"Since you don't want to answer me with legitimate answers, then riddle me this, Bill.

Who is Alina?" I asked.

Dead silence filled the room.

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Helios's Point Of View

I stared at Jack and Jack stared at me in utter silence as Aisha was in her father's office. Suddenly, I heard a noise.

Almost as if metal was clashing together, then it was followed by a loud thump.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest and my vision changed. I was no longer looking at Jack, nor was I looking at the area around Bill's office.

No, I was actually looking at a hallway that I have not seen before.

My mind averted to the many of paintings that hung in the hallway, then there was something, some voice or some energy that was pulling me to look at the door in the hallway.

There was a chain and a lock securing the chain on the door.

It was connected to a hook on the door and a hook on the wall.

Suddenly, the paintings started shaking. My gaze shifted to the door, and in an instant, the lock and chain on the door instantly broke in two.

There was a loud bang as the lock and chain hit the ground.

Then finally, my focus came back to me as I just stared at Jack.

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Aisha's Point Of View

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?!" Bill roared.

"It doesn't matter what I know about this, what matters is what do you know about this?

Now answer the question, father.

Who is Alina?" I asked.

"THAT DAMN WOMAN! SHE NEVER STOPS! I TOLD HER NOT TO DRAG YOU INTO THIS! HOW DO EVEN YOU KNOW ANYTHING?!

STOP! STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! GET OUT! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE, NOW!" He yelled.

"Davidson!" He once again yelled. At that time I heard footsteps come through the hallway and a figure stood in the doorway, it was Davidson.

"Davidson, get the carriage ready, I am going to see Estridsen, get it out of my office and escort the young miss to her room, immediately." He gritted.

"I will right away, sir. Miss, please come with me." Davidson stated.

"Please, don't make this hard for me." Davidson whispered.

And with that, I nodded my head and followed. Davidson was a kind, older man, so I didn't want to fight him or stress him out.

Silence filled the atmosphere as I walked down the stairs.

"Miss.... I don't know how you know anything but, you need to stop. Leave the past in the past." Davidson sighed.

We continued our way up the stairs until Davidson stopped.

"I am sure that you can find your way to your room, miss?" Davidson smiled.

"Yes Davidson, I can." I whispered as I unconsciously fisted my gown.

"I am going to move something out of Master's office and then I am going outside to help Nina.

We have to clean up the yard a bit from the snow, spring is almost here. Just come outside and call for one of us if you need anything." Davidson sighed.

"Okay." I replied.

And with that, Davidson made his way down the stairs and out of the front door.

"I guess that you failed at whatever your plan was?" Jack asked.

"No, Jack. I actually did the opposite, I succeeded with my plan." I replied.

"How do you figure? You got escorted down the stairs, I believe that you failed.." He smirked.

"See Jackson, that is where you are wrong. I did not fail.

"Why", may you ask?

Because I got my father mad enough that he left.

Davidson and Nina are both going to be outside rearranging the garden.

You do know what that means right, Jack?" I asked.

He huffed. "No, Aisha. I do not know what that means, why don't you enlighten me."

He replied.

"That means the West Wing is empty, and no one is in the house to stop us from looking around it." I smirked.

"Aisha, look. Why don't you just stop?

I mean, what if you do all of this digging and find out that it was all just nothing?" Jack asked.

"First of all, Jackson, I am not going to stop. Second of all, were you not the one who said, and I quote,

'Aisha, I know you can't do it. But we can do it.

We can solve this together and I'll be here every step of the way to help you.

Whether it all be for nothing,

Whether it all be a lie,

We can do this together.

We rise together, we fall together.

We succeed together, we fail together.

I am here for you.'

Do you not remember that, Jackson?" I asked.

"You have such a good memory but such a blank mind, don't you?" Jack huffed.

"Yes, you're right, I do have a good memory, but you're also wrong because I don't have a blank mind.

And also, didn't you also say to Helios that you made a promise to my mom?

