Evaline:
The sun was hanging high in the sky, casting golden rays over the back garden of the mansion.
But despite its warmth, I felt nothing but the cold emptiness that had taken root inside me. My hands were sore from scrubbing floors, my legs ached from hours of standing, and my stomach twisted painfully in hunger.
I had checked the servant kitchen after finishing my tasks, but there was nothing left - no scraps, no leftovers, not even a stale piece of bread. It didn't surprise me. I was the lowest of the low here, an enemy in the eyes of everyone. If they had the choice, they would let me starve.
And maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
I exhaled softly and trudged toward the stables. The heavy scent of hay and horses was filling the air, mixed with the faint scent of rain that lingered from last night's storm.
The stables stood at the farthest end of the mansion's grounds, past the lush back garden.
As I stepped through the stone path leading to the stables, a small figure caught my attention.
It was a little girl, no older than seven or eight, sitting on the edge of a flower bed. She had golden-brown curls that tumbled past her shoulders, and her chubby hands were clutching a small wicker basket filled with bright red apples. Her tiny legs swung as she hummed to herself, completely unaware of my presence.
Just as I was about to walk past her, she looked up, and her big, innocent green eyes met mine.
My body stiffened, instinctively preparing for the worst. She would scream for a guard, call me names, or throw something at me - just like the others did.
But she did none of those things. Instead, she smiled.
"Are you hungry?"
I blinked, feeling my body tensing. Was this some kind of trick? A cruel joke?
Before I could react, the girl picked up one of the apples from her basket and held it out to me. "Here! You can have one."
My throat tightened.
I shouldn't accept it. If someone saw me taking food from her, I would be accused of stealing. And yet… the hunger clawing at my stomach made it impossible to ignore the offering.
Still, I didn't move. "Why…?"
She tilted her head, her curls bouncing with the motion. "Why what?"
"Why are you offering me food?"
She giggled, as if my question was silly. "Because you look hungry."
Simple. Honest.
Something inside me twisted painfully at her words. No one had ever looked at me with such pure kindness before.
I swallowed hard, my hands shaking slightly as I reached out and took the apple. "Thank you."
Her smile widened. "I'm Liliana! But everyone calls me Lily."
Her name was similar to my step-sister's, but they felt world apart from each other.
I hesitated before finally replying, "Eva."
Lily's dark eyes sparkled. "You have a pretty name."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. No one had ever called my name pretty before.
"Are you new here?" she asked curiously, swinging her legs again. "I haven't seen you before."
Before I could answer, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Liliana! There you are!"
Lily flinched, quickly hiding her basket behind her back.
A woman in a crisp, dark uniform stormed toward us, her sharp eyes narrowing the moment they landed on me. I recognized her instantly. She was one of the senior maids.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded from me, her voice laced with suspicion. "And why are you talking to the young miss?"
Young miss?
My eyes darted back to Lily. It made sense now. Her fine silk dress, her delicate gold bracelet… she wasn't a servant's child. She was someone important.
"Lily." The maid grabbed the little girl's arm. "You shouldn't be talking to this woman. She is... not... someone you should associate with."
Lily frowned. "But she was nice-"
"Enough." The maid's grip tightened. "Come inside now."
Lily's eyes met mine again, but this time, there was confusion in them. I could see the questions forming in her mind. She didn't understand why I was being treated like this. She didn't understand that in this place, kindness was not meant for people like me.
As the maid dragged her away, Lily twisted in her grip. "Eva! I hope we meet again!"
I stood frozen as I watched her disappear into the mansion, and the apple in my hand suddenly started feeling heavier.
***
I spent the rest of the day in the stables, scrubbing the floors, cleaning the stalls, and hauling heavy buckets of water. The other stable workers ignored me, some even sneered when I passed by. But I was used to it.
The sun was beginning to set when I finally finished. My body was aching, my hands were blistered, and my stomach was still painfully empty.
As I dragged myself back to the servant quarters, my mind drifted back to Lily.
She was too kind, too innocent for this place. If she knew who I truly was, would she still have smiled at me? Would she still have offered me that apple?
Probably not.
I reached into my pocket, my fingers brushing against the smooth surface of the fruit.
I hadn't eaten it.
Not because I wasn't starving - I was. But because it was the first time someone had given me something without expecting anything in return. And for some reason, I wanted to hold onto that feeling a little longer.
When I finally reached my small, cramped room in the servant quarters, I collapsed onto the thin mattress.
I was exhausted, but I knew sleep wouldn't come easily.
Because the moment I closed my eyes, the nightmares would return.
They always did.
***
That night, I woke up gasping. My body was drenched in cold sweat. If it wasn't Damian's years of torment haunting me, then it was Ethan's betrayal.
My hands clutched the blanket as my entire body trembled.
No matter how much time passed, the past refused to leave me. It wrapped around me like chains, reminding me that I would never be free.
I swallowed hard and sat up. The room was dark, and the only sound coming was from the faint creaking of the old wooden bed frame.
My fingers tightened around the apple in my hand.
Maybe… maybe I wasn't completely alone.
For the first time in a long while, someone had been kind to me. And even if it didn't change anything… it still mattered.