THE FIGHT FOR VICTORY

"Where did it all start with my mother? What do you mean by that?" I query.


"This is where I tortured her to my pleasure, and I enjoyed all her howls of anguish and appeals for mercy, which I, unfortunately, didn't have! The baseball? Doesn't it remind you of something?" She says it with so much elation.

Yes! It reminds me of my mother! All those imprints that tore her beautiful face! I knew a car accident couldn't have done all that to her, you know!

Curse you, sick witch! You will pay dearly for that! For everything, and that too, today itself, in this very same house!


"I already knew you were behind her mysterious tragedy. But why here?" I ask.

"There wouldn't have been a satisfactory place for her sufferings other than this—this home—and this exact room that was deemed to be my bedroom with Richard. I bought this house some years ago as our supposed rest house with my one great love—your stupid father. But that never got to come true because your mother had invaded his heart. He never saw me as a woman, no matter how many times I tried. No matter how low I stoop for him, he just had no fucking chance for me. I was invisible to him."


"And you stupidly thought the only way to have your way into his heart was to eliminate my mother? In here?" I ask.

"Yes. I had already started adopting the fact that Richard would never love me, and so, since this house stood no chance of having as many beautiful memories as I had initially thought, I decided to smear it with blood. And your mother's blood inaugurated my thirst to ruin everything that was attached to that woman and Riccaford."

There are really crazy people in this world, but this notch of Gracia's mania is on another level.

"You said it a while ago that we can do everything for the sake of love, right? Well, this is my way of avenging my bleeding heart. Love caused me so much pain, and so pain is what I give in return. Too bad, your father died before I could bring him to this place. But I swore everything would end right here. I will then take over the empire and live like a queen, while you reunite with your beloved parents in hell and continue being the pathetic happy family that you always were." She cocks her gun and takes the finger on the trigger.

"You are so sick in the head, Gracia, if you call that love. Admit it to yourself that it's just an obsession that you felt for my father and spite for my mother, and these two things have eaten up your soul. It's the bitterness that is making you do all these, but not love."

"Maybe, maybe not! But, whatever the fuck my problem is, it ends today and right here—with your blood. Say your last prayers!"

"We are coming in now. Try to distract her with some conversation." Drew speaks on the line, and this time, I don't object.

It's time to end this. But, ahem! What else do I say to this woman?

"Who is Nelly's father?" I brat out, earning a wrinkled face from her.

"You are too inquisitive for someone who is saying goodbye to this world. Why the heck do you want to know that?" She asks.

"Maybe I want to know the whole story so that I can narrate it to my parents when I meet them. And I also want to leave you with a clear conscience so that maybe, just maybe, the devil and the cries of the innocent blood that you have spilled won't haunt you anymore. Though I doubt all those innocent souls will ever let you have any peace."

"Peace, I will have Ellie, and that whore, she isn't my daughter. She just came into my life at the right moment. Pure and beautiful coincidence! She is my younger sister's daughter. Her mother was a prostitute; she got pregnant by mistake and committed suicide a month after giving birth, and I was left with no choice but to take care of this baby. I used her to lure Richard into me. At least you now know where she got her slut behavior from. Definitely not from me."

Holly Mary, mother of God! This witch is a mockery of motherhood. No wonder she couldn't have been blessed with a child. A prostitute is and will forever be a million times better than a murderer, but she clearly doesn't know that. And she will never understand. How could she even use her own sister's child like this? No wonder she never bothers to discipline her.

"I feel sorry for you, Gracia!"

"Sorry for yourself and your pathetic family and friends, Ellie! No more talks! Now, move to bed as you say your last prayers."

I take slow steps backward, but just when I am about to sink to the bed, a gunshot echoes from outside, distracting us.

"Shit! Who the fuck did you bring, you bitch?" She yells.

"It seems you don't understand English. I said Love means doing everything to keep each other safe." I say.

"I see. So, your stupid betrothed is here! Great! That way, I can end all of your lives together. That is, if he will make it inside!" Her echoes of laughter reverberate throughout the entire room.

"Why? Do you think your filthy twelve goons will stand a chance against a whole police squadron and a man willing to do anything for the woman he dearly loves? You think you will manage to escape through the back gate?" I mock.

Her laughter stops, and I smirk at her oblivion. "How do you know that?"

"Everything was well planned. Your mistake was underestimating me, Gracia! And now, it's time!"

She tries to whack me with a gun, but I clutch her hand in mid-air. The showers of bullets are too loud from outside. The commotion is too loud.

I twirl Gracia's hand, and she wails with anguish as her gun hits the floor. I shove it aside with my leg far from her, then I spin a complete degree and give her a reverberating slap across her disgusting face. She painfully howls, staggering back.

I grab the chance to grab a knife from the bed and rush to where my friends are. I untie Rose's hands first and hand her the knife.

"Untie the rest fast and... Aaaah!"

Damn it! Gracia pulls me by the hair from behind and nudges me to the floor. I hit the floor with my butt. She starts towards me.

"You think you are tough, huh?" She howls between gritted teeth as she launches a blow.

Well, I have no doubt, witch!

I swerve my right foot and kick her knee hard. She starts her way down, and I roll to the side so that she doesn't fall on top of me. She hits the floor with her face, her cries echoing again. She rolls to her back with a bleeding lip, her hands covering her nose. I rush and hover on top of her, sitting on her belly. I grab her hands and pin them on the floor with my knees.

"How does it feel to see your own blood, huh, Gracia?"

"I will kill you!"

"Ahh!" I slapped her on the cheek. "You will kill no one else, you hear me? Mmh!" I slapped her on the other cheek.

She screens, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"This is for my mother!" I shout, driving my fist into her nose with a satisfying crunch. "And for my father!" Another punch follows, then another. Rage consumes me; my movements are fueled by years of pent-up loathing.

I can feel myself being possessed by this hatred—the weight of every wrong she's done to me and those I love. I close my eyes, surrendering to the fury, my fists flying in a blur of emotion.

"For Nanny Aisha! The lawyer! For my friends! And for myself!" Each name brings another blow, a release of the anguish she's caused. "You won't hurt anyone else!"

With each punch, I reclaim a piece of my shattered life, determined to end her reign of terror once and for all.

I keep throwing heavy blows at her face with all the might in me. Her cries are the only sound echoing in the entire place until a familiar voice calls me.

"Ellie!"