Five Years Earlier

  England, United Kingdom

  Salisas Corp Building

  During the Night

  As Sasha, fourteen years old, walked down the hallway of her home — now completely silent after her father had left for work abroad for a few weeks — she found herself absorbed in the stillness that followed his departure.

  She was in a short "vacation" break from school. The week had brought a pause in both classes and exchange program activities due to the festive celebrations.

  Sasha moved with a distant yet thoughtful gaze, fully immersed in her own mind, revisiting old memories of her brother, Salin, who in the present was sixteen.

  These memories stirred in her a subtly uncomfortable tightness in her chest as she recalled the tumultuous relationship between Salin and their father after their mother passed away — Sasha only three years old at the time, and Salin five.

  [(Sasha — Thoughtful & Melancholic Whisper) This feeling in my heart is so strange... "It" always shows up when I remember the past and see the distance that grew between the two of us, big brother...]

  Between Many Pasts

  In Many Places in Time

  Even Sasha and Salin's father became increasingly determined to spend whatever amount was necessary so that the best surgeries, medications.

  And medical equipment would be available to his wife during her brief struggle against the consequences of the accident on the avenue where she and five-year-old Salin were struck.

  It was his wife who suffered the most physical damage compared to Salin after the car rolled over several times on the avenue, leaving her body severely weakened afterwards.

  She began to face the pain of having several vital functions in her organs gradually fail over the weeks.

  This culminated in her final day of battle against those consequences, in her luxurious hospital room, before she departed for the stars.

  She lay beside her beloved young son, Salin, having a brief conversation with him — aware, even unconsciously, of how much he would suffer from that moment onward, carrying an unjust guilt regarding the cause of the accident.

  A guilt his mother would never accept placing on his shoulders, even though she knew his father might do exactly that after her passing, since he already knew the entire truth about why the accident had truly happened.

  She loved Salin too deeply — more than the truth itself, the truth known only to her husband at that moment, the truth she had confessed to him in full.

  She made him swear never to reveal it to Salin, whether as a child or as a teenager. And as soon as she died, this led him to immediately choose to distance himself from his own son, Salin.

  He left the boy in the care of his aunt — his mother's sister — just a few weeks after the emotional funeral held in the city where she had been born.

  Parallel to all this in the past, Salin's father decided to take Sasha, his younger daughter, with him to live in another country — far enough that Salin would be kept away not only from him, but also from his sister, since she too knew the truth.

  [Voice of Sasha (Child — 4 Years Old) From the Past] — [Trembling & Confused Whisper] ...Why are we moving, and why did my brother stay at Auntie's house, Daddy? [Sad, tearful breath] —

  He remained deeply hurt regarding his son, whom he could only see, for many years, as the real and sole culprit behind the fall of the family's central pillar — his wife — who was no longer present in their lives, but distant among the stars, watching each of them from so far away.

  [Voice of Sasha (Child — 4 Years Old) From the Past] Why was my brother crying when I was leaving, Daddy? [Sad, tearful breath] —

  This resulted immediately in a separation that lasted many consecutive years between Sasha and her brother Salin.

  Throughout all those years — from childhood into early adolescence — Sasha was not allowed to see her brother in person, nor even through photos or videos.

  The pain of this separation was made worse by the profound resentment their father carried toward his own son, especially after learning the full truth — a truth only he knew.

  A secret shared only between him and his wife, and not known by a single other soul on Earth. Even as the years passed.

  Despite all the magnificent and expensive gifts Sasha received on her birthdays, and the extravagant birthday parties her father gave her every year from childhood to adolescence.

  Sasha wished, from the deepest part of her heart, for Salin's presence at her side. She always smiled brightly in her father's presence during her birthday parties because she had what she wanted in terms of "material things."

  But Sasha always ended up crying alone in her room at the end of each celebration of her own birthday, because what she truly longed for had no price in the world she lived in: having her beloved older brother beside her once again.

  [Voice of Sasha (Child — 8 Years Old) From the Past] — [Melancholic & trembling echoing whisper] Big brother... [Soft restrained & painful crying] —

  As time went by, year after year, Sasha felt as if she were slowly forgetting what her brother looked like, even though she remembered that he had always taken care of her since she was little, before the separation.

  Yet his once vivid face and unmistakable voice were becoming unrecognizable.

  [Voice of Sasha (Child — 9 Years Old) From the Past] I'm forgetting you! No... No... Please... [Soft cry of anger & pain] —

  At certain moments, after so many years apart, Sasha even reached the point of forgetting his name once or twice. That triggered a sharp pain in her heart, accompanied by gasping, suffocating breaths.

  It came from the sensation that accompanied this gradual forgetting as the years passed — the feeling of losing the image of what Salin, her beloved older brother, once was.

