Chapter 1 ONE

༺ VAELIA ༻

“If it feels like a watermelon being pushed through a keyhole, I’m calling the police,” Maya announced, her eighteen-year-old voice deadpan as she scrolled through her phone.

Lily, my soon-to-be sister-in-law (in the purely emotional, non-legal sense), threw a decorative throw pillow at her head. “Maya! You can’t say things like that! And it’s not a watermelon, it’s a cantaloupe. And it’s not a keyhole, it’s a… a slightly stretched doorframe.”

I snorted into my mug of chamomile tea, quickly disguising it as a cough. I was perched in the velvet armchair in the corner of Lily’s bedroom, surrounded by a sea of blush-pink tulle, silk ribbons, and half-empty bottles of sparkling cider. It was a Tuesday night, three weeks before Lily's wedding and the whole Halloway house was filled with “us” running around and trying to get everything ready, especially the emotional readiness.

“I’m just saying,” Maya continued, dodging the pillow and tossing it onto the bed. She kicked her legs, her socked feet hitting the mattress with a rhythmic thump. “Reddit user Bridezilla99 says her husband couldn’t find the entrance for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes, Lily! That’s not a wedding night, that’s a search and rescue mission.”

“Stop reading Reddit!” Lily groaned, burying her face in her hands. Her perfectly styled blowout was already starting to frizz from the stress. “Marcus and I have been dating for three years. We’ve… we’ve done stuff, you know. It’s not going to be a search and rescue mission.”

“Define ‘stuff’,” Maya challenged, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Maya, I swear to God, if you don’t shut up, I’m telling Fina you’ve been sneaking out to meet Tyler behind the bleachers,” I said, my voice smooth, carrying the perfect amount of authoritative older-sister energy.

Maya gasped, clutching her chest in mock betrayal. “Catrina! You wouldn’t. You’re supposed to be my ally in this house. The cool, mysterious, slightly traumatized graphic designer who gets me.”

“I get you and you know I love you right?,” I agreed, taking a slow sip of my tea to hide my smile. “But I also value my peace and quiet. And if Lily dies of a stress-induced aneurysm before the wedding, who’s going to pay for my bridesmaid dress?”

Lily peeked through her fingers, looking at me with wide, panicked eyes. “Catrina, be serious. What if it hurts? What if I just… freeze? My mom said the first time is supposed to be magical, but all my friends at work say it’s just awkward and slightly painful, and you have to pretend you like it so his ego doesn’t get bruised.”

Pretend you like it.

The words hit me like a physical blow. My hands suddenly gripped the warm ceramic mug tightly. A single drop of tea landed on my knuckles. It hurt really bad, but I didn't react. Inside I felt a chill run down my spine and my stomach dropped.

Pretend you like it. That’s exactly what that woman had told me.

Smile, dear. Do your duty. The man is a powerful man, and his pleasure is your purpose.

I forced my facial muscles to relax, setting the mug down on the side table with deliberate calmness. “Lily,” I said, trying to sound happy and not too serious. “Marcus is a sweetheart. He literally cries when he watches dog food commercials. I highly doubt he’s going to be a ruthless, ego-driven tyrant in the bedroom. If he tries to rush you, just knee him in the groin. It resets the male brain instantly.”

Maya burst out laughing, slapping her knee. “She’s right! The groin knee is the great equalizer. It’s like a factory reset button for men.”

Lily finally dropped her hands. A small cute smile came out “You guys are terrible. But… thanks. I just want it to be good. I want to feel… I don’t know. Cherished.”

“You will be,” I said softly, and I meant it. Lily deserved the world. She deserved the soft, safe, boring life she had built.

Before Lily could respond, the bedroom door slowly opened. Mrs. Fina Halloway walked in, carrying a silver tray with three fresh mugs of tea and a plate of shortbread cookies. She was a woman, with a lot of warmth and kindness, with silver-streaked hair and eyes that held a deep, enduring kindness.

“I heard raised voices and the funny sound of my youngest daughter terrorizing her sister,” Mrs. Halloway said, her voice a soothing balm. She set the tray down on the vanity. “Drink. And stop reading those dreadful forums, Maya. They are written by people who married accountants named Greg.”

Maya grinned mischievously, grabbing a cookie. “But Mom, what if it’s true? What if it’s awful?”

Mrs. Halloway let out a sigh, sat down on the edge of the bed and started to smooth out Lily's hair, pulling it back from her forehead. Her expression softened into something profoundly tender. “Oh, my sweet girls. The first time is rarely like the movies. It’s clumsy, and it’s messy, and sometimes it’s a little awkward. But when it’s with someone who truly loves you, it’s beautiful. Your father and I… well, we were so nervous we knocked over a lamp. But it was good. It was full of love.”

She paused, her gaze drifting to the framed photograph on Lily’s nightstand. It was a picture of her husband, Arthur Halloway. He died two years ago. The police said it was a mugging that went wrong but I know the truth. Arthur had spent the last decade of his life running a clandestine network, pulling women and teenage girls out of the sex trafficking rings that operated out of the city’s underbelly. He had made enemies. Bad, violent men. And they had eventually caught up to him.

