Damien’s phone screen was lit up in the dark.
IF DAMIEN TELLS HER THE TRUTH, ELENA IS DEAD.
Nobody moved for a few seconds.
Aria looked at the message.
Then she looked toward Damien.
His face had become quite still.
Not the quietness she had grown accustomed to during their marriage.
It wasn’t like that.
That was terror.
True fear.
And somehow that frightened Aria more than the message itself.
Who’s this Elena?
Noah said softly.
Damien didn’t reply.
“Aria’s voice was calm when she said.
“Your mother.”
Damien’s jaw clenched.
“Yes.
Then the message is telling you that your mother’s alive.
Their eyes met.
“I don’t know.
“You don’t know,” Aria said again.
“Not.”
The lights flicked on again.
The study was exactly as they had left it, with one exception.
The black box had been emptied of the trust documents.
Noah immediately turned to the desk.
This was the place.
She walked over to the table.
An empty space marked the spot where the box had been.
Someone had taken it as they stood frozen over Damien’s phone.
She made her face.
“They wanted to distract us.
Noah took out his phone.
“I’ll take a look at the security footage.
“There won’t be any,” Aria said.
He looked to her.
“They shut the system down before we arrived.”
“Not at all,” said Aria.
I mean there won’t be any because whoever sent that message knew exactly what would happen after Damien got it.
Damien gazed at her.
You think this was part of the plan?
“I know it was.
She picked up the phone and read the message again.
“They wanted you to shut-up.”
Her eyes went up to him.
And they wanted me to be suspicious.
Damien said nothing.
Aria took a slow, deep breath.
“Which means the trust you’re hiding is likely more important than the truth.”
Noah glanced between them.
“Then we have to go,”
Aria shook her head.
“Not yet.”
“Aria—”
“If someone can get into this house, turn off the cameras, steal the trust papers, and send Damien a message at the exact time we’re finding out the truth, leaving won’t make us safer.
She gazed toward the doorway.
“It’ll only show them we are scared.”
Damien looked at her hard.
There was something unusual in the girl.
He’d seen Aria angry.
He had seen her wounded.
He’d seen her weep.
But he had not seen this version.
She had stopped answering.
She thought.
Calculating…
Planning.
And Damien suddenly understood something he should have known for years.
Aria had always been strong.
She’d simply spent years not using her strength against him.
“What was my mother doing the night she disappeared?
“Aria asked.
Damien turned his head away.
She moved closer.
“I asked you once.”
Silence.
“You didn’t answer.”
Still no dice.
“You were scared to tell me because someone threatened her life.”
Damien’s fingers tightened.
“Yes.”
The single word fell heavily between them.
Aria’s face changed.
Not a shock.
Acknowledgment.
“You knew she was alive.
“I thought so.
“When?”
“Long time ago.
Her eyes narrowed.
“How many?
Damien bit back.
“Before we were married.
The room was cold.
Aria met his gaze.
“You knew before you married me that your mother might still be alive?”
‘Yes.
“And you never told me?
“I couldn’t.”
“You couldn’t.” She said it bitterly.
“I was warned.
By whom?
Damien’s face grew hard.
“My dad.”
Noah was silent.
Aria looked at him.
“Victor?”
Damien shook his head.
“That’s what he told me.
My mother’s dead.”
“But you didn’t trust him.
“Noooo.
“Why?”
“Because of the inconsistencies.
Damien went to the window.
“When I was younger I found documents that contradicted the official version.
Dates were off.
No medical reports were there.
“Financial transfers no longer appeared in the company accounts.”
He stopped.
I spoke to my dad.
“What did he say?
“That grief had bred suspicion in me.”
Aria’s expression was unreadable.
“And you believed him?”
“I was young.
“Old enough to look into it.”
“I did.
Damien looked at her.
That’s when I found the first document.”
“What file?”
The one with your name on it.
Aria’s heart clenched.
“The file you mentioned, before the gala.”
“Yes.”
“What did it mean?”
Damien paused.
Aria leaned forward.
“Tell me,”
“It said you were linked to my mother.”
“How?”
‘I don’t know.’
“That’s not good enough.
“I know,”
Damien didn’t defend himself for once.
He did not get angry.
He didn’t mention his position to her.
There he stood taking her charge.
“Your family was on file,” he said.
“Your father.
Richard.
Your mother.
My mom.
“Victor, too.”
Aria narrowed her eyes.
And I?”
“Yes,” said the man.
“What about ME?” it said.
“That you were being followed.”
She took a breath.
“By whom?”
“I don’t know.
“Damien.
“I swear I don’t.”
Aria looked at his face.
He was speaking the truth
At least, something like that.
“What was the instruction?
Damien turned his back.
Marry Aria Valmont.
Quiet.
“You got a command to marry me.”
“Yep.”
And you listened.’
Yes.
The answer hurt more than she’d expected.
Even after all she’d learned, hearing it spoken aloud made something inside her crack.
“So our marriage was an arranged one, really.”
Damien shook his head.
”
“Not all of it.”
Aria frowned.
“What’s that mean?”
“You’re supposed to marry me.”
“But?”
“I decided to stay.”
Her face contracted.
“Doesn’t make it any better.
“I know,”
“You might have let me know.”
“Yes,” he said.
“You should have asked.”
“Yup.”
“You might have escaped.”
Damien glanced at her.
“ couldn’t.”
“Why?” he said.
He opened his mouth.
No words!
Aria waited.
The silence grew longer.
Damien was last.
“Because somewhere between following an instruction and living next to you, I fell in love with you.”
Aria stood still.
Damien spoke in a low voice.
“I didn’t understand it.”
