CHAPTER 3

Serena's POV

The night air was cold, sharper than the breath I dragged into my lungs as I stepped onto the empty street. The wheels of my bag shook on the wet ground, making a sound that echoed louder than it should have in the silence around me. Rain began to fall, light at first, then heavier, soaking through my thin coat until it clung to my skin like another layer of humiliation. Even though my shoes were slipping on the wet sidewalk, I kept walking. My eyes were burning with tears, but I wouldn't let them fall.

I had nothing left.

The mansion was no longer mine. My marriage had never truly been mine. My life, if I could even call it that, had been built on silence, and now even that silence had abandoned me. Each step forward felt like stepping into nothing, a place where no one would see me or care. My hand tightened on the handle of the suitcase until my knuckles ached. It was the last thing that proved I had been in that house and the only thing I took with me.

The streetlights were dim and hard to see because of the heavy rain. Sometimes cars drove by, shining their headlights on me before going on. They never stopped or slowed down. As people rushed under covers, they looked at me for a moment, frowned, and then turned away. To them, I was just another shadow in the rain, another woman walking through the dark with broken pieces of her life.

My chest tightened with a thought I could not shake. I am truly alone.

Suddenly a sound came, a low and steady purr of an engine. A sleek black car pulled up beside me, its lights cutting through the rain like sharp knives. My steps faltered, unease prickling down my spine. The car didn’t pass. It slowed down and stopped right in front of me.

I froze, the handle of my suitcase slipping slightly from my wet hand. My heart thudded against my ribs, fast and heavy, as the back door opened.

Three men stepped out.

The first man was tall and had broad shoulders. His suit was perfectly made, and his face was as hard as stone. Even in the rain, he stood like a man used to commanding, someone everyone bowed to. His eyes, dark and unreadable, fell on me with a weight that made my breath catch.

The second adjusted his glasses, rain sliding down his face, though he didn’t seem to notice. His features were fine, precise. He looked at me with a calculated look, like he was putting together a puzzle for which he already knew the answer.

And then the third one who seemed younger, had bright eyes that seemed to hold warmth even under the storm. He smiled as if the rain didn’t touch him at all. His energy was soft but strong, like sunshine cutting through clouds.

As I looked at them, my heart beat faster with fear, confusion, and something else I couldn't put my finger on.

The first man stepped forward, his voice low and certain. “Serena Valehart.”

The name hit me hard. I got a better hold on the bag handle. "What?" My voice was hoarse, rough from lack of use and the storm.

“You are our sister,” he said simply. His eyes didn’t waver, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I am Adrian Valehart. And we’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”

My heart stuttered. Sister? Valehart? The word twisted in my ears, strange and impossible. I shook my head, taking a step back. “You must be mistaken.”

The man with glasses stepped forward now, his voice firmer, almost clinical. “This is not a mistake. I'm Nathaniel Valehart. DNA doesn’t lie. You are our blood, Serena. You are one of us.” He looked at my bag for a moment and then back at me. "And based on how you look, it looks like we got there just in time."

The last one, the one who smiled, quickly closed the space, his presence warm in the cold storm. Before I could say anything, he took off his jacket and put it over my shoulders. “Leo Valehart,” he said brightly, his voice carrying an easy charm that was different from the others. His gaze softened as it met mine. “Our little princess. Finally.”

My lips parted, but no sound came out. My entire body trembled, not just from the rain but from the weight of their words. Sister. Blood. Valehart. These men, strangers I just met seconds ago, were claiming me with a certainty that shook the ground beneath me.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely a whisper. “Why me?”

Adrian’s gaze didn’t falter. “Because you are ours. Because you are not meant to suffer like this.”

Nathan's tone got colder and his mouth tightened. “Because the life you’ve lived, the man you just left, none of it should have ever happened.”

Leo smiled wider, but there was something softer and almost sad in his eyes. “Now you belong with us. And we’re never letting you go again.”

My mind spun. The rain pounded against my skin, but all I felt was heat rising in my chest, choking me. I wanted to argue, to push them away, to demand proof. But deep inside, beneath the fear and disbelief, something stirred.

For three years, I had been hidden. Nobody cared about me, spoke for me, or reached out to me during these years. And now, three strangers stood in the storm, looking at me as if I were the most precious thing they had ever found.

The handle of the bag fell out of my hand and hit the wet ground with a dull thud. I looked at them and my voice broke. "I don't understand."

"You do not need to." Adrian's words were short, but the pain in his eyes was just right to get through my barriers. "You only need to know that no one will hurt you again from now on."

Nathan took a step closer, his eyes sharp and protective. “Damian Cross will pay for every humiliation. He will leave with nothing.”

Leo’s arm slipped lightly around my shoulders, steadying me as my knees weakened. “Come with us, Serena. Let us show you what it feels like to be truly loved.”

My vision blurred, but it wasn't from the rain this time. For the first time in years, tears slipped down my cheeks freely. I had told myself I had no one. That I would always have no one.

But maybe… I was wrong.

The black car door opened again, its interior glowing warm against the storm. Adrian pointed toward it, his face unreadable but his voice steady. “Get in, Serena. It’s time you came home.”

Home.

The word cut through me, sharp and sweet, a word I had long ago given up. My feet hesitated, my body frozen between the life I once knew– cold, loveless, broken and the life they promised, warm and unfamiliar.

Leo lightly squeezed my shoulder, and his smile made me feel better. "We'll explain everything. But you have to trust us.”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed, his tone leaving no space for refusal. “You don’t have a choice anymore. The world will know who you are, whether you accept it or not.”

Adrian’s gaze locked on mine, heavy and commanding. “Serena. Decide.”

I took a deep breath that made my whole body shake. My hand trembled as I reached for the open door.