Night came sooner than Luna expected but sleep was the last thing on her mind.
She sat quietly on the edge of her bed, staring into the darkness.
The images from her memory kept returning.
The unfinished building,the three men,the rain,her brother’s face and the strange woman from that morning.
Luna couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman had been trying to tell her something which maybe something important,something about her past.
She had already asked herself the same questions countless times.
Who attacked her?
Why had they attacked her?
Who was behind it?
And why did her family seem so frightened whenever she got close to the truth?
Luna slowly stood up then she had made her decision to go visit the woman.
If the woman really knew something about her past, Luna needed to hear it but there was one problem.
Her family couldn’t know especially after what she had overheard earlier.
She had to be careful,very careful.
Luna waited patiently.One by one, the sounds in the house disappeared.
Doors closed,footsteps faded and eventually the entire house became quiet.
She knew her mother sometimes came to check on her before going to bed, so Luna climbed under the blanket and pretended to be asleep.
A few minutes later, the door opened slightly.
Kate stepped inside.
She stood beside the bed and looked at Luna.
Luna kept her eyes closed and controlled her breathing.
After a few seconds, Kate quietly left.
The door closed.
Luna opened her eyes.Her heart was pounding.
Now was her chance then she slowly got out of bed to checked the hallway.
It is empty.
The living room was empty too.
Luna quietly opened the back door and slipped outside.
She looked around before walking toward the neighbor’s house.
Every step made her heart beat faster.
She wasn’t sure what she was going to hear but she knew she needed answers.
Luna reached the woman’s house and stood outside for a moment.
She hesitated then she knocked softly.
Once.Twice.
Nothing.
She knocked again.
After several seconds, she heard footsteps approaching.
The door opened slightly.The woman appeared.
The moment she saw Luna, her eyes widened with shock then relief.
“You…”
She quickly opened the door wider.
“Come inside.”
Luna stepped in.
The woman immediately closed the door and locked it.
Then she looked through the window.
She checked outside again before turning back to Luna.
Luna noticed everything, the woman’s movements were cautious.
Almost fearful.
“Why are you acting like this?” Luna asked.
The woman froze.
She seemed to have expected that question.
“I’m being careful.”
“Careful about what?”
The woman swallowed.
“Your family.”
Luna’s expression immediately changed.
“My family?”
The woman nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Luna stepped closer.
“What do you know about them?”
The woman stared at her for several seconds.
Her eyes became watery.
“You don’t remember anything, do you?”
Luna shook her head.
“No.
That’s why I’m here.”
The woman’s lips trembled.
“You need to know the truth before it’s too late.”
Luna’s heart began pounding.
“What truth?”
The woman took a deep breath.
“Your family…”
She paused.
“They may be your family by blood, but they never treated you like one.”
Luna froze.
“What do you mean?”
“They never truly loved you.”
The words hit Luna harder than she expected.She stared at the woman in disbelief.
“That’s not true.”
But even as she said it, uncertainty filled her voice.
The woman continued.
“Before you lost your memory, you were suffering because of them.
You were treated like you didn’t belong in that house.”
Luna’s breathing became heavier.
“Then what happened to me?”
The woman’s eyes filled with tears.
“The night of the incident…” She stopped.
Luna moved closer.
“What happened that night?”
The woman looked toward the door.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“Your father…”
Luna’s body went cold.
“My father?”
The woman nodded.
“Your father was the one who threw you out of the house that night, and..”
The door suddenly burst open.
“Luna!”
Kate rushed inside behind her was Brian.
Luna turned sharply as her eyes widened.
“Mom?”
Kate immediately grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing here?”
Brian’s face was filled with fury but his anger wasn’t directed at Luna.
His eyes were fixed on the woman.
The woman stepped backward.
Fear flashed across her face.
Brian stared at her with a dangerous expression.
“You…”
The woman couldn’t speak.
Kate quickly pulled Luna toward the door.
“Come with me!”
“But she was telling me”
“Don’t listen to her!”
Kate dragged Luna away.
Luna looked back.
The woman was still standing there her eyes were filled with fear.
And just before Luna disappeared through the doorway, the woman mouthed something.
Luna couldn’t hear it but she could read the desperation on her lips.
Run.
The moment they reached the Miller house, Brian suddenly pulled Luna into his arms.
“My daughter…” His voice cracked.
Luna froze.
rian began to cry.
“I thought I was going to lose you again.” He held her tightly.
“I can’t lose my daughter.”
Luna stood stiffly in his arms.
Something about the situation felt wrong.
Why was he suddenly crying?
Why had he known where she was?
And why had he and Kate arrived at the woman’s house so quickly?
Kate approached them.
“Luna, please don’t believe that woman.”
Luna looked at her.
“Why?”
“She’s a manipulator.”
Kate wiped her tears.
“She has hated our family for years.”
Luna frowned.
“Why?”
Kate hesitated before answering.
“She was your father’s girlfriend when they were in college.”
Luna’s eyes widened.
“His girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
Kate nodded quickly.
“She has always wanted to destroy our family.
She has tried everything to ruin us.”
Brian continued holding Luna as though he was afraid she would disappear again.
“She’s lying to you because she wants to turn you against us.”
Luna looked from Brian to Kate.
She wanted to believe them because hey were her parents but something inside her refused to settle.
The woman’s words kept replaying in her mind.
Your father was the one who threw you out of the house that night…
And then she had stopped.
Why?
What was she about to say?
Luna slowly pulled away from Brian.
“I…
I need to go to my room.”
Kate immediately nodded.
“Of course.”
Luna walked upstairs.
Neither Brian nor Kate spoke,they simply watched her disappear.
The moment Luna’s bedroom door closed, both of them released a breath.
Kate placed a hand against her chest.
“That was close.”
Brian’s expression changed.
The tears disappeared.
His face hardened with anger.
“That woman needs to keep her mouth shut.”
A few moments later, their son quietly came downstairs.
He looked toward the staircase.
“She’s in her room?”
Brian nodded.
“Yes.”
The young man released a nervous breath.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Father, mother, and son sat silently in the living room.
Their faces were filled with the same emotion.
Fear.
They had managed to stop Luna from hearing the rest but they all knew the same thing.
It wouldn’t work forever.
Inside her bedroom, Luna sat on the floor beside her bed.
She couldn’t sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, the woman’s voice returned.
They never truly loved you.
Your father was the one who threw you out.
And…
Luna covered her ears.
“No…”
She didn’t want to hear it anymore but the questions wouldn’t stop.
Why had the woman been so afraid?
Why had her parents arrived so quickly?
How did they know she had gone there?
And why did Brian’s tears feel so strange?
Luna hugged her knees against her chest as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
She didn’t know whom to trust anymore.
She didn’t even know whether the people she called her family were actually protecting her…
Or protecting themselves from her.
Then another thought struck her.
If the woman’s words were true…
What if the attack hadn’t been random?
What if the people who hurt her had been sent by someone?
What if her family knew more than they were telling her?
Luna’s body trembled.
She wiped her tears and stared into the darkness.
There were too many unanswered questions.
Who was behind her pain?
Who ordered the attack?
Who were the three men?
And who had assaulted her?
Most terrifying of all…
What if the people responsible were much closer to her than she ever imagined?…