The Memory Keeper: The Sin In Our Name

Rain's POV

The soft glow of the morning sun peeked through the curtains as I slowly stirred awake. Khai was still asleep beside me, her breathing steady but fragile. I gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

"Babe," I whispered softly, not wanting to wake her. "I need to go to the apartment first. I have to submit the quarterly report. I'll just grab my stuff and I'll be back, okay?"

She didn't respond, only shifted slightly in her sleep. I smiled faintly and carefully got out of bed.

Turning toward Jessica, who was casually scrolling on her phone in the living room, I called out, "Jess, watch her for me, please?"

Jessica glanced up and gave me a reassuring nod. "Of course. Go ahead, Rain. I've got her."

Grabbing my coat, I stepped out of the penthouse, letting the door softly click shut behind me.

The drive to my apartment was quiet, unusually so. The streets felt empty, the kind of silence that makes your skin prickle. Maybe it was just the lingering anxiety about Khai's condition-or maybe it was something else.

When I reached my building, an unsettling chill ran down my spine. The hallways felt too still, too quiet.

It's nothing, I told myself, shaking off the strange feeling. I'm just tired.

I unlocked my door and stepped inside.

The moment I entered, the air felt... heavy. Oppressive.

My eyes scanned the apartment, searching for anything out of place, but everything looked normal. Yet the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Stop it, Rain. You're overthinking.

I moved toward my bedroom, determined to grab the files and leave as quickly as possible. But as soon as I stepped into the room-

A sharp, chemical scent hit me.

Before I could react, a cloth clamped over my nose and mouth. The pungent, bitter smell filled my lungs.

I struggled, thrashing against the iron grip that held me, but my limbs were already growing weak. My vision blurred.

The last thing I saw was a dark figure looming over me.

And then-

Nothing.

***

A slow, dull throbbing pulsed in my head as consciousness crept back in. My body felt heavy, like it was weighed down by cement.

Then, through the fog, I heard it.

A voice.

Soft at first, like a distant echo.

"Oh, love... your princess is awake. Look at her."

That voice.

Lia Tanaka.

My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the harsh, flickering light above me. The air was cold, damp. Concrete walls surrounded me, and a metallic scent hung in the air. I tried to move, but my wrists were bound tightly to the arms of the chair I was slumped in. My ankles, too-secured.

Panic started to rise in my chest.

Where am I?

The clicking of heels echoed in the empty space, slow and deliberate.

"Finally awake, sweetheart?" Lia's voice was smooth, almost playful. She stepped into my blurred line of sight, dressed immaculately, a smirk dancing on her lips.