Chapter 1.

Victoria POV.

What would be your greatest wish for your 18th birthday?

For me turning 18 was one of the most anticipated dates, which would become the beginning of my new life, the beginning of being an independent adult.

Before it became a nightmare.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, because to understand the suffering that afflicts my heart, you must know a little of my past and what led me to... Know him.

My name is Victoria Miller and I am 18 years old. You could say I have a normal life, with two younger brothers who make me very angry, my mother who is a kindergarten teacher, and my father who works at the city's power plant as a technician.

And although we are a fairly normal family these days, not standing out too much from the other neighbors and people around us; my family's background is a bit peculiar.

My grandfather, Evian Miller, is known to be one of the most promising inventors of the last century. In his youth, together with one of his childhood friends, he created an entire company dedicated to the research and development of medical technology, being recognized for having under his name the patent for the creation of the machine to keep people alive if their heart stopped beating, being this his most distinctive invention; but he has also created several home-made elements to control the blood pressure and other medical supplies, of which my family also has the patent.

It's funny, but I suppose my grandfather's name must appear in some history books and other people must admire him for his contributions to science. But to me, he was that kind old man who used to give me chocolate bars behind my mother's back, and who used to hoist me on his shoulders as we rode through children's playgrounds.

But how did my grandfather go from being a rich man with the world at his feet to a common man? The answer is somewhat simple. At a certain point in his life, my grandfather decided to throw all his efforts away, and sold the part of the company he had worked so hard to his co-worker, to have a normal life outside of the luxuries and money that being the CEO of such a company can bring you. I was always curious as to why my grandfather did this, but no one in my family knows the reason, it's a complete mystery...

And although I could have asked him directly, unfortunately, it is now impossible. My grandfather has been dead for over 15 years, passing away when I was barely a couple of years old. And now he only lives on in my fuzzy memory from when I was just an infant, as my other siblings never got to meet him.

After my grandfather decided to give it all up to live a "normal" life, my father tried to follow in his footsteps and studied to be an engineer, trying to form his own company and make my grandfather proud in this way; but I guess you can't decide to be a genius inventor, it's something that comes by itself if you have talent. So after several years of trying, after many failures and rejections, my father finally gave up and looked for a regular job, meeting my mother sometime later and forming a typical family by her side; of which I am now a part.

So with the shadow of past glory, with all the stories of my grandfather's wealth and recognition on my back, I have not given up on becoming rich again and having a great company to run, with the big dream of returning to the glory my family once had.

And that is the destiny I have mapped out for myself since I was able to know what I wanted to do with my life, the goal I set out for myself and was determined to achieve.

After analyzing my grandfather's story, I believe that the flaws he had as an inventor were not having the other part of the perspective when he was creating medical inventions, focusing only on the mechanical and engineering; but not thinking about medicine as such or the patients his inventions were aimed at. So deciding to fill in my grandfather's gaps, that which he could never achieve, I was determined to study medicine at one of the best universities in the country, so that I could then honor my grandfather's legacy and become an inventor as well.

That's why turning 18 meant a lot to me, it meant the beginning of this path I had set for myself, to be able to become independent from home so I could try to fulfill my dreams.

Or so I thought it meant.

Not knowing anything yet about how tragic my 18th birthday would be.

Dominik POV

What is duty?

Throughout my life those words have rolled around in my head a thousand times, trying to give it a meaning that will help me keep breathing; because that's all I have, all there is to me.

Fulfilling the duties expected of a person like me.

My name is Dominik Mayer, I come from the famous and wealthy Mayer family as the only heir, I am 25 years old, and this is my first year as a director of the family business after my grandfather retired from the CEO position after more than forty years of work.

I know what my family expects of me, the duties everyone wants me to fulfill, and although I am striving to fulfill or trying to fulfill everything, all the things I have to do, with each passing day things get more complicated for me.

"Are you kidding?" I asked my mother when she came to my office a couple of days ago with an old contract.

"I wish I was joking," She told me, putting the document on my desk, "The document is legitimate, and by law, we are bound by what is stipulated here for the honor and safety of our family."

What is the duty for a man? That question repeated itself in my head a thousand times, as I took that document from my desk and read what was stipulated on it. It was a document more than twenty years old, one that my grandfather and another man had signed, and amid many useless words, it stipulated something terrible for me.

Looking at me sternly, my mother said, "You know what you have to do."

That had been over a month ago, and I have that old document on my desk table ever since, as an ever-present reminder of what I was to do and the next duty I was to fulfill.

I don't know why it bothers me so much, I have lived all my life fulfilling the wishes and duties that are always put in front of me, fulfilling the wishes and promises of others, I have always done the same, it is usual for me. But fulfilling this "promise"... It was especially annoying and painful for me, according to my own perception, because it was not just anything, like concluding with a business proposal or doing something specific with my company like the other duties I have had so far.

This particular document was going to change my whole life.

And maybe that's what makes me doubt, after whole sleepless nights thinking about it since I knew about the existence of that piece of paper and what it contained written on it, I don't know if I'm ready to fulfill that old promise my grandfather made so many years ago.

Marry? Isn't that too serious? I don't want to do it...

Snapping out of my distraction as I stared at that document on my desk, I watch as my personal secretary enters my office with a firm step, clacking her heels on the wood of my office floor, walking in my direction briskly.

"Mr. Mayer, Mrs. Adelaide, and Mr. Jhonas are waiting for you outside your office, they asked me to direct you to hurry," My secretary tells me politely, approaching me with a kind smile on her face.

"Is it time already?" I ask seriously.

"It's time already, Mr. Mayer."

With a sigh, understanding that I have no choice, just as with most things that have happened throughout my life, I decided to fulfill my duty and the promises my grandfather made so long ago already.

And standing up from my desk, I carefully arranged the jacket of my suit, smoothing the fabric with my fingers, preparing myself for what was to happen in a few minutes.

On the night of that December 7th.