She turned her back.
“Don’t.”
I ought to have.
‘Don’t say that now.
“I should have said something.
“Damien.”
‘I should have protected you.”
Her eyes were filled, but she would not let the tears flow.
“You had years.
I know.
“You had the opportunity.”
I know.
Then you knew it after I had gone.
For the first time Damien’s expression broke.
“Yes.
Aria stared at him.
And that’s why I don’t know if I can believe anything you say any more.
The words hurt more than rage.
Damien looked down.
“I don’t think you do.
There was a sudden noise from the hallway.
Noah immediately grabbed for his phone.
“Someone’s here.”
Aria spun around.
The study door stood open.
The passageway from it was empty.
Then a soft metallic sound was heard downstairs.
Noah headed for the staircase.
Damien took his arm.
“Don’t.”
Noah looked at him.
“Why?”
That’s what they want to do, because.
Aria understood at once.
“Working to set us against each other.”
Noah paused.
Aria glanced around the room.
“They know what we’re after.
They know what Damien knows.
“They know about the trust.”
Her eyes went to the old photograph.
‘They know my mother.’
She had taken the photograph.
The four figures looked back at her, twenty years ago.
Richard.
Elena.
Victor.
And younger Aria and Damien.
She felt uncomfortable.
She looked at the photo again.
Then she flipped it.
Words were written on the back.
She had been there before.
But this time she saw something she had not seen.
Little symbol.
A circle divided by three lines.
Aria held her breath.
“What’s that?”
Damien slid over beside her.
“I don’t know.
Noah looked at it.
“Neither do I.”
Aria’s finger tip traced the symbol.
“I’ve seen this.”
“Where?” Damien questioned.
She closed her eyes and rifled her memory.
“On one of my Dads old papers.
Damien’s expression altered.
“Richard?”
“Negative.”
“Dad,”
Damien looked at her.
“Victor?
Aria nodded slowly.
“Many years ago.
“I was a child.
“Which paper?”
“I don’t recall.”
“But you remember the sign.”
“Yes.”
A distant memory rose.
Her father’s study.
A drawer that was locked.
A red folder.
Same one.
And Elena’s voice.
Don’t touch that.
Aria’s eyes opened.
Your mother knew.
Damien’s face went white.
Before either of them could speak, Noah’s phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
“Someone is moving out there.”
“Where?” “?” Damien asked.
“The east side of the property.”
Aria looked immediately to the window.
“Show me.”
Noah turned the phone against them.
There was a security feed.
It was grainy, but you could see it.
A dark figure stood near the old garden wall.
There was something in their hands.
Aria leaned forward.
Photo.
The figure then lifted it up toward the camera.
Damien’s face altered.
He recognized that photograph.
“No,” he breathed.
Aria gave him a look.
“What?
“That picture.
“What picture?
“The one she’s holding.”
Aria looked once more.
Even through the poor quality footage she could make out two figures in the photo.
Elena, younger.
And a young girl.
Aria’s stomach sank.
“Her…”
Damien nodded.
It’s you.
Noah looked at the screen.
The figure dropped the picture.
Then Damien’s phone pinged with a new message.
You asked me about the night .
Elena disappeared.
Another message came in.
ASK ARIA WHAT SHE RECALLS.
Aria stopped short.
Damien stood before her.
What do you remember?
She shook her head.
“Nothing whatever.”
“Aria.
“I was just a kid.”
“Consider.”
She shut her eyes.
The first there was nothing.
Then— A corridor.
A doorway.
Rain on glass.
Elena on her knees before her.
A trembling hand on her shoulders.
An urgent whisper.
Don’t ever tell Damien.
Aria’s eyes snapped open.
Damien looked at her.
“What?”
She couldn’t get a breath.
“What did you remember?
Aria glanced at him.
“Your mom, I remember.
Damien took a step forward.
What did she say to you?
Aria’s voice quavered.
“She told me to get down.
“From who?”
“I don’t know.
“And then what happened?
Aria raised a hand to her temple.
There was screaming.
Her breath came faster.
And then the crash.
Damien’s face went hard.
“And Elena?”
She shoved me into a room.
“Which room?”
“I don’t know.
“Aria.”
“She locked the door.
A tear ran down her cheek.
She said she was coming back.
Damien went white.
“Did she?”
Aria shook her head.
”
“Not at all.”
The room went quiet.
Then Aria remembered something more.
A male voice.
Deeply.
Chilly.
Crazy.
And one sentence.
If she lives, all hell breaks loose.
Aria opened her eyes.
She looked toward Damien.
I knew who was standing there.
Damien’s face hardened.
“Who?
Aria’s voice was little more than a whisper.
“Your father.
Before Damien could reply, the security feed cut out.
Noah checked his phone.
“Lost signal.”
And then the whole house went black again.
A shot rang out outside.
Aria flinched.
Damien was immediately in front of her.
Noah sprinted for the hall.
Then another sound.
A loud crash.
Then was silence.
Damien looked Aria over.
For the first time since their marriage had begun, there was no distance between them.
Just fear.
And a truth they both could not escape.
Victor had been here the night, Elena had gone missing.
And if Aria’s memory served her right, he hadn’t been protecting anyone.
He’d been trying to shut Elena up.
A phone buzzed in the darkness.
Not Damien’s.
Aria’s
She dropped her eyes.
You have 1 new message.
YOU REMEMBER NOW.
Then another one appeared beneath.
BUT YOU STILL CAN’T REMEMBER WHY ELENA CHOSE YOU.
Aria felt a chill down her spine.
And then the final message.
Ask your husband what promise he made to do if his mom ever returned.