Offering? or a Noose…?

Episode 5

(You're still the same—rotten, filthy, ugly.)

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"I… I will pretend this conversation never happened."

My voice shook as I forced myself to stand, each step towards the door like trying to claw my way out of a sinking abyss.

"N-No, you can't!"

Seraphine cried, stumbling from her chair, her hands latching onto mine with frantic desperation.

"Y-You can't do this to me! Please!" Her voice trembled, pupils wide and erratic, eyes filled with a fear that seemed to tear her apart.

I swallowed hard, feeling trapped in a situation I didn't want to be part of.

"Please, stop…"

It was too much—far too much, even for someone like me. I didn't have the strength for this.

But just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, Seraphine dropped to her knees, her arms wrapping around my legs, clinging like a lifeline.

"No! You can't! Please! Please! Please!"

She sobbed, clinging to me with a terrifying desperation, her grip tightening as if letting go would mean her entire world collapsing.

"What are you doing? Get up! Please stop, Seraphine."

"No! I won't! I won't let go until you agree." Her voice cracked, wild and hoarse, her grip unyielding, dragging me into her unraveling world. I could feel the madness creeping in, suffocating me.

"Please, stop being so childish! Get up, Seraphine!"

"No! You can't do that to me! YOU can never! This is the last time, please!" Her voice was a mixture of panic and control, a demand disguised as a plea.

I felt utterly helpless, like a broken puppet in her hands. I wanted to cry, to scream, but no matter what I said, she wouldn't listen. I was just a means to an end for her, a sacrifice I never agreed to make.

"Ser—"

"Did you forget what you did to me?"

Her words cut through me, sharp and unforgiving. I flinched, unable to escape the pain.

"Did you forget everything? How could you?" Her hands slowly slid from my legs, and she looked up at me, her eyes filled with something dark, something twisted. Scorn dripped from every syllable, cutting into me mercilessly. "Not YOU. YOU can't do this to me."

Ah… Even now, when you're on your knees begging me, somehow, you still make me feel worse than dirt beneath your feet. For something I don't even remember, yet I'm forced to carry the guilt for the rest of my life…

A sinking feeling crawled up my chest, a flicker of that day—the day Sera almost died—teased the edge of my thoughts. Blurred images, half-formed memories. But they never came fully into focus, just the crushing guilt that settled into my bones, like an illness I'd never recover from.

Ah… This is it, isn't it? This is how it's always been. I've been running from a truth I don't even know, and yet here I am… bound by it. Trapped in it. Always.

"I… I'll forget everything that happened. So please." She said the words as if they were an offering. But they weren't. Not really. It was more of a noose—tightening around my neck. She wasn't asking for my help. She was demanding it.

She knew exactly what to say. She always did. She knew that after bringing up that day, I would never refuse. I couldn't. I never could.

Seraphine's face was a mess of smeared makeup, tears streaming down her cheeks, but her eyes—they were disturbingly calm. "I will forget everything…"

How…How can you be so cruel?

"... Alright… I will do it…"

Cecilia's voice was barely audible, devoid of any feeling. It was a lifeless whisper, as if she had surrendered a part of herself just by speaking the words.

Seraphine's smile lit up her face, the tears forgotten as she grinned widely. "Thank you! Thank you so much, sister! You won't regret this! I'll send you the details, don't worry. You just need to meet the Lee family next week!"

She rambled on, her excitement pouring out, oblivious—or maybe indifferent—to Cecilia's empty, broken expression.

Cecilia stood there, frozen. Hollow. Defeated. Though Seraphine couldn't see that—or maybe she did, but didn't care. Because in the end, it never mattered. It never had.

"This… this will be my last favor… The last time I listen to any of your requests."

Cecilia murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper, as if she was speaking more to herself than to Seraphine.

For a moment, Seraphine's smile faltered, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. Then, almost too quickly, the smile returned—wide and unnervingly calm.

"Of course, sister."

Seraphine said, her tone soft, yet filled with meaning, as though she had always expected this outcome.

Just as the tension between them reached its peak, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the room, followed by two frantic voices.

"Seraphine!"

"Sister!"

Blake and Edward, their brothers, entered, their faces pale with concern.

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One of them shoved Cecilia aside, rushing to Seraphine, who was crumpled on the ground in front of her. Outside, the storm raged, thunder crashing, as if nature itself was echoing the chaos inside.

