Chapter 2

His sister Melody was my best friend at the time, and it was through her that I met Zoran.

The reason for being with Zoran was simple - we hit it off.

As the campus heartthrob, he confessed his feelings for me in front of the entire school, causing quite a stir.

Back then, Melody would call me "sister-in-law," making me blush and flustered.

She often covered for Zoran and me when we were dating, acting as a messenger between us.

In our youth, three wasn't a crowd.

But all the good times came to an end when Melody became the target of malicious rumors.

Because of this incident, the harassment and insults led Melody into depression.

I heard it all and felt the pain in my heart, trying to comfort her.

But the next day, we received the terrible news.

Then came Zoran, clutching Melody's suicide note, his eyes bloodshot.

Furious, he yelled at me, "Melody was so good to you, why did you have to kill her!"

"You murderer!"

I collapsed on the ground, looking at the handwriting on the suicide note in disbelief.

"Zara, you're right, we should look forward. But the end of the road ahead is another world, so I'm going to that other world to be happy. Don't miss me too much!"

A sudden pain struck my heart.

I slowly woke up from my dream. Seeing the overturned bucket at my feet, water spilled all over the floor.

I suddenly realized I was back in the present moment.

The wonderful Melody had become a thing of the past.

There was no time to dwell on it. I wiped away the lingering tears and continued cleaning up.

By the time I finished tidying, Zoran and the others had long since completed their business.

Estrella approached me with a flushed face, teasing:

"Hey, murderer, I'm hungry. Hurry up and get me something to eat."

But I didn't budge.

I owed her nothing.

Yet Zoran came over, looking down at me imperiously.

"Didn't you hear? Make me dinner."

"Estrella likes spicy diced chicken, cilantro beef stir-fry..."

With each dish he listed, the color drained further from my face.

He rattled off a long list, each one perfectly targeting foods I couldn't stomach.

But I had no choice. Without a word, I walked into the kitchen.

Thirty minutes later, I had prepared a table full of dishes.

Just as I was about to carry them out, I realized the oven mitts were missing.

Estrella called out impatiently:

"Hurry up, Zara!"

I looked over at her voice, only to see her tossing the oven mitts into the trash.

Zoran watched coldly, saying nothing.

I gritted my teeth and carried out the scalding hot soup bowl, my hands trembling the whole time. I stepped forward, but after just a couple of paces, I slipped hard on a puddle of water that hadn't been there before, crashing to the floor.

At the same time, the scalding hot soup spilled all over me.

Instantly, my exposed skin erupted in angry red welts, swelling up.

Before I could even react to the searing pain, Zoran, who had been so calm just moments ago, yanked me to my feet and dragged me to the bathroom.

He doused my burns with cold water.

All the while, I could hear Zoran's words through gritted teeth.

"Zara, don't you know how to say no?"

Hearing this, I silently shook my head.

"I don't deserve to. I need to atone."

In the next second, Zoran's eyes flashed red as he shoved my shoulder, pinning me against the bathroom wall.

"If you're so eager to atone, then do it with your body!"

To my utter disbelief, he began devouring my lips roughly.

Just as I was gasping for air,

Estrella let out a piercing scream from the living room.

At this, Zoran froze mid-motion.

He immediately ran out.

Estrella had fainted and was rushed to the hospital.

They diagnosed her with anemia, requiring an urgent blood transfusion.

In the critical situation, Zoran frantically pointed at me.

"Doctor, take her blood, she's type A!"I was pushed inside without resistance.

I watched as tube after tube of blood was drawn from my body. My fists clenched tightly, my whole body weak but I forced myself to endure.

My eyelids drooped uncontrollably, refusing to stay open.