Mom---” Seren called softly.

The woman heard her and froze mid-step.

It was as if she had been struck by lightning the moment she saw Seren. A gentle smile bloomed on Seren’s lips as her eyes took in her mother’s face. Though she looked thinner now, deep wrinkles marking the years that had passed, Seren could still see the beauty she remembered in the face she had longed for all this time.

When the guests noticed Lena had stopped moving, their attention shifted toward Seren. Her older brother and father also paused, their eyes landing on her… and on the bags she carried. Shock was evident on their faces.

It wasn’t surprising. Anyone would be startled if a stranger suddenly appeared outside their home.

“Well now,” one of the men beside her brother said, chuckling. “That’s quite a guest you have, Lena, Lucas. She looks like she came from a wealthy family.”

Don’t they recognize me? Seren wondered. Then again, she had been only ten years old when she left this place. Seven years had passed. She had grown, changed—her appearance and clothes far from the child they once knew.

“Seren? What is that girl doing here?” her father blurted in shock as recognition finally dawned on him.

“That’s Seren?” one of her brother’s friends exclaimed, staring at her. “She’s not the snot-nosed kid I remember.”

“It’s been years, Lucas. Why don’t you introduce us to your daughter?” another guest teased.

“There’s no need,” Lucas said coldly as he stood and walked toward her. “That girl shouldn’t be here.”

“What are you doing here?” her mother asked anxiously, setting down the tray she carried before hurrying toward Seren and guiding her away from the crowd. “Do the De Lunas know you’re here? You should go back before they start looking for you. Do you even realize what they could do to this family? They already own you. Why are you still so stubborn, coming back here again and again?”

Her mother’s voice cut through her like blades.

“You don’t belong here anymore,” Lena added.

Seren swallowed the pain rising in her chest. She had gathered all her courage just to come here, not knowing how they would react. She only wanted to be with them—just once.

“Mom--” she whispered. “Aren’t you happy I came back? I just wanted to celebrate my birthday with you, even just this once.”

She quickly added, forcing brightness into her voice, “I brought gifts.” Her gaze shifted to the guests around the house. “Do you remember what day it is today? I was so happy thinking that even though we’re far apart, you didn’t forget my birthday.”

She gently held her mother’s arm.

Lena looked down at Seren’s hand, then back at her face.

“You shouldn’t have come back,” she said quietly. “This celebration isn’t for you.”

Seren froze.

Slowly, she released her mother’s arm. She had never understood why her parents gave her away years ago. Now she was even more confused. Why did they reject her so completely? She was their daughter too, their flesh and blood. Why was she treated differently from her siblings?

“Mom, can I open my presents now?” a cheerful voice called.

A young girl stepped out of the house holding a wrapped gift.

Seren’s breath caught.

Irene, her younger sister, is two years younger than her.

Only then did realization strike her.

They shared the same birthday.

The celebration was never meant for her.

For a brief, foolish moment, she had believed they remembered her.

“You should go back,” Lena repeated firmly.

“Even once, did you ever think about me?” Seren asked, gripping the grocery bags tightly. Though she already knew the answer, she still hoped just once to hear that her mother had missed her.

“We’re not your family anymore,” her mother said. “You know how dangerous that man is. Go back.”

The words shattered something inside her.

“I won’t go back there,” Seren pleaded desperately, dropping the bags and grabbing her mother’s hand again. “Take me back instead, even if life is hard, even if we struggle. I don’t need a big house. I just want to stay here with you.”

“Why can’t you understand?” Lena snapped, pulling her arm away. “Do you want me to get angry at you?”

“Have you finished paying the debt?” her father suddenly asked as he approached.

Seren looked at him, fists tightening.

They had already received a fortune from the De Lunas, yet the debt only grew larger. Even if she had to spend her entire life repaying it herself, she would accept it if it meant returning home. She didn’t want to live in fear inside the De Luna mansion.

“Why do you keep forcing yourself here?” Lucas said harshly. He grabbed her arm, dragged her away from her mother, and shoved her violently.

