"You should be grateful that he saved your life from the Ferraras, and here you are living like a queen!"
"Living like a queen, my foot!" Eva shot back, her posture rigid and defiant, her spirit blazed fiercely. In a swift motion, she spun around, revealing her back to lady Sophia.
The remnants of shackles that once bound her wrists were visible, and the dark, jagged lines of whip marks traced like reminders of her live filled with torment and despair.
"How did he save me?" Eva's voice trembled, but not with fear.
"Is this saving my life, infact l jumped from a saucepan to fire. Oh yes! What right do l have to treat him like that? And what right did he have to kill and dump me in the drainage?"
"if l was you daughter, would you be happy?"
"God forbid! You can never be my daughter!" Lady Sophia raised her hand as if to ward off a foul spirit. "Do you think I don't know you're just a rejected stepdaughter? If your own mother can cast you aside, then who am I to want a daughter like you? Never!"
Eva's heart sank, and her eyes cooled to icy depths. Those words pierced her soul like a dagger. Even though she wasn't the real Eva yet he still felt pain in her heart.
"How dare you speak of my mother that way! No matter how flawed she may be, she will always be my mother!"
Anger surged through her, but something deep within her stirred in defiance. She straightened her back and glared at the lady with a newfound resolve, and said nonchalantly with a calm voice.
"Indeed, l can never wish for another like you, how many woman have been killed in this house under your nose, and you helped cover up for his crimes. You are as guilt as he is. My mother would never do such."
Eva hurried into the kitchen. The clatter of culinary mischief buzzed around her as she prepared breakfast for her husband leaving Lady Sophia in anguish
She quickly whipped up scrambled eggs, sizzling bacon, and sliced tomatoes, all the while humming a gentle tune. In the back of her mind, though, a nagging worry simmered just beneath the surface, and
Returning to the parlour with a tray laden with breakfast, Eva's heart raced. As she passed, her gaze locked onto Lady Sophia, who sat rigidly on the settee, her steely eyes glinting like ice.
Lady Sophia had been a loyal servant to the Garcia family for generations, seemingly bound by an unbreakable loyalty to the Garcias.
But Eva couldn't deny the animosity that had begun to brew between them. Their earlier confrontation had left an unshakeable tension humming in the air.
She gasped a deep breath and turned to warn her. " One more thing" she said. " If you dare mess with me ever again, you will regret it for the rest of your life, oldie!"
The words hung ominously in the air, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
Sophia's lips curled into an unsettling smile that sent a shiver down Eva's spine. "You think you can threaten me, child? You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Lady Sophia had served the family for decades, her silver hair a testament to her service. She had witnessed the rise and fall of generations, each shadowed by a dreadful curse that bound them, a curse that rendered them two souls in one.
Bound by an oath that tethered her tongue beyond her final breath. So all she does is to watch but never to spill the beans.
The curse condemned its victims to live as two souls in one body, fighting for control, their identities a seamless shroud of confusion and conflict.
The cursed lineage began with Mercelo's grandfather, who, was cursed by a dying helpless old woman because if his wicked and treacherous act towards her.
And that fractured the souls of the Garcias, intertwining their fates and sealing their destinies. They lived short, tumultuous lives, always haunted by the whispers of the other half of themselves, never truly whole.
Although Lady Sophia had learned the dark secrets hidden within the walls of the estate. Her oath of loyalty bound her lips, and the secrets became her cross to bear.
In a turn of fate, Mercelo, the last of the Garcia line, found himself grappling with more than familial woes. Since the death of his father, the curse seemed to grip him.
Though he was alive, he bore the weight of the curse that hung over him like a dark cloud.
For one good week, Eva dealt mercilessly with mercelo every night, the more some of original Eva's memories flash back, the more aggressive she'd become, especially for the fact the Lewis respected and honoured women, but as the fragment of original Eva flashed back displaying how miserable she lived as mercelo's wife, it only fueled her more
As the sunlight spilled into the study room, gilding the spines of books lined against the wall, Mercelo's gaze flitted to Eva, who sat opposite him, pen poised over a sketchbook. She was as focused as an artist could be, the tip of her tongue caught between her lips, a gesture he had always found adorable.
Yet, Mercelo felt the weight of an unsettling mystery that loomed over him like a storm cloud. His mind buzzed with questions that refused to settle. How did he keep waking up with fresh injuries each night? Why had Eva been plagued with her own mysterious wounds for the past one week, all of which had coincided with the strange events that seemed to have spined around to him. now all the misfortune had shifted onto him.
Despite the nagging discomfort in his heart, he didn't dare voice his fears. He was terrified that the truth could infuriate her, could change everything they cherished. So, he remained silent, nurturing his thoughts.
"My love," he began, his voice warm yet cautious, "we have that exhibition today. Can you come with me?"
"At what time." she asked, her voice steady
The only thing that mattered to Eva was the time. Because at night was so dangerous, especially for the fact that mercelo's true nature manifest at dusk.
"Of all things , why are you so much concerned about the time? You didn't even bother to know the venue and what exhibition it was? Or even the guest?" Curiosity spiked him.
" Are you alright?" Eva asked, noticing his sudden pallor.
"Of course," he lied, forcing a smile.
To avoid suspicion, Eva come up with cock and bull story. " So that l can schedule myself."
Mercelo didn't take it serious that he easily dismissed it, afterall this was they first time appearing in public together.
Unbeknownst to Eva, lady Sophia was eavesdropping to their conversation that she heard everything.
"Tonight, l will make you pay for insulting me, you b*tch!"
Lady Sophia was so much a ware about what Eva would do that night, and indeed , her guess was right.