  [Scream of Sasha (Child — 9 Years Old) From the Past] I don't want to forget you, my beloved big brother!!! [Trembling & frightened breath] —

  In these moments, Sasha felt as if something precious were being pushed into the darkest corner of her mind, slowly fragmenting, destined to be forgotten more and more as time went on.

  In those anguishing periods, young Sasha often tried to negotiate any opportunity to see her brother again during her childhood or early adolescence.

  [Voice of Sasha (Pre-Teen — 10 Years Old) From the Past] Each day it gets harder to imagine what your face looks like, big brother. After all these years apart without seeing each other even once... [Trembling & melancholic breath] —

  Despite the distance that separated them in such a drastic and painful way — without her yet knowing the real reason behind that strange separation caused by her father, in relation to her brother, Salin.

  It was clear that during most of her childhood and early adolescence Sasha felt an overwhelming desire to see him at any cost. She even considered, while still so young, running away from home in an attempt to reach him.

  She knew at least one piece of information: the name of the enormous city where Salin was living at the time.

  She had discovered it when she was still just 8 years old, after glimpsing one of the documents related to Salin's custody transfer to their aunt — the same aunt who was fiercely opposed to putting Salin up for adoption.

  Because of that, she chose to raise him as her own son, even knowing she would never be like her sister, who was the children's biological mother. Still, she gave Salin all the love she could offer throughout her entire life.

  However, Sasha's father remained unyielding. He refused every request and prevented her from attempting to run away in search of her brother.

  Sasha always noticed the same expression on his face during her many frustrated attempts: a distant, almost empty look whenever the subject involved his own son, Salin.

  [Voice of Sasha (Pre-Teen — 11 Years Old) From the Past] — [Melancholic whisper] Big brother, I wish I could be in your place... [Heavy & painful breath] —

  He did not feel hatred toward Salin after all those years. He was the only one still carrying the truth about who caused the accident.

  It was something deeper — something Sasha could not understand — something behind that heavy look he had whenever her older brother was mentioned.

  [Voice of Sasha (Pre-Teen — 11 Years Old) From the Past] — [Melancholic whisper] Because I don't want to see you so hurt inside... [Heavy & painful breath] —

  In the past, when they were still children, Salin and Sasha spent many moments together, strengthening a special bond that transformed them into inseparable siblings — and made Salin very close to her.

  Because he was the older brother by only two years, he was the protector and the brave one, while Sasha, the younger sister, was fearless in her own way, though still carrying a certain timidness toward her fears.

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  This created a balance between them during childhood, before the fateful day when distance would prevent them, for years, from deepening that bond even further.

  Their mother encouraged this closeness, wishing to strengthen their connection so that one would help the other whenever necessary.

  She encouraged Salin to be the older brother and the lighthouse of hope for his little sister in case something bad happened to her or their father in the near or distant future.

  At the same time, she encouraged Sasha to also become a lighthouse of hope for him when he someday fell and could not stand back up in the face of any problem or pain.

  [Voices of Young Salin & Young Sasha] — [Happy & Excited Shout] UNITED SIBLINGS, FOREVER AND EVER!! [Playful & Joyful Laughter] —

  As the years passed, Salin gradually assumed the role of protective brother without even realizing he was doing it, even long after their mother had passed away.

  It was evident that even with Salin far away, the strength he carried for his little sister never weakened.

  He never gave up trying to reach his sister, now living under the care of their father in another country — even if she was "close" only in the sense of being within several kilometers' distance.

  But the bond their mother had inspired in childhood had grown more distant over the years.

  Still, even unable to see his little sister, Salin never stopped remembering her or worrying about her health and well-being.

  At times — and at great personal risk — he managed to obtain information, even at the young age of ten, about where his sister was studying during her exchange program when she was still eight years old.

  It was during those moments that, after so many years apart, he finally managed to watch her from afar.

  His little sister strolling with her school friends during a few outdoor moments in the largest park in the city, close to where she studied in the heart of Madrid.

  These beautiful scenes made the young Salin feel a tightness in his chest, knowing he could not approach and speak to his little sister — even though he wished.

  More than his own happiness, that she would keep smiling and stay happy from that day onward, even in his absence.

  During those moments, distance remained unbreakable, for their father still had complete control over every decision regarding his daughter's life.

  And so, Salin longed to see more and more of her from afar. To his own little sister, he was nothing more than an unknown observer — someone who admired her with immense love and affection.

  Someone whose appearance she no longer remembered, now that he was older after so many years of forced separation imposed by their father.

  During those moments, Salin would watch his sister near the exit of Sasha's school, doing so subtly and almost imperceptibly to everyone around, sometimes accompanied by his aunt inside her car.

