SHADOWS OF AFFECTION

Uncovering Shadows

CHAPTER THREE

Emotions ran riot over the course of the following several days. We kept seeing one other, and every time we got together, Lucas and I learned more about his world and ourselves. I started to get an idea of the demands he was under, the media's ongoing monitoring, and the careful balancing act he did between his personal and professional lives. Even with my early misgivings, I kept getting pulled farther into his orbit.

Then everything turned around one afternoon.

Working in my studio on a new piece, I was motivated by the strong feelings of the previous few days. An unidentified number buzzed my phone with a message. Inquiring, I opened it.

"Meet me at the Fifth Street old gallery at 7 p.m., Elena. You ought to know something about Lucas.

The message hammered in my chest. This might be anybody. And what on earth would they possibly know about Lucas? The dread that had been nagging at me ever since Isabella showed arrived surged again. Though the feeling in the pit of my stomach was unsettling, I knew I had to go.

As the sun was sinking and long shadows were thrown across the deserted street, I arrived at the gallery. Relic from a time when art had thrived in this area of town, the structure remained deserted. I pushed the groaning door open and entered, the musty air filling my lungs.

Salutations. My voice rang out in the empty room.

Breathe stuck in my throat as a man appeared out of the shadows. Isabella was the presenter.

I said, "Isabella," a quiver in my voice. You're doing what here?

Though it was a chilly, calculated smile, she smiled. Elena, I felt it was time you found out the truth about Lucas.

Her handing me a folder came before I could ask any of the questions that were racing through my head. Said simply, "Read this."

I flicked open the folder and started reading. Within were papers that described a number of commercial transactions connected to Lucas. They presented an image of a guy who engaged in immoral behavior and would stop at nothing to succeed.

Hands trembling, I said, "This can't be true."

Isabella responded, "Oh, but it is," a satisfied sounding voice. "Lucas has a history of skillfully concealing his actual self. But I knew you would find out in due course."

I gazed up at her, a mix of bafflement and rage. "Why are you doing this?"

Envious eyes flashing, she said, "Because, Elena, I can't stand to see him happy with someone else." "He was mine once and he will be mine again."

Her comments were crushing me, so I pulled away. Lucas needed to be spoken with in order for me to get his side of things. Isabella took my arm, though, as I turned to go.

She said, "One more thing," gripping firmly. Make sure you watch. Lucas isn't the guy you believe him to be."

Mind racing, I drew away from her and bolted from the gallery. Might that be real? Had Lucas been keeping this sinister side from me all this time. Answers were what I needed right now.

I went up to Lucas's flat that evening. Warmly smiling, he opened the door and then quickly lost it when he noticed my reaction.

Concern tinged his voice, "Elena, what's wrong?"

Into his hands I shoved the folder. "Is Lucas right about this? Are these deals something you are involved in?"

Pallid, he peered at the papers. You got this where?

Could it be true? With a cracking of voice, I demanded.

He fixed his painful eyes on me. Not what it appears to be, Elena. Yes, the transactions did include me, but a very long time ago. Myself has evolved. I provide my word."

Suddenly tears filled my eyes. "How am I supposed to believe you, Lucas? How, after this, can I trust you?

Though I stepped back, he reached for me. "Please, Elena. Let me to explain. I messed up when I was young and ambitious. Those are, however, the past. I would never do you harm.

I wanted to think well of him. The man I had come to look after, I wanted to think, was incapable of the things Isabella had showed me. Though uncertainty bit my heart.

Finally, my voice scarcely raised above a whisper, I murmured, "I need time to think."

With anguished look on his face, he nodded. "Take as much time as you need. Here, waiting for you, will be me."

Those that followed were among my toughest days ever. Fearing Lucas wasn't who I thought he was, I battled my emotions for the man who had showed me so much love and generosity. Emma tried to consolate me, but the anguish inside of me was too great for words.

My phone then rang with a new message one evening as I was seated in my studio. From Lucas, that is.

Helena, kindly come meet me where our first date was. You need to know something. Something that may completely upend everything."

Reminiscing of our first date—a little, quaint café where we had spent hours talking—I hesitated. I chose to go, thinking that anything he had to say would help me sort through the mayhem that had taken over my life.

Lucas was there and looking more vulnerable than I had ever seen him when I got to the café. He stood as I got closer, dread and hope mixed together in his eyes.

He said, "Thank you for coming," quite quietly.

Heart thumping, I said, "Let's sit."

He drew a long sigh as we settled into seats. "I have to tell you the complete story, Elena. It's about Isabella as much as the transactions. You are ignorant of many things."

Though nervous, I nodded, my interest aroused. Listening is what I do.

Lucas started talking, his voice steady but tinged with feeling. He related to me his early years in business, the challenges he had encountered, and the concessions he had made. He talked of how his romance with Isabella had begun passionately but swiftly descended into poison. He described how, resolved to create a life of which he could be proud, he had distanced himself from her influence.

His eyes pleaded with mine, "I know I've made mistakes," he said. Elena, though, meeting you has been the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I want to be a better person because of you. You have to believe that.

I was sobbing as I listened, the weight of his remarks really hitting me. His eyes betrayed a real sadness for the past and a hope for the future.

I eventually responded, "I want to believe you, Lucas," my voice choking with passion. "But it will take some time before I can trust you again."

He nodded, his face deeply relieved. "I get it now. To win your confidence, Elena, I'll stop at nothing. Please, just never give up on us."

There was hope among the confusion as I left the café that evening. Lucas had told me straight out, and I could tell he was trying to improve. But there were obstacles and questions on the road ahead.

I had no idea that our narrative would take another turn shortly. My phone buzzed with a new message as I made my way to my vehicle. From an unidentified number, that was.

"Elena, you are mistaken to believe Lucas has told you everything. If you want the truth, come meet me at midnight by the dock."

Reading the note made my heart rush. What else would one possibly learn? Who then was sending these mysterious messages?

Driven to uncover the answers, I headed for the dock, my head buzzing with possibilities. There was nothing to hear save the soft lap of the waves against the dock in the pitch-black night.

Standing there waiting, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Breath seized in my throat, I recognized the face.

Whispering "Isabella," I felt both curiosity and dread clutch me.

She moved in, a lethal intensity shining in her eyes. Elena, I gave you my word. You don't know Lucas for who you believe you do. And it is now time you discovered the complete truth."

My world was rocked again that night at the dock with the revelation. Isabella revealed facts about Lucas that he had been hiding and that changed his image. I realised my trip with Lucas was far from ended as I stood there and listened to her comments.

Though there was treachery and danger ahead, I was powerless to back down now. My heart was too entwined with his and I was in too far. I vowed to myself as the evening progressed that I would find out the truth, whatever it took. I wanted to find the light in Lucas's world, even in its shadows.

I so faced the unknown prepared to take on whatever lay ahead, feeling both afraid and determined.