A promise to be here for me?" I asked.

"Yes, Aisha.

I did make a promise to Ashley that I would be here for you." Jack sighed.

"Then do it, Jackson!

Be here for me!

Support me! Believe in me and believe me!" I cried.

"But I also made a promise to Mrs. Savelli that I would be here to protect you." Jack replied.

"Protect me from what, Jack?

Protect me from the truth?

If that was the case then why would she address me in her diary?!" I questioned.

"AISHA! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOU FROM BUT I'M DOING MY HARDEST TO PROTECT YOU FROM EVERYTHING!" Jack yelled.

"LIKE WHAT, JACKSON?!

TELL ME WHAT EXACTLY THAT IT IS THAT YOU ARE YOU TRYING TO PROTECT ME FROM?!" I screamed.

"THIS HOUSE! YOUR FATHER! EVERYTHING!

AISHA, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING YOU FROM BUT I AM TRYING MY HARDEST TO PROTECT YOU FROM EVERYTHING! AND IF THAT MAKES ME A BAD GUY, THEN I MIGHT AS WELL JUST CHANGE MY NAME!" Jack seethed.

"Then don't protect me, Jack.

Just stop." I sighed.

"Okay.... Let's go ahead and continue our little journey, shall we?" Helios asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Okay." I replied.

And we once again made our way up the stairs.

We continued walking and we stopped in front of my father's office.

"What are you doing, Aisha?" Jack asked.

"I want to see if there is any clues in his office that can help us." I replied.

I opened the door and took a couple steps forward and found something unexpected,

the dress, it was gone.

"What? How is this possible? The dress... It's gone!" I whispered.

"Use your brain, Aisha. Maybe he moved it." Jack replied.

"You're probably right.... I don't think that anything is going to be in here and we are running out of time, let's just go look in the West Wing." I replied.

"Okay, then let's go." Jack sighed.

I pedaled backwards and quickly turned around.

I made my way back over to the door and opened it.

I walked out as Helios and Jack followed, I turned around on my heels and slowly closed the door.

I slowly moved towards the rose scattered door, my legs felt heavy and I felt uneasy as I took many dreaded steps towards the scattered rose door.

I finally made it to the door after it felt like I dreadely walked for ages and I stopped.

"Helios, do you have the key from the bedroom?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am, I do." He smiled.

"Let me see it, please." I sighed.

"Yes, ma'am" He beamed and handed me the key. I placed my lamp down on the ground.

I pushed the key into the keyhole, I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

I turned the key and I heard the sound that I was hoping for, the sound of a click.

I removed the key from the keyhole and placed my hand on the ring on the door.

I felt someone grab my hand and I turned my head over, it was Jack.

"Aisha, are you really sure that you want to do this?

Are you sure that you want to go into the west wing?

You do realize that whatever we see in here can alter the way we see things.

Heck, at this point, what if you get traumatized by whatever could be in there. So far we have discovered that that wedding dress has randomly disappeared out of your dad's office, just imagine what else could be up there." Jack sighed.

"Jack, I have already come this far, I can't stop now." I paused to control my breathing,

"I need to find out the truth of everything so both Alina and my mom can rest easily.

Soon I also need to learn more about my mother, I know almost little to nothing about her and it seems to be almost impossible to find any information on her background." I sighed.

"Okay, it's whatever you want to do, Aisha." He sighed.

I know that once I open this door, many secrets of the past will be waiting to be unveiled, some already unveiling themselves.

I may get traumatized, the way that I perceive the world could change, nothing may even change at all.

But at this point, I am ready.

I am ready to discover and unleash the potential secrets hidden within Savelli Manor.

I firmly grasped the ring on the door, and slowly I pulled it open.

I grabbed the ring handle, letting out my breath. At that point I realized, once again, that there was no going back.

I slowly pushed open the door.

The door made a creaking noise as it opened. I picked up my lamp and started walking into the darkness ahead of me.

