Ch. Blood 38 Blood 38

Silk sheets and a warm duvet. That was the first thing I felt when I woke up. The scent of lavender drifting from somewhere nearby. For a second, I wondered if I’d died. But then the pain reminded me I was still alive. 

My hand… bandaged. My abdomen… sore. My ribs ached with every breath, and my head throbbed beneath a thick layer of gauze. My body felt like it had been rebuilt with shattered bones. 

I tried to sit up, but the motion sent a sharp jolt through my stomach. 

“Sophia.” 

The voice was familiar. Male. Older. 

I turned slowly, and there he was–a man in his late sixties, maybe early seventies. Tall. Broad–shouldered. He had silver hair slicked back neatly, a face full of deep lines, and eyes that shimmered with emotion. 

He was crying. 

He stepped forward and fell to his knees beside my bed, grabbing my hand gently in his. 

“My sweet girl… what they did to you… If only we had found you sooner.” 

I stared at him in confusion. His features were unfamiliar… but his eyes… there was something hauntingly familiar in them. 

Then it hit me. Like a sudden gust of memory- 

Six months ago. 

I had been walking home from a cheap pharmacy, holding Ariella’s medicine, when I’d seen a man collapse on the side of the road. 

Everyone passed him by like he was invisible. But I stopped. I ran to him. I called for help. I waited by his side. 

even 

He’d stared at my face with strange wonder, while bleeding. 

“You… that mark on your cheek,” he said hoarsely. “Only my bloodline has it.” I thought he was delirious. 

7:14 Tue, Sep 9 

But he insisted. He demanded a test. Told his men to track me down. 

And days later, a man in a suit came to my door with DNA papers. 

He was my grandfather. 

I blinked at him. “You’re… real?” 

He nodded with tears streaming down his face. “Yes, Sophia. I’m real. And I swear to you… you’re never going back to those monsters.” 

He turned toward the door and motioned to someone. 

The man who entered looked to be in his forties. Tall, with the same eyes. 

Only he carried years of guilt and regret. 

He looked at me like he was seeing a ghost. 

“Sophia…” His voice cracked. “You look just like her. Just like your mother.” 

I didn’t know what to say. 

He stepped forward, slowly, cautiously. “I didn’t know I had a daughter. I didn’t know you existed.” 

The way his voice broke… it didn’t just sound sad. It sounded like guilt wrapped in years of silence. 

“How did you know my mother? She died giving birth to me,” I frowned. 

He nodded, “Yes. Once I was in trouble and your mother saved me. We had relations but I had to leave for work. When I returned I couldn’t find her, I didn’t know she had been pregnant or that she died giving birth to you.” “Can you ever forgive me?” he whispered. 

I looked between them. The grandfather who wept like a man who’d lost everything. The father who spoke like he’d finally found redemption. 

“I don’t need apologies,” I whispered. “I just need help.” 

They nodded, their faces hardened. 

“I want to destroy them,” I said. “Lorenzo. Renata. Everyone who helped them.” 

My father nodded once. “You will. But first, you must heal.” 

My grandfather pressed my hand. “You are safe now. You are home.” 

2214 Tue, Sep y♣…. 

OD 

Later that night, I was taken on a slow tour of the castle. And that’s what it was–a castle. 

It had high vaulted ceilings, antique chandeliers, dark walnut floors. The windows were tall enough to swallow sunlight, the halls quiet with power. Every inch whispered money… old, ancient money. 

“This was always meant to be yours,” one of the housekeepers told me softly as she helped me walk. 

My bedroom looked like something out of a royal novel–soft lighting, silk curtains, a balcony overlooking a sprawling garden. A canopy bed. A marble tub. 

I felt like I didn’t belong here. 

Not after where I’d come from. Not with blood still crusted under my nails. 

Still, I sank into the mattress and let myself breathe. 

After the tour my father came to my bedroom. His eyes were still filled with sadness as he stared at me. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked me. 

I shrugged, “At least I’m not in Lorenzo’s house anymore.” 

My father’s face hardened, “You’ll never go back there, Princess. I swear on my life.” 

My eyes were filled with tears. It felt good to finally be with my family. 

“Thank you so much.” 

My father shook his head, “No, Princess, this is something we should have done a long time ago. You deserve everything.” 

Suddenly, I remembered I had seen a figure rescue me from the explosion. 

“Someone saved me, who is that?” I asked. 

My father smiled, “One of our trusted allies. You’ll meet him soon.” 

My father stood up and kissed my forehead as he turned off the lights. 

“Try to rest, Princess, there’s a lot of time to do what you want.” 

Then before he closed the door he added, “Sophia Moretti died in that ballroom. The world thinks she burned with the rest. From now on, you’re 

Chapter B – Sophia Moretti 

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14 

After the tour my father came to my bedroom. His eyes were still filled with sadness as he stared at me. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked me. 

I shrugged, “At least I’m not in Lorenzo’s house anymore.” 

My father’s face hardened, “You’ll never go back there, Princess. I swear on my life.” 

My eyes were filled with tears. It felt good to finally be with my family. 

“Thank you so much.” 

My father shook his head, “No, Princess, this is something we should have done a long time ago. You deserve everything.” 

Suddenly, I remembered I had seen a figure rescue me from the explosion. “Someone saved me, who is that?” I asked. 

My father smiled, “One of our trusted allies. You’ll meet him soon.” 

My father stood up and kissed my forehead as he turned off the lights. “Try to rest, Princess, there’s a lot of time to do what you want.” 

Then before he closed the door he added, “Sophia Moretti died in that ballroom. The world thinks she burned with the rest. From now on, you’re 

Sophia Calderon–and Calderons don’t kneel. We burn back.”