Anna's POV
"Why did the devil use you to ruin my life?"
I whispered it at first, staring blankly at the girl in the mirror. Was she even real? I didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't feel like a woman, I didn't look like one. I felt like a ghost of someone else's mistake.
I staggered back and collapsed onto my bed. My limbs felt like they didn't belong to me. My thoughts spun into darkness, all circling one face—my mother.
"Why should I stay here? How do I face the world with this truth? How do I survive with a heart this shattered?"
"This is all your fault!" I screamed until my voice cracked. The sound of my own sobs bounced off the walls, unanswered. No one could understand this kind of pain. Not the ache in my head, nor the war inside my chest. I pressed my hands over my ears, as if I could block out the truth. But it was louder than anything else.
Tears leaked out and soaked my pillow. I cried myself into sleep, the only escape I had left.
---
Amber – Sitting Room
Amber sat on the cold floor, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if she could hold the pieces of her guilt together. It had been three hours since Anna locked herself in her room, yet it felt like mere seconds. Her child's silence was deafening.
Jason stood nearby, helpless, watching the woman he once loved dissolve in front of him. Every minute, his hand went up to his forehead like a habit. His eyes flickered to the staircase, praying Anna would descend.
"You should've let her live," Jason finally said, voice hoarse. "As a girl. As herself. God, I wonder if she even feels human now."
"My baby... my poor baby..." Amber sobbed. "I thought I was saving her... but I see now, I was saving myself."
Jason looked at her—broken, angry, but still tethered by a thread of love. "Amber..." he sighed. "I still miss you. Even when I see a demon in your eyes... I still love you."
Amber's eyes snapped up, bitter. "Then why did you ruin me?"
"You ruined yourself," Jason said, voice low. "I should've come back for her... but I had a life. I didn't tell my wife about you—or Anna."
"You had another family?"
"You thought I'd stay alone for 19 years?" he said. Amber lowered her head, ashamed.
"I made life hell," she whispered. "I don't deserve forgiveness."
Jason knelt beside her. "You were a good mother... in the ways you thought mattered."
He reached out. She hesitated, then took his hand, trembling.
"Can you forgive me?" she asked.
"Only if you promise to never again be the devil's shield," Jason said coldly. "But I'm still angry. What were you thinking, turning a little girl into someone she couldn't recognize?"
---
Anna's POV
I folded my clothes slowly. My hands shook, but my decision was clear—I couldn't stay. The air in that house was toxic. I needed space. I needed air. I needed myself.
On my 20th birthday, I should be celebrating. Instead, I was packing to escape.
"God, help me… I'm such a mess," I muttered, then laughed bitterly. "But what am I saying? God watched while my mother ruined me. And I'm here begging Him for mercy?"
I stared at the mirror again.
"You. Mom. The man who calls himself my father—you all killed me. Maybe God's just a myth, like everything else I was taught to believe in."
I hated the reflection staring back. It made my skin crawl. I turned away quickly, tears burning down my cheeks.
I blasted music. Not to dance to—but to drown out everything else. I opened my window, threw my bag down gently. I reached for my keys—my freedom—from the small shelf by the mirror.
I turned the music off.
One last look at my reflection.
"Goodbye, Mom."
I climbed out, landed softly, loaded my bag into the trunk. I opened the gate quietly, then ran back, my heart pounding so loud it drowned the world. I slid into my car, looked around, and drove away like my life depended on it—because it did.
---
Jason's POV
I opened my eyes and saw Amber sleeping, her tears dried but the sorrow still clinging to her skin. I was relieved I'd calmed her down.
We'd talk to Anna in the morning. Things could change.
I looked at Amber again—age had touched her, but something about her still pulled at me. "She really is a devil," I murmured. Then I shut my eyes.
---
Morning – Amber's POV
The bathroom mirror didn't forgive. I stared at myself and spoke the truth aloud: "Her name is Anna. She is a woman. And I... I failed her."
I wiped my tears, walked back to the room.
Jason slept like nothing had happened.
I pulled the curtains open to let in the sun—and froze.
"The gate… is open. Where's Anna's car?!"
My scream cut through the morning like a blade. Jason jumped to his feet.
"What is it?!"
"She's gone! Her car! It's not outside!"
I bolted down the stairs, phone in hand. "Anna?! Anna!" Her room was empty. Her closet half-full. I collapsed.
"No… no, no!"
"Maybe she's with her friends," Jason offered, entering slowly.
"She has one friend!" I wailed. "And she's not with him!"
I fell to the floor, my vision blurred by tears. "Anna… please come back. I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry."
Jason knelt beside me. "Amber, please—"
"Don't 'please' me! You said to let her rest… now she's gone!"
"Call her."
I dialed her number. No connection. I called James.
"Has Andy contacted you?"
"Just a text. Said 'I'll miss you buddy.' I replied, but… he never responded."
"Oh my God…"
"Is something wrong?"
I hung up.
"She's gone, Jason. Really gone. She's cut me off. She left… like I left you. And now… I know what it feels like."
Jason didn't speak. He just pulled me close while I shattered all over again.
---