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I thought that I felt extreme pain in the hallway of the West Wing, but the pain that I was feeling then was nothing compared to what I was feeling now.

I didn't feel hate, all I felt was complete and utter sadness.

I felt my stomach twist, and I had a pain in my chest, it felt like someone, poetically, took my heart and smashed it into millions of pieces.

There was a small hallway to go left and a small hallway to go right.

But, something was calling me to go right, so I turned right and started walking.

There were two doors, one to my right and one to my left. But something was calling me to the door on the left.

I stood hesitantly at the threshold of the door, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and curiosity. The room before me was a place of darkness and mystery, this room could hold the secrets to the past, it could be haunted by the spirit of my late mother.

I couldn't resist the pull to explore, to unravel the secrets that lay hidden within its walls.

With trembling hands, I pushed open the creaking door and stepped into the chilling embrace of the abandoned room.

There were many papers scattered on the ground with writing along with empty medication bottles.

In the corner of the room, a cracked mirror hung on the wall, its glass warped and distorted. I walked closer to it until I was standing right in front of it.

I stared into it, seeing my own reflection but also imagining the reflection of my mother, a faint echo of her spirit, and yet again, the same woman reflected back at me, the same long silver hair, the same snow white skin, and the same mysterious ocean blue eyes that reflected back at me.

The same face that haunts my dreams.

I wondered what she would say if she could see me now, venturing into this haunted room.

Would she caution me to turn back, to leave the past buried?

Or would she understand my need for closure, my thirst for answers?

As I continued to explore, a draft of cold air brushed against my cheek, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

The room seemed to come alive with whispers and sighs, as if the walls themselves held secrets, waiting to be unveiled.

Shadows danced along the walls, their ethereal forms a reminder of the darkness that had enveloped this space.

There was paint upon the walls that time had taken a toll on as the paint was unraveling and crumbling.

I walked closer, curiosity getting the best of me and I started to peel the wallpaper. Beneath the wallpaper, there was a phrase written, over and over again,

"My baby, give me back my baby!"

My heart started to ache.

I felt a lump swell up in my throat, as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

But amidst the eerie atmosphere, I felt a surge of determination.

I had to confront the truth, to understand what had truly happened to my mother. This room held the answers, no matter how painful they might be.

I would not let fear deter me.

With each step, I moved deeper into the heart of the room, my senses heightened, attuned to every creak and groan.

The weight of history bore down on me, and yet, I pressed forward.

The past may have cast a haunting shadow, but I would not be defined by it.

There was a piece of paper on the ground along with a key so I carefully picked both of them up, I started to read the writing on the paper, the contents wrote;

"Estridsen, Ashley's actions are getting out of control.

She hasn't been getting any sleep lately.

There are some nights where she goes into the nursery and she just stands there.

I've never seen her like this and now, I don't know what to do.

And now she has started to scream

"My baby, give me back my baby!" continuously.

How could I possibly ever give her something that isn't even here?

Please, quickly come up with a solution.

I don't know how much more of this that she or I can take."

- Bill

My eyes left the paper as I looked around, a shiver ran down my spine, for there, hanging ominously on a decaying hook, was that same wedding dress stained with blood. The sight sent a wave of unease through me, my mind conjuring dark and haunting images.

Why was this dress here? What tragic tale may lay behind its macabre (terrifying) presence?

Compelled by a mix of trepidation (dread/fear) and a desire for answers, I approached the dress cautiously.

For some odd reason I decided to touch the dress. The fabric felt cold and damp beneath my fingertips, carrying an eerie energy that seemed to seep into my very soul.

As I gazed at the bloodstains, a whirlwind of emotions overtook me, and suddenly, my surroundings shifted, and I found myself seeing through my mother's eyes,

simply using my mother's body as a vessel.

In the vision, I was transported to a different time, but not a different place.

I stood before this very room, adorned in a white wedding dress.