  She always told him she didn't like doing this once he reached a certain age, because she feared that if his father found out, he would make Sasha disappear again without leaving a trace.

  Just as it had happened once before, when Salin accidentally recognized his little sister during one of his trips at eight years old, while Sasha herself—accompanied by her caretaker—didn't even notice he was just a few meters away.

  It was in that specific moment that Salin tried to speak to Sasha, walking in disbelief after recognizing her—older now—amidst the large crowd at that very famous amusement park where he and she had gone before their mother's accident.

  But before he could reach her for the first time in years, Salin was immediately stopped by a private security guard hired by his own father to watch over his little sister throughout the entire trip.

  That private security guard had a single mission: protect Sasha and prevent Salin, at any cost—even in the slightest way—from communicating with her if he happened to be in the same place as Sasha at any moment.

  When Salin tried to approach her so abruptly, attempting to call out to her, he ended up triggering the undercover guard to act politely yet still in a hostile manner toward him, despite his young age.

  Meanwhile, his little sister enjoyed herself and ate ice cream while talking with her personal caretaker, who had served their household for many years and was almost like an older.

  Affectionate sister to Sasha—someone who knew everything about the situation and also believed that what their father was doing to Salin was wrong.

  But she was unable to help or create any opportunity for Salin to get close to Sasha. So, upon receiving the guard's message, she discreetly moved to another area within a few minutes, making sure Sasha wouldn't suspect anything.

  After that painful and deeply scarring incident involving Salin and his father's security guard at the park, from age ten to fifteen Salin was forced—through his subsequent attempts to observe Sasha.

  Who was two years younger than him—to adopt increasingly subtle and imperceptible methods of watching over his little sister. He kept a safe distance and never again approached her too closely because of the guards.

  They rarely noticed his presence, seeing him not as her brother but merely as some "random" person who quietly observed her a few times a year, and sometimes they witnessed him crying in silence for reasons they could not understand.

  Every time, after watching her from afar for a few minutes, that same "random" person would always seem to be both happy and sad for some unknown reason, before disappearing from her field of vision among the crowd—whether she was alone or with her friends.

  Sasha, in those days, was left feeling a nostalgic, affectionate warmth toward that person every time she noticed his presence.

  From the age of nine all the way to the present, at fourteen years old, she had never been able to understand why that feeling always returned whenever she saw that unknown figure.

  He always seemed to smile, and sometimes appeared to be holding back tears when she noticed him, leaving without ever speaking a single word to her or even waving in her direction.

  To her, his identity remained a complete mystery up to her current fourteen years of age — but in reality, that person was none other than her own brother, Salin.

  He did not want to create any kind of conflict between himself and their father, and thus, as a consequence, risk hurting his little sister with any potential argument that might arise between him and their father in that already complicated and painful situation.

  This would certainly happen if Salin chose to get closer than what his aunt had advised, fully aware of the consequences that could unfold between him and his father.

  It was also clear to Salin that Sasha was always being watched by a different plainclothes security guard every time she left the house alone or with her friends.

  Something that began once she turned twelve, after their father became aware that Salin might try to get too close to her again.

  Just like what happened that time in the park, when, if not for the security guard's intervention, Salin would have reached her against their father's wishes.

  Back to the Present

  Salisas Corp Building

  Still During the Night

  Returning the focus to Sasha in the present, now fourteen years old, still walking with calm steps along the hallway of her home, heading toward a grand window that occupied the entire length of that corridor.

  It offered her a panoramic view of the city center below, dazzling and shining with lights that seemed almost magical under the reign of the night.

  The scene revealed that her home was located in a luxurious apartment, where her father owned the entire building, and thus had turned the top floors into his personal residence.

  The rest of the building housed his prosperous company, founded alongside his wife, which in the present had become one of the largest in the country within its sector, tied directly to the stock market.

  Sasha gazed down at the city on that serene, slightly misty night, noticing by her reflection in the glass that she was dressed for bed, ready to sleep.

  [Sasha — Trembling Whisper & Subtly Tearful] I can't understand why Dad did all of that to you. No reason I could try to conceive in my mind would justify the pain he inflicted on you, brother. [Deep, melancholic breath] —

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] Whether that pain was direct or indirect after he pushed us apart so abruptly, after Mom went toward the "stars." [Deep, melancholic breath] —

  In that moment, her expression carried a sadness and anguish shaped by the past and by the complex relationship her father and brother now shared.

  Sasha's mind, as she looked down on the city, recalled the moment not long ago when Salin underwent emergency surgery.

  This happened after his ex-girlfriend stabbed him out of jealousy because he tried to break up with her in order to be with Mia — a girl for whom he had developed genuine feelings without realizing it, feelings born naturally from their beautiful friendship.