“Your father taught me that a woman’s body is her own temple,” Mrs. Halloway continued, her voice shaking with emotion but still strong. “Not a public park or a duty. It belongs to you. And the man you marry should treat it like a sacred space. Marcus will, my sweet baby.”

Lily leaned into her mother’s touch, closing her eyes. “I hope so.”

I sat quietly in my armchair feeling anxious. This feels like a sacred place. If Fina Halloway knew who I really was, she probably wouldn't have opened the church door that evening. I come from a family with old-fashioned rules. The men in my world don't respect women's bodies. They see them as things to own. Like prizes.. Damaged goods. Roba rovinata. If someone else touches them before their husband does.

I was hiding here, under a fake name, playing the role of a traumatized graphic designer fleeing an abusive boyfriend. They had taken me in because of their compassion, because Arthur’s legacy lived on in their hearts. They thought they were protecting me. They had no idea I was the predator’s daughter, hiding in the sheep’s pen to keep the wolves from finding me.

“Well,” Maya said, breaking the heavy, emotional silence. She pointed a buttery finger at me. “We’ve covered Lily’s impending doom. Now it’s your turn, Catrina.”

I blinked, pulling myself out of my dark thoughts. “My turn for what? I’m not getting married anytime soon.”

“Exactly,” Maya said, leaning forward with the predatory gleam of a true interrogator. “You’re twenty-three. You’ve been living with us for eight months. And you have never, not once, mentioned a boyfriend. You don’t date. You don’t flirt. You act like you’re painstakingly guarding the Crown Jewels. What’s the deal? Are you secretly married to a vampire?”

Lily giggled, wiping her eyes. “Maya, stop. But… she’s right, Catrina. You’re so private and always so careful, girl. When are you going to let someone in? Should I set you up with my twin?”

My heart did a slow, heavy thud against my ribs. If only you knew.

I forced a lazy, sarcastic smirk onto my face, leaning back in the chair and crossing my legs. “I’m just highly selective, ladies. And easily grossed out. I’m waiting for a man who doesn’t chew with his mouth open, knows how to load a dishwasher correctly, and doesn’t use the phrase ‘bro’ unironically. The dating pool is a barren wasteland. So, I will have to wait for my prince charming. Fina says every woman is a princess and as princesses we have princes, so I will wait. Many of the Disney princesses waited!”

“Bullshit,” Maya said cheerfully. “You’re guarding something. I can tell. You look at guys like they’re going to bite you somehow if you come close to them.”

They will, I thought. Or worse, they’ll buy me.

Outwardly, I rolled my eyes. “I’m just focusing on my career. Graphic design doesn’t leave much time for romance. Besides, I’m perfectly happy being the third wheel to you two lovebirds.”

Mrs. Halloway gave me a smile but I could see a hint of understanding in her eyes. She thought I was hesitant because of “my ex” who had been mean to me. She thought I was on what people will call a “healing journey”.

“There is no rush, Catrina,” she said softly, “Take all the time you need. You are safe here honey and I promise you nobody will hurt you here.”

Safe. Every time I say that word it feels wrong. It tastes bad like ash in my mouth.

“Thanks, Mrs. Halloway,” I murmured, standing up and grabbing my empty mug. “I’m going to head to bed now ladies. Big day of dress shopping tomorrow. I need my beauty sleep so I can outshine the bride.”

“Dream on, Tiara!, at least she later achieved her dreams and became a princess by kissing a frog only, she had a “man” figure in her life even if it was a frog” Maya called out as I walked to the door.

I slipped out into the hallway closing Lily’s bedroom door softly behind me. The house was really quiet. It smelled like the floor polish that has lavender in it and the old wood in the house. I walked down the hall to my room, which's the small guest room, at the end of the corridor.

I shut the door and made sure it was locked. Then I rested my forehead on the wood.

I took a breath and let it out slowly. My hands were shaking a bit as I put the mug down on the dresser.

Guarding the Crown Jewels, Maya had said.

I walked over to the small window and pulled back the curtain just an inch, peering out into the quiet suburban street. The Halloways lived in Oakhaven, a leafy, affluent suburb where the biggest crime was usually someone’s dog getting off its leash.

But tonight, the streetlights cast long, eerie shadows across the pavement. And parked directly across the street, idling quietly under the glow of a streetlamp, was a matte black SUV with heavily tinted windows.

I am hundred percent sure I saw it yesterday and the day before but never really paid attention to it, but this night, something felt too different.

I watched as the passenger window slowly rolled down, just a fraction. A hand emerged, resting casually on the doorframe. On the middle finger was a heavy, gold signet ring with a weird, jagged crest. A crest I knew too well. I would have known it no matter what. My breath hitched, freezing in my lungs.

The window rolled back up, and the SUV pulled away, disappearing into the night. I backed away from the window, My heart started beating fast, like seriously pounding against my ribs. It was like it was going to jump out of my chest. I was so scared. The window was in front of me but I did not want to be near it. 

It had been eight months. Eight fucking months of hiding. And somehow...they had found me.