Love radiated in my heart, and anticipation danced in my eyes.

But as the vision unfolded, darkness clouded the once joyous occasion.

I didn't want to see this, I didn't think that I can handle the truth. In what felt to be in another world, I heard a voice talking to me, that just kept repeating,

"Don't open your eyes, Aisha." The voice of which I recognized as Helios's whispered.

I watched, a silent observer, as my mother's heart was shattered by betrayal. The vision revealed a lover's betrayal,

a deep wound that gnawed at her soul. Consumed by grief and anguish, my mother's once vibrant spirit turned to despair.

"GIVE ME BACK MY BABY, BILL!

OR I WILL END IT ALL!

I ASK YOU TO DO ONE SIMPLE THING, BUT YET, YOU WON'T DO IT!" Ashley screamed, her hands were tightly wrapped around a dagger.

"ASHLEY STOP! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO KILL YOURSELF?! WHAT ABOUT AISHA?!" Bill yelled.

"I have Aisha! I need Alina! Give her back!" Ashley cried.

"Ashley, you're being reckless. just put the knife down, let's take your medication and we'll talk about this." Bill sighed.

"You always say that and then you leave! Only he is here for me!" She cried.

"Stop mentioning him!

Listen to me and put the knife down, now! Ashley!" Bill yelled.

"In the end, she will avenge me, Bill.

She will avenge me!" Ashley let out a psychotic laugh.

In a haze of pain and desperation, my mother grasped the dagger, its glint reflecting her anguish-stricken face.

My father's hands quickly wrapped around the dagger, almost as if to pull it away.

And in a heart-wrenching moment, in front of my father, my mother plunged the dagger into her own heart, right through the white rose, the pain and sorrow finally completely consuming her.

I gasped, the vision abruptly faded, leaving me breathless and overwhelmed. The weight of the truth settled upon my shoulders, a heavy burden to bear.

This haunted room had offered me a glimpse into my mother's final moments, a tragic tale of love turned to despair.

I felt her pain, her desperation, as if it were my own.

Tears swelled up in my eyes, and amidst the sorrow, a sense of compassion emerged. I understood, in that heart-wrenching moment, that my mother's choice was born out of immense anguish and a feeling of hopelessness.

It was a desperate act, a tragic culmination of something.

Could it have been of a love betrayed?

In the quiet stillness of the room, I whispered words of love and forgiveness, releasing the weight of blame that had lingered within my heart for so long.

The vision had granted me a glimpse into my mother's perspective, allowing me to empathize with her pain, to acknowledge the depths of her suffering.

As the vision was completely over, I carried with me a profound sense of compassion and understanding.

The bloody wedding dress, a symbol of love and loss, serving as a haunting reminder of the intricacies of the human heart.

And in my mother's ghostly presence, I found solace, knowing that her spirit was hopefully finally at peace.

I let out a great gasped and turned around. And within that moment, I felt warmth around me as Helios threw his arms around me and pulled me into his embrace.

"Helios! He- he killed her! Oh my God! He killed my mom! My father killed my mother!" I cried

"I know Aisha, I saw everything." Helios sighed.

I felt our hug get separated as we got pulled away from each other.

"You!" Jack hissed as he pushed Helios.

"What did you just do to Aisha?!" Jack asked.

"Jack, calm down, man.

I just helped her take a look into the past.

She knew what she was walking into whenever I let her take a glimpse into the past." Helios sighed.

In that abandoned, haunted room, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and healing. As I sifted through remnants of a broken past, I pieced together the fragments of my mother's life and found solace in the knowledge that her spirit would always live on within me.

It was there, in that room of ghosts and memories, that I began to heal, to partially let go, and to embrace the future that lays ahead.

A/N:

Anyways, this chapter was so hard to write, like I legit cried proofreading it.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far, this is just the beginning of the many of secrets to be revealed......

Chapter 16 - Through Her Eyes

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