CHAPTER 7 — The Break in the Silence
1058 Words
Ophelia’s scream sliced through the heavy stillness like a blade.
Ariella jolted, her breath catching in her throat. Damien was already moving — fast, controlled, but with a tension so sharp it radiated like heat. Elias followed, silent and lethal, his hand already on his weapon.
“Ariella, stay behind us,” Damien ordered, voice low and firm.
But her legs didn’t listen. Her body moved on its own, driven by a mixture of fear and dread she couldn’t name.
They left the hidden study, Damien entering the code with practiced speed. The panel slid open, and the three of them stepped back into the main hallway — where shadows stretched long across the polished floor.
Another scream.
This one shorter. Choked. Cut off too quickly.
Ophelia.
Ariella’s stomach twisted. “…Something’s wrong.”
Damien placed a steadying hand on her arm. “Stay close. No matter what you see, do not run.”
She nodded shakily, though her pulse thundered so loudly it drowned out her thoughts.
They reached the staircase.
A cluster of house staff stood frozen at the bottom, whispering frantically. Someone cried out Ariella’s name but Damien shut them down with a sharp look.
“Where is she?” Elias demanded.
A trembling maid pointed down the east corridor.
“T-the drawing room… we heard glass— and then Miss Ophelia— she— she screamed—”
Elias didn’t wait for her to finish. He moved.
Damien followed.
Ariella forced her feet to keep up, her heart slamming painfully against her ribs.
The drawing room door was open.
Barely.
Just enough for cold air to seep through.
Just enough for the softest, most terrifying sound to drift out:
A wet drag. Like something—or someone—being pulled.
Damien lifted a hand. They stopped.
He pushed the door open slowly.
The room was dim, lit only by moonlight spilling through a shattered window. The curtains billowed inward, the winter wind carrying snowflakes across the floor.
And there— on the far side of the room— crouched Ophelia.
Her back was to them. Her shoulders shook violently. Ariella’s breath caught.
“Ophelia?” she whispered.
Ophelia turned.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
Her face was streaked with tears. Her pupils blown wide with terror.
“Someone was here,” she choked out. “He— he grabbed me— I—I thought he was going to—”
She broke off with a sob.
Elias swept the room with his weapon drawn, eyes calculating every shadow. Damien approached Ophelia cautiously.
“Where is he?” Damien asked quietly. “Which direction did he go?”
Ophelia pointed toward the shattered window. “H-he came in through there. I—I thought it was the wind… and then I felt a hand over my mouth—”
Ariella felt the blood drain from her face.
He was inside the house.
He got inside.
Damien put a hand on Ophelia’s shoulder — a gesture meant to calm — but Ophelia grabbed his wrist instead.
“Damien… he said something.”
Elias turned sharply. “What did he say?”
Ophelia swallowed hard, her voice trembling.
“He said… ‘Wrong girl.’”
Ariella felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Damien’s head snapped toward her, horror flickering across his face.
Elias’s jaw clenched in realization.
Ariella’s voice came out barely audible. “Wrong girl… meaning… he was looking for me.”
Ophelia burst into fresh sobs. “He thought I was you— I told him I wasn’t— he looked at me— and then he left— he left through the window—”
Damien’s voice turned deadly calm. “Ariella. Come here.”
She shook her head, frozen. “He got inside, Damien… he touched Ophelia. He made it past the guards. He was in this house.”
Elias holstered his weapon and locked the window, then checked every corner before returning.
“He’s gone,” Elias said. “For now.”
“For now?!” Ariella snapped, fear cracking her voice. “He walked into my home. He tried to take my— my—”
She couldn’t finish.
Damien closed the distance between them in three long strides and pulled her into his arms before she collapsed.
It wasn’t like the gentle touches he usually gave her. This one was tight. Urgent. Protective in a way that trembled with emotion.
“Ariella,” he whispered, his breath warm against her hair. “I swear to you… I will not let anyone touch you.”
Her fingers curled into his shirt. “Damien… I can’t— I can’t do this. I’m scared.”
“I know,” he murmured. “I know. But you’re not alone. Not for one second.”
Elias cleared his throat softly — a respectful warning that they still had a situation.
Damien didn’t release her immediately.
Not until her breathing steadied.
Only then did he pull back slightly, cupping her face, his forehead lowering almost against hers.
His voice dropped to a trembling whisper.
“He came for you.”
Ariella nodded shakily. “I know.”
“And he won’t stop,” Damien said, something dark settling in his eyes. “Not until we stop him first.”
Elias stepped closer, face grave.
“There’s something we didn’t want to tell you tonight… but after this… you need to hear it.”
Ariella swallowed hard. “What?”
Damien exchanged a tense look with Elias.
“Ariella,” Damien said softly, “the man targeting you… he isn’t just an enemy.”
Elias finished the sentence.
“He’s someone connected to your mother.”
Ariella froze.
The air thinned.
“What… what did you say?” she whispered.
Damien’s eyes softened with guilt — and something deeper.
“Ariella,” he said, “we think the man after you…
…knew your mother.”
Ariella swayed, shock crashing over her like a wave.
But before she could speak—
A voice shouted down the hall:
“MICHAEL! SOMETHING’S HAPPENED TO OPHELIA!”
It was Gina.
And she was coming.
Fast.
Damien muttered under his breath. “Perfect. Again.”
Elias positioned himself between the door and Ariella.
Because whatever Gina’s reaction would be —
None of them were ready for it.
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- Writer