Seren fell to the ground.

“Have you forgotten? Someone else owns you now.”

His words crushed her.

“That foolish mafia gave us a lot of money,” he continued coldly. “If you truly care about us as your family, go back to that mansion and live as if you don’t know us. We’ll do the same. You are no longer part of this family.”

Each word felt like another wound carved into her heart.

“Oh, are those gifts for us?” he added, picking up the grocery bags she had brought. “At least you had the sense to bring something useful.”

“Lena, let’s go inside. Leave that one there.”

He didn’t look back as he walked into the house.

Her mother followed, guiding Irene inside without turning around even once.

And just like that, Seren was left alone outside the home she once believed would always be hers.

Rafael’s voice came from behind her, low and unmistakably familiar.

“So,  this is the important errand you had today?”

Seren froze.

At the sound of his voice, she slowly turned around, and there he was.

Rafael stood a few steps away, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that emphasized his imposing presence. Behind him, his bodyguards waited in silent formation, their watchful eyes scanning the surroundings.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you,” Rafael said coldly as he walked toward her. “The moment you had the chance, you ran away, throwing yourself back at the people you insist on calling family.”

He stopped when he noticed the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

“Foolish girl,” he muttered. “How many times do they have to cast you aside before you understand that you mean nothing to them?”

He reached for her hand, but Seren quickly pulled away. The movement did not escape Rafael’s observant gaze.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, standing up to face him.

“To get you, of course,” he replied flatly. “Did you really think I would let you disappear after spending a fortune on you? I told you, you still have a debt to pay----”

“I haven’t forgotten,” she cut in sharply. “And I will repay you.”

Rafael sighed. “Stupid girl.”

His eyes suddenly dropped to her hand. Blood stained her palm, a wound she hadn’t even noticed after being shoved earlier.

“Stop calling me stupid,” Seren snapped.

“What else should I call you?” he asked calmly, grabbing her hand before she could pull away.

She struggled, but his grip was firm.

“Stay still. You’re wounded.”

He pulled her closer and took a handkerchief from his suit, gently pressing it against her injured palm.

“You shouldn’t let anyone hurt you,” he said quietly, his gaze fixed on her hand.

“Why do you care?” she asked without thinking.

“Because-----” He lifted his eyes and looked directly into hers. “I am the only one allowed to bully or torment you.”

His voice lowered, dangerous and absolute.

“In case it still hasn’t sunk into that stubborn head of yours, let me say it again… You are mine. Whether you like it or not.”

“I’m not something you can own,” she said, trying to pull her hand back.

He didn’t release her immediately. Instead, he carefully wrapped her palm with the handkerchief.

“You shouldn’t allow yourself to be hurt,” he murmured. His gaze softened for only a fraction of a second before turning sharp again. “You already know they’re the ones hurting you. Yet you’re too stubborn to see what they really are.”

“They’re still my family,” she insisted.

“Family?” Rafael scoffed. “You call people who sold you to pay their debts family?”

Before she could react, he pulled her closer, one arm wrapping firmly around her waist.

“Then you should start thinking of me as family too,” he whispered. “I bought you. I own you.”

“You’re a monster,” Seren breathed.

“You’re not wrong,” he replied calmly. “But what does that make them? The ones who sold you and drained everything they could from you?”

His voice darkened.

“We are the same. And if you insist on calling those trash monsters your family, then you need to learn how to----”

“I will never,” she said, her voice trembling as she stepped back.

Fear flickered across her face. She could never hide how terrified she felt whenever Rafael looked at her like this, serious, unyielding, his eyes blazing.

She had heard stories about him before.

The eyes of the Devil of De Luna burned like molten amber, streaked with veins of gold that gleamed like a predator’s crown. They were not merely eyes but symbols of supremacy, forged in the crucible of power itself. One glance was enough to remind both mortals and dominants of his place, the Mafia Prince of the highest rank, a man whose gaze carried both command and ruin, as though the sun itself had bent its fury to his will.