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] I'm grateful to our mother for bringing an incredible girl like Mia into your life. [Deep sigh] —

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] After that idiot of an ex-girlfriend did that to you, little brother... [Deep, relieved sigh] —

  In the past, after Salin went to live with his aunt — his mother's sister — he gradually changed. From a highly emotional and joyful child, he became a quieter person as he entered preadolescence and eventually adolescence up to the present moment, now sixteen years old.

  This process intensified months after his aunt passed away, leaving him living alone at fifteen in the house where he grew up, far from Sasha during the years before they met again as teenagers.

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] Mia's love managed to disperse the darkness surrounding him. [Deep breath] —

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] A darkness I didn't have the strength to chase away on my own, even now that I am by his side the way I wished to be after all those years apart. [Deep, relieved sigh] —

  In the present, Sasha remembered the times she visited Salin after her father could no longer forbid her, given her age.

  These visits began after the accident involving his ex-girlfriend — the one that forced him into a potentially fatal surgery.

  She reflected on how the operation saved Salin's life, but at the same time plunged him into an induced coma that lasted several weeks.

  This resulted in a surreal shift in the relationship between Salin and their father. The sensation of almost losing him changed their father in a way Sasha could not understand up to now.

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] Something changed in our father's heart when you entered that surgery room with such a high chance of never coming out alive, big brother. [Deep, hopeful sigh] —

  Looking at her reflection in the glass, Sasha wiped the tears that had begun to roll down her face.

  Many memories from the entire past up to that moment — and their consequences — surfaced in her mind as she cried, a trembling smile forming beneath her tears, her gaze still deeply thoughtful.

  [Sasha — Emotional Whisper & Subtly Tearful] I wish I understood what it was, because not even my love for you managed to provoke that change in him back then. [Deep, relieved sigh] —

  Sasha was actively present in her brother's life in the current moment, for she had grown up and finally allowed her incredible presence to be felt in its fullest form.

  And even though her father was still trying to approach Salin at that time. There was still an abyss between the two of them—an abyss she had witnessed for years and that only now her father had begun to feel.

  He now wished for Sasha's help to reach his son after the surgery that nearly took him from his life, forcing him to understand something about the past he refused to accept.

  Her father, weighed down by shame after everything he had done—using Sasha to get news about her brother and offering financial help with household and school expenses while Salin lived alone after his aunt's passing—could only now face the consequences of his choices.

  In the present, through the reflection in the glass, he now saw Sasha looking up at the sky, even though the stars were hidden behind thick clouds.

  Deep inside, Sasha wished she could reach her mother, who seemed to be among the stars at that moment. Tears slid down her face, falling slowly toward the ground.

  [Sasha — Whispering Deeply & Thoughtful] Mom, how I wish you were here to guide Dad and give him the strength he needs to reach my brother. [Deep breath] —

  [Sasha — Whispering Deeply & Thoughtful] But I don't have the strength to unite these two who built a wall between themselves for so long. [Deep breath] —

  The perspective shifts to outside the building, revealing Sasha contemplating the cloudy sky, her desire reaching toward the stars for a few seconds.

  From above, her mother now watches the entire family in that moment, even if things are better than everything they endured for so many years.

  [Sasha — Whispering Deeply & Thoughtful] This wall seems insurmountable, even for them, making it difficult for either of them to offer the other a second chance after all of this. [Deep breath] —

  Her arms hang visible at her sides, and her hands tremble slightly under the torrent of emotions stirring her heart.

  Although she is in a better place than in the past, the ache in her chest persists, for she has not achieved what she and her brother wanted since childhood.

  [Voice of Sasha (Child & Pre-teen) From The Past — Tearful & Hopeful] No matter how far your home is, little brother... —

  [Voice of Sasha (Child & Pre-teen) From The Past — Tearful & Hopeful] My heart will never stop recognizing the importance you have in my life, and... —

  [Voice of Sasha (Child & Pre-teen) From The Past — Tearful & Hopeful] The distance only made me wish I had been in your place, beside Dad. —

  What she desired was nothing less than the full reunion of her family—a dream that depended not only on her will, but on the reconstruction of the bond that had been severely broken between her brother and her father.

  Sasha took a deep breath, bringing to mind several moments with her brother before their mother's departure.

  The reconciliation between them, after so many years apart, had been complex and initially uncomfortable.

  She remembered how, even as siblings, the long separation made Salin feel almost like a stranger, despite the love he still carried for his little sister.

  [Sasha — Whispering Deeply & Thoughtful] The scars you carried, and still carry today, make my heart ache so much when I think back on the past, big brother... I love you, so, so much. —