01 What Happened Here

Camila

The noise was so loud that it hurt my ears. My head was pounding, and I felt like it was going to explode. I tried to move but found myself stuck on a strange bed. I could hear someone shouting at me, but my eyes refused to open. I felt lost and confused.

Finally, my eyes fluttered open, and I saw Ronan standing over me, yelling. He looked really angry. As I tried to calm down, his words started to make sense.

"What are you doing in my bed, Camila? Why are you here?" he shouted, his voice filled with pain, not just curiosity. 

I turned away from him, trying to avoid his intense gaze to clear the fog in my brain. That’s when I realised I was naked, covered only by the sheets of his bed. 

My heart raced as the reality of what might have happened hit me. I quickly scrambled to get out of his bed, falling to the floor in my haste. 

As I looked around the room, I saw the full extent of my mess.

Ronan's fiancée, Leah Semenov, and her sister, Mira, were both in the room. 

Leah was crying, tears streaming down her face. Mira looked furious, her eyes burning with anger as she stared at me. What had I done to find myself in this situation?

Desperately, I reached for my clothes scattered on the floor, but before I could put them on, Mira lunged at me.

"How could you do this to my sister? Today was their wedding day," she screamed, grabbing my hair. In those terrifying moments, all I could think about was my mother. What had I done? How was I going to get out of this mess?

My mother and I were slaves. Prisoners of war from Balveria. I was never born free.

Our country was conquered in a fierce battle, and our people were taken away as slaves. 

My mother was pregnant with me when it all happened. My father was a soldier who died fighting for our country.

Our captors brought us to their country, Jorvik. They didn’t know what to do with a pregnant woman, so they left her to wander the streets alone, still carrying me in her womb. 

Nobody showed any kindness to prisoners of war, especially not in the land of those who had conquered us. Our government had committed terrible crimes, and destroying us seemed to be the punishment for that.

As my mother wandered the streets, she eventually fainted right in front of the gate of the Morozov family’s Estate. General Sergey Morozov saw her and felt sorry for her. 

He decided to give her a job as a maid in his household. This small act of kindness was a relief in the middle of our chaos and suffering.

My mother worked hard and faithfully served the Morozov family. When I was old enough, I started working there too. I worked diligently, just like my mother, until this morning.

I tried to remember what happened between Ronan and me, but I just couldn't. My head hurt so much. 

Ronan was the eldest son of the Morozovs.

Last night was his bachelor's party, and today was supposed to be his wedding day. What had I done? 

I couldn't remember anything. I knew I had served him and his friends when they returned home from the party, bringing them drinks and food. But how did I end up in his bed? I had no idea. My mind was blank, and I couldn't recall a single detail. 

The pain in my head made it even harder to think. I felt confused and scared. What was going to happen now? 

Why couldn't I remember anything? It was like a dark cloud had covered my memory, leaving me with nothing but questions and fear.

Mira began to drag me out of the room. I looked back at Ronan's face, which was twisted in anger and confusion. 

The hatred in his eyes showed that he blamed me for what happened. How could he think this was my fault? I had no idea what had happened.

"I don't know what happened," I cried out to him, tears streaming down my face. He turned to Leah, who shoved him away angrily.

"I hate you, Ronan! How could you do this to me!" she yelled, her voice filled with pain and betrayal.

"See what you've caused," Mira said, yanking my hair in her fist. I dared not fight back because I knew resisting would mean instant death.

My heart was breaking. I knew how much Ronan loved Leah. He cherished her deeply. How did things get so bad? How did we end up here? I was filled with sorrow and confusion, unable to understand what had led to this terrible moment.

While Mira dragged me out of Ronan's room, I heard a voice that filled me with dread. It was Melania Morozov, the Madam of the house and Ronan's mother. My heart began to pound in my chest, each beat louder than the last.

"We caught this tramp in Ronan's bed," Mira said, her voice sharp and accusing.

Madam Melania gasped and then slapped me hard across the face. 

"He is getting married today. How could you do this?" she demanded. I had no words, no memory of what had happened, no way to explain myself.

"Glenda!!!" she shouted, calling for my mother. My heart broke hearing her name. The situation was spiralling out of control.

"Sergey must hear this," Madam Melania said, her voice dripping with disappointment and anger. I could hear the fury and sadness in her tone. 

Just then, I saw Ronan pleading with Leah, who was furious. Leah was walking fast, her steps quick and determined, while Ronan trailed behind her, trying to catch up. 

He was only in his boxers, a sight that added to the chaos of the situation. Ronan was desperately trying to fix things, trying to save his relationship with Leah. 

"Please, Leah, listen to me!" he begged, his voice filled with desperation. 

But Leah wouldn't listen. She was too angry, too hurt. She kept walking, not even turning around to look at him. Ronan's words seemed to bounce off her, unable to reach her through her anger.

Leah's face was set in a hard expression, her eyes blazing with fury. She didn't want to hear anything Ronan had to say. The pain and betrayal she felt were too strong. 

Ronan kept pleading, his voice growing more desperate with each step Leah took away from him, but she was having none of it. She was leaving.

My heart raced even faster, realising how quickly everything was falling apart. I wasn't even given a moment to catch my breath or make sense of what was happening.