"Sister… Who did this to you?" His voice cracked with urgency, but beneath it, there was a thread of pity as he looked at Seraphine's tear-streaked face.

"It's fine… It's nothing."

Seraphine smiled weakly, her voice light. Then-almost casually-her gaze– slid to Cecilia. The man's eyes followed, darkening immediately.

"Y-You!"

The second man, still standing stiff with anger, stormed toward Cecilia.

"How dare you?" His hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her violently. "How dare you do this to her?!"

Cecilia, already feeling nauseous, felt her stomach twist painfully, but the shaking didn't stop.

"You never change, do you? After everything—after what you did to her as a child—you still have the audacity to treat her like this?"

His voice was seething, each word laced with bitter scorn. "Do you feel no guilt? No remorse? Still playing that sweet, innocent act. But underneath…"

"You're still the same—rotten, filthy, ugly."

The words were a cold, harsh whisper, each one a blade aimed at Cecilia's heart.

"Brother, stop!" Seraphine, with Edward's help, pushed herself up from the ground, moved toward Blake, her expression a mix of quiet desperation and faint irritation.

"Please, stop this, Brother!"

She pleaded, her voice tinged with frustration and her eyes narrowing slightly.

"F*ck! I'm ashamed to have you as a sister! You're pathetic! Get out of my sight, you leech!"

Blake's fury erupted as he shoved Cecilia with brutal force. Cecilia stumbled, crashing into the corner of a table, her body wracked with pain and humiliation.

"Brother! How can you push Sister like that?"

Seraphine's voice carried a faint tremor, though it was hard to tell whether it was genuine or just for show. Blake turned to her, his frown deepening.

"Why are you defending her after what she did to you? She made you kneel, Seraphine! In public!" He spat, glancing around the empty cafe. "We're lucky no one was here to witness that."

"Brother!"

Seraphine's anger was clear now, her frown deepening as her voice sharpened.

"Haa~ Relax. I didn't push her that hard. She'll be fine. She can get up on her own."

Blake muttered, throwing a scornful glance toward Cecilia, still crumpled on the floor, hand pressed to her forehead.

"Hah! What an actress!"

He sneered, the disdain in his voice barely restrained. He quickly shifted his attention back to Seraphine, dismissing Cecilia as if she were nothing more than a nuisance.

"Anyway, what happened? What did she do to make you look like this?"

Blake's tone softened as he gently touched Seraphine's forehead, his worry evident in his furrowed brow.

"Ah, right. We should get you to a hospital."

He murmured, guiding her carefully toward the door, his hand steady on her shoulder.

"But what about sister?"

Seraphine's voice feigned concern, her indifference barely concealed.

"There's nothing to worry about with her. Focus on yourself! Have you seen the state you're in?"

"B-But–"

"I said, shut up. I don't want to hear another word. Just follow me quietly."

Blake's words were harsh, but there was a flicker of tenderness in the way he held her, as if beneath the anger, he still feared for her.

"Alright."

Seraphine's voice was barely audible as she lowered her head and followed Blake. Edward trailed behind, his steps hesitant.

A moment passed before Edward's gaze drifted back to Cecilia. She remained where they had left her—crumpled on the cold floor, her hand clutching her forehead. Her body trembled, but she didn't move. The sight twisted something inside him—was it worry? Guilt? He wasn't sure. Though there was something in her stillness, something too familiar, too haunting.

Almost instinctively, he took a few steps toward her, his hand half-raised as if to reach out, to help, to fix what felt broken beyond repair.

"Sis, ar—"

He began, but—

"Ed! Hurry up!"

Blake's sharp voice snapped through the air.

Edward flinched, his eyes widening in surprise, as if startled by his own impulse. He bit his lip, a shadow of hesitation crossing his face before he turned away, leaving behind the broken figure of his sister. With a hard swallow, he rushed after Blake and Seraphine, the door swinging shut behind him, its hollow thud echoing in the silence.

And just like that, they were gone.

None of them saw it—the slow, sickening trickle of blood spilling from Cecilia's forehead, the red staining her pale hand and her white dress, seeping into the floor.

She was alone—utterly and irrevocably alone… While the world outside moved on without her…

_______~ Chapter 1: The Last Favor ~_______

______________ ~ End ~ ______________