The rain still hadn't stopped that night.

In a grand, old-fashioned bedroom with tall glass windows, Kenan sat on the floor, trembling, his breath shallow and uneven.

His shirt was soaked-not only from the storm that had drenched him earlier, but also from the cold sweat pouring down his temples. His eyes were red, swollen from tears.

He stared blankly at the marble floor, his lips trembling.

> "Alysa..." his voice was hoarse.

"You can't really hate me..."

His body shuddered violently. A strange pain spread from his chest to every corner of his body-like thousands of needles stabbing from the inside out.

He clutched his chest, coughing hard. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his lips.

The door burst open. A woman with elegant black hair hurried in-Madam Liora, his mother. The sternness she usually carried had vanished; her face was pale with fear.

> "Kenan!" she cried, running to him.

"Oh God, not again... not now!"

She wrapped her arms around him, guiding him onto the bed.

> "Quickly! Call Doctor Ardan!" she shouted to a servant standing at the doorway.

"Now!"

The servant dashed out. Liora held Kenan's face, her hands trembling.

> "Hold on, my son. The doctor's on his way."

Kenan's eyes fluttered shut. His breathing came in shallow gasps, his skin turning ashen.

> "Mother... I just... want to sleep."

> "No, sweetheart. Don't sleep yet," Liora whispered, gently tapping his cheek.

"Look at me, Kenan. Please, look at me."

But his body kept weakening. Liora's tears fell as she tried to steady her hands.

Moments later, a man in a white coat entered with a medical case.

> "Madam Liora, I came as fast as I could," said Doctor Ardan.

"How is he?"

> "The same as before," Liora replied quickly.

"He's shaking, his breathing is heavy, and his chest hurts."

Doctor Ardan placed a stethoscope on Kenan's chest, checked his pulse, then glanced at the small monitor in his hand. His expression darkened.

> "His energy pressure is dropping rapidly," he said grimly.

"If it falls below the threshold, his entire system could shut down."

> "Do whatever it takes!" Liora pleaded.

"I don't care about the cost-I just want my son alive!"

The doctor exhaled heavily.

> "Madam, you know his condition isn't a normal illness."

Liora's eyes filled with dread.

> "Just say it."

> "The therapy we used before-energy transfer through physical contact with a virgin-remains the only method that can stabilize his energy flow."

The room fell silent. Only the sound of rain echoed against the windows.

Kenan opened his eyes weakly.

> "No... don't do that again," he whispered.

"I don't want to touch anyone."

Liora's eyes glistened.

> "Kenan, it's the only way."

> "No, Mother. I won't. I can't."

He tried to sit up, but his body collapsed back against the pillows.

"I'm not some animal that needs to be healed through something so disgusting..."

Doctor Ardan spoke gently.

> "Young Master, it isn't indecent. The therapy is spiritual-energy from a pure soul can balance the broken core within you."

> "Stop!" Kenan covered his ears.

"Don't say another word!"

Liora shot the doctor a look of apology.

> "Please leave us. I'll talk to him."

Doctor Ardan nodded quietly and left the room, closing the door behind him.

---

Liora sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her son's weakened form.

His hair clung to his damp forehead, his skin pale as ivory, his eyes distant.

> "Kenan," she said softly, "I know you hate that therapy. But I can't lose you again."

Kenan stared blankly at the ceiling, silent.

> "When your father died, I swore I'd protect you with everything I have," Liora's voice trembled.

"So don't ask me to sit here and watch you die."

> "You don't understand," Kenan murmured.

"Every time we do that therapy, I feel less like myself. Like... my soul is being stolen piece by piece."

> "But it keeps you alive, my son."

> "What's the point of living if I don't even know who I am anymore?"

Liora froze. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

She looked at his face with unbearable love and pain.

> "Do you think I don't feel it too? Every night I'm afraid of hearing that your heart stopped beating. Every time I see blood on your lips, my world collapses."

Kenan looked at her-his eyes softened, but the sorrow in them was deep.

> "I just want to live like a normal person, Mother. Not bound to something so shameful."

Liora wiped her tears away.

> "Sweetheart, the world isn't fair. Some are born with power, others with curses. And you... were born with both."

She rose, took a deep breath, and spoke with quiet resolve.

> "I've made my decision. Doctor Ardan will prepare a girl tonight."

Kenan's eyes widened.

> "What?"

