Someone pinched Leah gently, drawing her attention to the small child watching her with curious eyes. Leah sighed.
I need to get out of here, she thought.
She lifted Ashley from the ethereal cage—but quickly set her back down. Something didn't feel right.
Not yet.
"Ashley," she said softly. The child turned to her.
"Can you travel?" Leah asked.
"Travel?" Ashley blinked in confusion.
Leah sighed again, unsure of how to explain what she meant. But before she could speak further, she felt another presence. She turned and met the eyes of one of her other selves.
"I can take her," the second Leah said calmly.
Leah didn't respond right away. She was still thinking.
"Bring Ashley's mind with you when I leave—I need to check something."
Leah walked away into the endless darkness. The other self followed. To her surprise, Ashley's consciousness had taken form. She looked as if she were truly there—alive and breathing.
"Can Ashley exist away from her real body?" Leah asked the other self.
"I haven't tried… but she can communicate with Vivianne," the other version answered.
"Will you stay with her?"
It shook its head.
"I'm only guiding her on how to navigate. The others don't know what we're doing."
"Ashley, can you call Vivianne here?" Leah asked.
The child nodded.
"Aunt Vivianne?" Ashley called out, her voice echoing into the void.
Vivianne appeared suddenly, surprised by the presence of both Leah and Ashley. The second Leah faded into nothing like a popped bubble. Vivianne stared at them.
"Are you… letting Ashley go?" she asked carefully.
"You can speak with her now and then," Leah replied. "You're the only one who can free her mind."
"Her mind?" Vivianne asked, confused.
Leah exhaled slowly. "Before Sharlene uncovers the truth about who she really is, Ashley will remain trapped. When she understands it all, the child will be free."
"Sharlene is your niece," Vivianne said softly.
"No. I'm not related to her by blood. She is the blood of my… former husband."
Leah went quiet.
"Leah, you'll receive a proper burial," Vivianne offered gently.
But Leah laughed, bitter and hollow. "I don't care about that."
"I'll take the three souls I've captured with me. They'll never escape me."
Her words were filled with icy conviction.
"Don't you ever get tired of all this, Leah?" Vivianne asked.
"Tired?" Leah gave her a cruel smile. "How can I be tired? Don't you remember what your grandmother did to me?"
She stepped closer. "Not just your grandmother… but two people I trusted with my entire soul."
"I know Grandma Felicia committed many sins," Vivianne admitted. "She, and the Santiago clan, destroyed you for wealth. But we're just people trying to survive this world, Leah. Isn't carrying all this pain exhausting?"
"I wonder," Leah mused, "what will Sharlene feel when all her memories return? Will she still be the Sharlene you know?"
"She will still be my mom," Ashley suddenly said, smiling.
"Mom won't change. I know that."
The women fell silent, stunned by the clarity and purity in the child's voice.
"Ashley…" Vivianne murmured.
"I'll return soon," Vivianne promised. "Just call me when you need me."
Ashley nodded.
Vivianne turned to Leah. "I'll find a way to help you. I won't waste this chance to do what I couldn't before."
Leah said nothing at first, then sighed.
"Don't make promises, Vivianne."
"I won't let you down." Vivianne's voice was steady, her eyes full of conviction.
Leah raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"Take the child with you," she instructed. "Let her see if she can exist away from the prison of her mind."
"I'll go with you," Vivianne said without hesitation.
Leah stared at her. "Follow me if you wish."
They returned to the old mansion, the ruins of Leah's past. Vivianne followed silently. She walked up to Leah's resting place and gently placed a flower in front of it.
"You have too many memories here, Leah," Vivianne said softly.
"Memories?" Leah scoffed. "What memories?"
"Happy ones. Bittersweet ones too," Vivianne replied, her eyes on the crumbling mansion.
Leah didn't answer. Instead, she descended into the secret basement.
A memory hit her like a storm. Her pleas echoed.
"Have mercy… The child has done nothing wrong," she had begged Manuel.
But it wasn't just Manuel. An old voice, one of power and cold tradition, had spoken too.
"A girl is a bad omen for our family—especially as the firstborn. Abort it, Leah. This is for your sake too."
She had screamed. Powerless. The baby had already reached eight months. Still, she was forced to let it die.
Vivianne, having seen the memory unfold before her eyes, could only whisper, "It's… tragic."
The vision faded. Ashley began to drift again, her mind unable to stay separated from her body for long.
Leah held the child close, retreating back into the shadows. Vivianne tried to follow but was stopped.
"Leave now. Your body won't survive much longer here," Leah warned.
Vivianne vanished.
Another of Leah's personas appeared. "Return the child."
The figure obeyed, returning Ashley to the mental cage. Leah was left alone, walking through the blackness.
"Aren't you tired?"
Vivianne's question echoed in her mind.
Anger is eternal. I have no right to be tired, she answered silently.
The cruel, unjust world had awakened a bottomless rage within her. And now… this was her moment. Her vengeance.
Still, somewhere in her heart, a whisper of guilt lingered.
Maybe I shouldn't have involved the innocent.
She saw Carmela again, wandering, crying, searching for her child. Her husband followed close behind, helpless.
Carmela was a victim too, Leah admitted. A casualty of a clan that valued legacy more than love.
She shook her head.
They'll find peace… once they remember the truth about their missing child.
Her thoughts turned inward once more.
When will I see my child—the one I killed inside me—again?
You won't, her mind replied coldly. That child died long ago.
Leah just laughed bitterly into the void.