CHAPTER 3 SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Author's Note: We will explore the female lead's past, but not everything at once—to keep the suspense alive.

I am Sera.

There is nothing left for me in this life except my visions. A curse passed down through my bloodline. The first time I had one, I was terrified. My first vision took everything from me already. Before I could do anything, it was already too late.

I was in love. Six years with my fiancé, planning our lives together—marriage, kids, a peaceful future. Everything was set. Until I had a vision of him. And for the first time, I hesitated. I didn't warn him. Because deep down, I needed to know if my visions were wrong.

But they never are. Still, needed proof.

So, I left a recording device in his car that night. A part of me still hoped I was wrong, that I would listen and laugh at myself for being paranoid. But when i pressed play, the truth shattered me.

"John, when are we getting married?" my best friend, Tara, asked.

"We need to wait a little longer. I won't be able to access her accounts until we're married. Once I do, we'll send her off—maybe near her parents."

Sera felt the air leave her lungs. The walls of her home—the home she thought they were building together—felt like they were caving in.

It wasn't just betrayal. It was calculated. Planned.

John wasn't just cheating. He was using her.

And Tara—her childhood friend, the girl she had trusted with her secrets, her fears—was in on it.

She sat there for hours, staring at nothing, replaying their words over and over, hoping she had misheard. That maybe, just maybe, this was all some sick joke. But the weight in her chest told her otherwise.

 That night, when John came home, I didn't say a word.

A few days later, his call came. Desperate.

"Sera, I lost everything in the stock market. Can you send me some money? Just for a little while?"

Her grip tightened around her phone.

"Check your messages, John. And don't call me again." I sent him the recorded conversation. "I have nothing to do with you anymore." No explanations. No parting words. Just the truth he had given her.

As for Tara? She had been my only friend since childhood. But some betrayals cannot be forgiven. I chose to wait. To let her think she had won—until the time was right.

Then, one day, I received the news.

John had died in a car crash. According to our culture, funerals happen within a day or two. I didn't go. But I made sure everyone knew what he had done. I paid someone to play the recordings—publicly. Along with pictures of him and Tara. I wanted them to know what it felt like to be betrayed. To never find peace.

That day, I lost the two people who mattered most to me. And I wasn't sure how to survive it.

I moved to a different city, drowning in alcohol and self-destruction. Nothing helped. My visions didn't stop. And then, I saw him—an unknown man who needed me.

That's when Cyril suggested an orphanage that needed a teacher for three months. I didn't care about anything anymore. But if I could help someone, even for a little while, why not? At least then, I'd be useful to someone.

First Day at St. Mary's Orphanage

Cyril introduced me to the head of the orphanage, Sister Maria.

"This is the person I mentioned, Sister Maria. She's lovely—you'll like her."

"Hi, Sister Maria. I'm Sera. I hope I can be of some help to the children," I said politely.

"Welcome to St. Mary's, Sera. I'll show you to your room. Please follow me."

I said my goodbyes to Cyril and followed Sister Maria inside. The orphanage was neat and orderly. The children were disciplined, greeting one another as they passed by. But something felt… off.

Too perfect.

Too controlled.