> "She'll be here soon. An anonymous virgin. Her face will be covered-you don't need to know who she is. Just enough to stabilize your body."

Kenan shook his head weakly.

> "No, Mother... please..."

> "This isn't a request, Kenan. It's a mother's decision to save her son."

She grasped his hand tightly.

> "You can hate me all you want-but I won't watch you die."

---

Hours passed. The night grew darker.

The rain had stopped, but the chill in the air remained.

Kenan lay still, staring at the ceiling, his body frail. He closed his eyes, trying to calm the storm inside him-but every thought led back to one name.

Alysa.

Her face haunted him. Her voice, her smile-all of it tore deeper into his soul.

> "Why do I still love you," he whispered faintly,

"after all those cruel words? Why are you still in my heart, even when I want to die?"

The door opened quietly.

Liora entered with a woman cloaked in black, her face hidden behind a thin mask. She was slender, her steps hesitant.

> "Here she is," Liora said softly, trying to hide her unease.

"She's... pure, and willing to help."

Kenan's gaze was unfocused, blurred by weakness.

> "I don't want this..." his voice barely audible.

Liora lowered her head, tears falling once more.

> "Forgive me, my son."

She turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Now only two remained in the dim room:

a broken man and a masked girl standing silently at the edge of the bed.

The air between them felt heavy.

The girl's fingers trembled as she lowered her gaze. She looked as if she wanted to run-but her feet wouldn't move.

Kenan watched her weakly, his breath ragged.

> "Who are you...?" he asked faintly.

She didn't answer. She only met his eyes through the mask-and in that brief, fragile gaze was a sadness as deep as his own.

Kenan exhaled, surrendering.

> "Fine... do what you must."

That night, Kenan's grand bedroom became the place where two broken souls touched-without knowing the truth that bound them.

The dim light painted soft shadows across the walls, and the faint sound of rain outside the window became the only witness to the tragedy that was about to unfold.

The door creaked open slowly.

A woman entered, her steps hesitant. Her face was hidden behind a thin black satin mask, covering most of her features and revealing only a pair of trembling eyes that glimmered faintly in the soft light.

Her steps were quiet, almost soundless.

Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would shatter her ribs.

Alysa swallowed hard, her cold, damp fingers clutching each other tightly.

She didn't understand how she ended up here-in a stranger's room, with a man rumored to be gravely ill, obeying the cruel command of her stepmother.

> "Just one night, Alysa," Raisa had said earlier.

"After that, your father will live."

That was the only reason she stood here now-wearing a mask, trying to contain her shame, fear, and despair all at once.

On the bed, Kenan lay half-upright. His body looked weak, but his eyes still held traces of the strength he once had.

He gazed at the masked woman silently.

There was something in his stare-something strange, yet painfully familiar.

> "Who... are you?" Kenan's voice was rough, barely a whisper.

Alysa lowered her head. Her voice trembled.

> "I'm just... someone who came to help you."

> "Help me?" Kenan let out a bitter smile. "Funny. Everyone who's ever tried to help me only left me wounded."

He kept looking at her, as if searching for something-perhaps honesty, perhaps hope.

But all he could see was the shadow of someone he once loved.

Someone whose name alone still made his chest ache: Alysa.

> No. It can't be her, he told himself. Alysa is gone. She never loved me.

Alysa bit her lip. Her heart stopped every time his gaze met hers.

Even with half her face hidden, she could feel his eyes-those eyes that once looked at her with love, now filled with pain and exhaustion.

Kenan exhaled deeply.

> "I don't know who you are," he murmured. "But if you're here against your will, leave."

Alysa froze. The gentleness in his words made her tears almost fall.

> "I... can't leave."

> "Why?"

> "Because... someone will die if I do."

Kenan frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Alysa didn't answer. She only looked down, fighting the sob that burned in her throat.

Words were too dangerous tonight.

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Then slowly, Kenan turned his face away.

> "Alright," he said quietly. "If this must happen, I won't fight it."

He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to a fate he didn't understand.

But deep inside, something stirred-a faint pulse of familiarity, of longing, of loss.

Alysa stepped closer. Each step felt heavy, like carrying the weight of her sins.

She knelt beside the bed, staring at the man's face in the dim light.

Kenan... she whispered in her heart. If you knew who I was, you would hate me forever.

