Victor's smile grew wider as he gestured to the door, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "Please, come in," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The door swung open, and Dr. Sophia and Dr. Maria walked in, unrestrained, their faces calm and collected. They didn't seem to notice the tension in the air or the fact that I was being held captive.
My mind reeled as I watched them enter, my thoughts racing with questions. What were they doing here? Why were they walking in freely, while I was being held prisoner? And then, Victor's words hit me like a ton of bricks.
"You see, my dear," Victor began, "Dr. Sophia and Dr. Maria aren't just any ordinary doctors. They're my employees." The implications sank in, and I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. How could this be? My trusted allies, the ones who had brought me back to life, were working for Victor?
"What do you mean?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. Victor chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"They've been working for me all along," he said. "I sent them to bring you back to life." Dr. Sophia's eyes dropped, her voice barely above a whisper.
"We had no choice," she said. "Victor knew where you were buried. He was the only one who knew." I felt a wave of shock wash over me.
"You buried me?" I accused, my voice rising. Victor nodded, his expression calm.
"I hid your body from those who sought you dead or alive," he said. "You were too valuable to fall into the wrong hands." Dr. Maria spoke up, her voice firm.
"We did what we had to do to keep you safe," she said. But I wasn't buying it.
"Safe?" I spat, my anger boiling over. "You used me. You manipulated me." Dr. Sophia's eyes filled with tears.
"We were trying to protect you," she said. But I knew better.
"You used me for Victor's gain," I accused. Victor's smile grew wider.
"Because you're my queen," he said. "You're the famous Mother of the Night, and I'm the one who gave you that name." The revelation hit me like a tidal wave.
"You?" I whispered, my mind reeling. Victor nodded.
"I created the legend around you, the myth of the Mother of the Night," he said. "You were always meant to be mine." I couldn't believe it. The two people I trusted most in the world had been working for Victor all along.
"How could you?" I spat, my anger and betrayal boiling over. Dr. Sophia and Dr. Maria exchanged a guilty glance.
"We were caught between a rock and a hard place," Dr. Sophia said. "Victor had the resources and knowledge to bring you back. We had no choice but to cooperate."
Cooperate? They had betrayed me.
"You owed me loyalty," I said, my voice cracking with emotion. Victor's smile grew wider.
"Loyalty is a luxury you can't afford," he said. "Not in our world." His words stung, but I knew he was right.
In our world, survival was key. And Victor had just proven he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
"You're mine," Victor repeated, his eyes burning with intensity. The words echoed through my mind, a haunting reminder of my predicament.
No, I thought, defiance burning within me. I will never be yours.
Victor's eyes gleamed with a mixture of triumph and nostalgia as he called out, "Emily, come in." The door swung open, and my daughter walked in, her presence stirring a whirlwind of emotions within me. Her elegant strides commanded attention, and her poised demeanor betrayed no hint of nervousness. Yet, I sensed a depth of feeling beneath her tranquil surface, a complexity that only comes with experiencing the weight of a century.
She looked different, yet eerily familiar. Her features had matured, and her once-youthful face now radiated a quiet confidence. Her eyes, however, still sparkled with the same innocence and curiosity that I remembered. Time seemed to have refined her beauty, sharpening the angles and softening the curves.
"Mother," Emily said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her gaze locked onto mine, and I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. The whispered word hung in the air, heavy with emotion. In that instant, the decades of separation melted away, leaving only the ache of longing.
Victor began speaking, his voice dripping with calculated emotion. "After I killed you, I knew you would want our daughter to have a normal life," he said, his words cutting deep into my soul. But I remained frozen, my eyes fixed on Emily, drinking in every detail of her face.
"I experimented on her, using her DNA to create the serum that would allow vampires to walk under the sun," Victor continued, his voice devoid of remorse. "But I made sure Emily lived a normal life for a century, just as you would have wanted." His words hung in the air, a toxic blend of truth and manipulation. I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I realized the extent of his manipulation.
Emily's eyes never left mine, her expression a mixture of sadness and longing. I could sense the turmoil brewing within her, the struggle to reconcile her past and present. Her gaze searched mine, seeking answers to unspoken questions.
"Why?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. The question echoed through the room, a plea for understanding.
"Because I loved you," Victor said, his voice laced with sincerity. "And I knew that's what you would have wanted for our daughter." His words were a cleverly crafted lie, designed to shred my resolve. I knew better than to believe him, yet a part of me wanted to cling to the hope that he spoke the truth.
I felt lost, torn between my love for Emily and my hatred for Victor. Emily took a step closer, her hand reaching out. Her fingers brushed against mine, sending shivers down my spine.
"Mother?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Emily," I replied, my voice cracking. The word was a prayer, a plea for connection.
"I've missed you," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice cracked, and I felt my heart splinter.
I wanted to hold her, to protect her from the monster that stood beside us. But Victor's grip on my restraints tightened, a cruel reminder of my captivity.
"Don't," he warned, his voice low and menacing.
Emily's gaze flicked to Victor, a flash of anger burning within her eyes. But she said nothing, her silence a testament to the control he held over her.
"You're one of us now," Victor said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "A creature of the night, just like your mother." His words echoed through my mind, a haunting reminder of the life Emily would now lead.
A life forever bound to the shadows.
A life forever tied to Victor's whims.
I knew then that I had to escape, to save Emily from Victor's grasp. But as I looked into her eyes, I saw something that gave me pause.
A spark of determination.
A spark of defiance.
Perhaps, just perhaps, Emily wasn't as trapped as I thought.