Yeah Tori is Overcompensated. but you know, she wasn't able to apologize.
Chapter 3
The heavy iron doors of the family mausoleum creaked open, echoing through the cavernous space. Tori Vega stepped inside, her footsteps resonating off the cold stone walls. The air was heavy with the scent of incense and the cold finality of death. The grand casket lay in the center of the room, meticulously adorned, its opulence stark against the somber atmosphere. Tori had requested this moment alone, a final opportunity to confront her father's lifeless form before the mausoleum was sealed forever.
As the attendants left the room, Tori approached the casket. She gazed down at the face of David Vega, his features etched with the marks of age and the weight of his tyranny. It was a face she hadn't really known since her teenage years, a face that had been a distant memory for so long. She recalled the last time she had seen him—the day he had torn her away from Hollywood Arts, from her dreams, and brought her back to Yerba because she was pregnant with Sirrah. The harshness of that moment, the fear in her father's eyes, and the deep-seated control he had wielded over her life and choices.
Tori Vega sat in the sterile examination room, her hands nervously twisting in her lap. She had come to the clinic for what she thought was a routine check-up, but the doctor's words had sent her into a whirlpool of fear and confusion. "You're pregnant," the doctor had said gently, but the words felt like a sledgehammer to her heart.
She had been devastated. The heartbreak from Jade's departure was still fresh, and now, she was faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Her mind raced as she tried to process the reality of her situation.
As Tori left the clinic, she could hardly keep her thoughts straight. She needed to find Andre and let him know about the baby, but she was too frightened to do so directly. She had hoped to tell him in person, but time was slipping away.
Within days, the news of her pregnancy had reached her father, David Vega. The mere notion of his daughter being pregnant with a child out of wedlock was enough to send him into a furious rage. One of his goons was dispatched to deal with her, and Tori was abruptly taken away from Hollywood Arts and locked up in the government palace in Yerba.
The palace was a gilded cage, and Tori's world shrank to the confines of her cell and a small, secret medical ward. During her pregnancy, she was kept isolated and under constant surveillance. Tori did everything she could to keep Andre's identity secret, knowing that her father's goons would do anything to find out more and make an example of him.
Months later, as Tori's pregnancy neared its end, she managed to get a brief, clandestine message to Andre. The days in confinement had blurred together, and she hadn't been able to communicate with him until now. Andre had come to Yerba for a performance, and Tori seized the chance to meet him in secret.
Andre walked into the dimly lit room, his face filled with concern and confusion. He had heard from a mutual friend that Tori needed to speak with him urgently, and he had come without knowing the full story. As he entered, he saw Tori, now heavily pregnant, sitting by a small window, her face pale but determined.
"Tori?" Andre's voice was a mix of worry and surprise. "What's going on?"
Tori's eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at him. "Andre… I've been trying to reach you." She came closer to him revealing her baby bump. "It's your baby."
Andre's face went slack with shock. "I-I didn't know. We only… that one time. How did this happen?"
Tori's voice trembled. "I was taken away from Hollywood Arts when my father found out, and he's kept me locked up here in Yerba. I had to keep your identity a secret because it's dangerous. They're watching me all the time."
Andre ran a hand through his hair, processing the gravity of the situation. "I'm sorry, Tori. I had no idea. My life's been so hectic—I'm touring all the time. I'd like to be there for you and our child, but…"
"I know," Tori interrupted gently. "I understand. I just wanted you to know. The baby is due soon, and I didn't want you to think I was keeping this from you. I've been trapped here, unable to contact you. I'm scared, Andre."
Andre looked at her, his eyes softening. "I want to be there for you, what I can do right now?"
Tori's voice was resolute. "You're already helping by being here. I have a plan to escape. I'll take Sirrah with me and get out of Yerba. I'm thinking of going to Italy. If you could help me set things up, it would mean everything."
Andre nodded, a determined look on his face. "I'll do whatever I can. We'll make sure you're safe. You and the baby."
A few weeks later, Tori had managed to slip away from her guards during a shift change. With Sirrah, only a few months old, she made her way to a clandestine meeting point where Andre was waiting. His band had finished a tour, and he had arranged for a private jet to take them to Italy.
The escape was a blur of adrenaline and fear, but once they were on the jet, Tori felt a fleeting sense of relief. Andre sat beside her, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"Thank you, Andre," Tori said quietly, holding Sirrah close. "I didn't think I'd ever get out of there."
Andre reached over, gently touching her arm. "It's cool, Tori. I know It won't be easy, but we'll figure it out."
As the plane soared over the Mediterranean, Tori glanced at the small bundle in her arms. Sirrah's tiny face was peaceful, and Tori felt a renewed sense of hope. She would build a new life in Italy, or anywhere she decided away from the shadows of Yerba, and for the first time in a long while, Tori felt a glimmer of hope for the future.
Tori's throat tightened as she thought of Sirrah, now twenty years old, who had grown up in Los Angeles while Tori had been forced to live a transient life, never able to settle anywhere. "You took everything from me," she said softly, her voice trembling. "You took my childhood, my dreams, and the chance to be there for my child."
Her eyes burned with unshed tears. She leaned closer to the casket, her voice rising with anger and grief. "You never cared about what I wanted. You only cared about your image, your power. I was a prisoner in your world, and even when I tried to make a life for myself, you had to control every aspect of it. I was never allowed to be myself, to love who I wanted, to raise my child how I saw fit."
With a shaking hand, Tori spat onto the face of her father's corpse, a visceral act of defiance and contempt. The act of finality seemed to release something within her, a mixture of sorrow and rage that had been bottled up for years.
She straightened, taking a deep breath as she turned away from the casket. "I hope you rot here forever, in the misery you inflicted on everyone around you."
As Tori exited the mausoleum, the cool air of the evening wrapped around her like a shroud. She felt a sense of liberation mixed with unresolved pain. Back at the government house, she was met by Trina, who had arrived incognito to avoid detection by the regime's forces.
Trina looked tired but determined, her face partially obscured by a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. She pulled them off as she approached Tori. "Tori," she greeted, her voice a whisper of urgency. "I'm glad you're safe. Father's gone now, and we have a chance to change things."
Tori's eyes were still red from her earlier outburst, but she managed a weary smile. "I'm so tired, Trina. What's the plan?"
"We need to reform the government," Trina said, her voice filled with hope. "We have an opportunity to create a more democratic system, something like the United States. It won't be perfect, but it will be better. You could have a normal life, at least somewhat. You could even have another child, if that's what you want."
Tori looked at her sister, her heart aching. "You know I love Sirrah more than anything. But I've lost so much time with her. I can't change the past, but I need to make a future where my daughter and I can have a semblance of normalcy."
Trina nodded, understanding the weight of Tori's words. "We'll do this together. We can fix Yerba, make it a place where people can live without fear, and where you can be present in Sirrah's life. But we need to act fast. The regime won't give up power easily."
Tori took a deep breath, feeling the gravity of the task before her. "Alright. Let's start the process. For Sirrah, for everyone. It's time for change."
As the two sisters embraced, the promise of a new beginning hung in the air, mingling with the remnants of Tori's past heartbreak. The road ahead would be fraught with challenges, but for the first time in a long while, Tori felt a glimmer of hope for a future she could shape with her own hands.