Her hands trembled as they touched his cold chest. She could feel his heartbeat-weak, but still fighting.

A tear slipped from her eyes, landing softly on his skin.

Kenan opened his eyes.

> "You're crying?"

> "No," Alysa said quickly, wiping her face.

"I'm just... afraid."

> "Afraid of me?"

> "Afraid of what comes after this."

Kenan studied her for a long moment. There was a raw honesty in her voice-too honest for someone hiding behind a mask.

But his strength was fading; the energy in his body felt like it was being pulled into emptiness.

He closed his eyes again.

> "Just... do what you came to do."

Alysa gazed at him-the man who once promised to protect her-now weak and unaware that the woman before him was the same girl he believed had betrayed him.

Silence wrapped the room.

Only their breathing filled the space.

The night moved painfully slow.

Every second pierced like a thorn.

Alysa fought to keep herself from crying, while Kenan fought to stay conscious, haunted by a strange emotion he couldn't name.

And when it finally happened-without words, without love, without names-only silence remained.

There was no passion.

No joy.

Only pain meeting pain.

---

Some time later, it was over.

Alysa sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the man in silence. Tears fell soundlessly down her cheeks.

She stood slowly, put on her robe, and reached for the mask still covering her face.

Before leaving, she turned to him one last time-the same face she once loved, now feeling infinitely distant.

> "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"For everything."

She turned toward the door, her heart breaking with every step.

But before the door could close, a weak voice called out.

> "Wait..."

Alysa froze. She turned slightly but dared not move closer.

Kenan looked at her through half-open eyes.

> "Those eyes..." he murmured.

"Why do they feel... so familiar?"

Alysa's breath caught.

She wanted to answer, to scream that she was Alysa-the girl he loved.

But her voice refused to come out.

If she spoke, everything she sacrificed would be for nothing.

> "I... am no one," she finally said.

"Forget me."

Kenan gave a faint smile and closed his eyes again.

> "I don't know why... but it feels like I just lost someone I once loved."

The words pierced through her chest.

Her tears fell again, uncontrollable this time.

She covered her mouth to keep from sobbing aloud.

Then she ran-out of the room, into the night-leaving the man alone in the darkness.

---

Inside the room, Kenan lay still, staring at the ceiling.

His breathing slowed, his body felt lighter... but his heart grew heavier.

Something inside him had changed that night-something he couldn't explain.

A warmth, mixed with pain.

He looked toward the door that had just closed.

> "Whoever you are..." he whispered,

"You saved me... but you also broke me."

He shut his eyes again.

And behind his eyelids, her face appeared-faint, but real.

> "Alysa..." he murmured in his dream.

"Why do I feel... like it was you?"

Elsewhere, in a car racing through the dark night, Alysa held herself tightly. Her body trembled-not from cold, but from the crushing weight of guilt.

> "Kenan..." she cried softly.

"If you ever learn the truth, you'll hate me forever."

Morning came with a faint, pale light.

The rain from the night before had stopped, leaving behind damp air and the earthy scent of wet soil.

Behind the curtain of her room, Alysa sat motionless on the edge of her bed.

Her body was still cold, her heart felt like it no longer belonged to her.

Her eyes were swollen, her lips dry, and her entire being looked like a shadow stripped of its soul.

She stared into the mirror before her.

The face staring back was still hers-but empty.

Slowly, she raised a trembling hand and touched her own cheek, as if to make sure she was still alive.

But all she felt was emptiness.

The door suddenly opened.

Raisa entered with confident steps, wearing a silk robe and a triumphant smile.

> "A beautiful morning, isn't it?" she said lightly, pouring coffee into a crystal cup.

"You should be grateful, Alysa. Last night, you saved your father's life-and your future, too."

Alysa looked at her, expressionless.

> "My future?" her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.

"You call this my future? I just sold my dignity."

Raisa's smile didn't waver. She sat elegantly on the velvet chair in the corner of the room.

> "Oh, don't be so dramatic, dear. The world doesn't care about dignity-it only cares about money."

She patted a large envelope on the table beside her.

> "One hundred billion. Already transferred. Your father's hospital bills will be paid today. You should thank me."

Alysa's fingers clenched the bedsheet tightly, her eyes filling with tears.

> "Thank you? For selling me, Mother?"

Raisa tilted her head slightly, still smiling.

> "You talk as if you're a victim. But in truth, you're the hero of this story. Without you, your father would be dead."

Her voice was light, almost playful-but to Alysa, every word felt like a knife slicing through her skin.

Alysa stood up slowly, her gaze hollow yet steady.

> "I'll keep my promise, Mother. When Father gets better, I'll leave this house. I won't stay here any longer."

Raisa laughed softly.

> "Oh, sweetheart, do you think the world out there is waiting for you with open arms? You have nothing, Alysa. After last night, even your pride doesn't belong to you anymore."

Alysa looked straight at her, tears rolling silently down her face.

> "Maybe I've lost everything... but at least I still have a heart.

Something you've never had."

For a brief moment, Raisa's face stiffened. But she quickly covered it with a mocking smile.

> "Believe me, darling... the heart will give you nothing but pain."

She grabbed her handbag and walked out, the rhythmic sound of her high heels echoing across the marble floor.

As soon as the door closed, Alysa collapsed onto the floor.

Her restrained sobs burst free.

She hugged herself tightly, her body shaking uncontrollably.

> Kenan... if you knew who I was last night, you would hate me.

I'm tainted. I'm no longer the Alysa you loved.

Her trembling hand reached for the dressing table.

There, lying quietly, was a simple ring-Kenan's ring.

She picked it up with shaking fingers and pressed it to her chest, tears streaming endlessly down her face.

---

Across the city, in the same grand room that had witnessed last night's tragedy, Kenan sat on the balcony, staring at the gray sky.

His body felt stronger than before, but his mind was clouded with confusion.

Every time he closed his eyes, the image of the masked woman appeared-her eyes, her gaze, the silent tears that fell without a word.

> "Why can't I forget her?" he murmured softly.

"I don't even know who she is."

Footsteps approached.

Madam Liora, his mother, entered with a look of relief.

> "Kenan," she said gently. "The doctor said you're improving. Your body's responding well after... that therapy."

Kenan turned to her, his tone cold.

> "Therapy?" he scoffed bitterly. "You mean... that night?"

Liora sighed and sat beside him.

> "I know you hate me for it. But I had no choice, my son. I couldn't lose you."

Kenan's eyes remained fixed on the horizon.

> "Do you think I'm happy, Mother? I don't even remember her face, but somehow... I feel like I've known her before."

Liora's expression softened with pity.

> "Don't dwell on it. She was just a hired girl. Nothing more."

Kenan turned sharply, his voice rising.

> "Nothing more?"

His eyes burned red as he glared at her.

> "If she's nothing, then why does it feel like I've lost something I was never meant to lose?!"

Liora froze, startled by his intensity.

Kenan lowered his head, clutching his temples.

> "Those eyes... that voice... even the way she cried.

It's as if I've known her before."

He stood and walked to the table, picking up a small note left by the servant that morning-an anonymous message about the masked woman.

There was only one line written in faded ink:

> "She came from the north, sent by a woman named Raisa."

Kenan read the name again and again.

Raisa.

The name stirred something in his memory.

> Raisa... isn't that Alysa's stepmother?

His heartbeat quickened.

A dreadful suspicion began to grow inside him.

He closed his eyes, and Alysa's face appeared in his mind-her tears, her trembling voice, her quiet surrender.

> "No... it can't be," he whispered.

"But... why do I feel like this is all about her?"

---

That evening, Alysa sat beside her father's hospital bed, watching him sleep.

The slow rhythm of the IV drip filled the room.

Her hand clasped his weak one tightly.

> "Father..." her voice cracked.

"You'll get better, won't you? None of this will be in vain, right?"

Her father didn't respond-only his steady breathing answered her.

Alysa lowered her head and kissed the back of her own trembling hand that held his.

Tears fell once more.

She wanted to confess-to tell him everything-but she knew it wouldn't change a thing.

All she had left now were guilt and a love she could no longer claim.

---

Night descended.

Kenan stood on his balcony again, gazing up at the star-dusted sky.

The cool night breeze carried the faint scent of rain from earlier.

He looked up and whispered softly,

> "Why does it feel like I've lost you, Alysa?"

At that very moment, in a small dim room at Raisa's house, Alysa stood before a mirror.

She stared at her reflection-red eyes, pale lips, an empty soul.

Her hand touched the cold surface of the mirror, as if reaching for something beyond it.

> "Kenan..." she whispered weakly.

"If only you knew... I was the masked woman."