Chapter 12 – Between Truth and Silence
1060 Words
Ariana’s POV
Voices.
That was the first thing I heard.
Distant at first.
Muffled.
Like they were coming from underwater.
“…pressure is dropping—”
“…get the doctor—”
“…she collapsed—”
Everything felt heavy.
My body.
My head.
Even my breathing.
I tried to move, but nothing responded.
Darkness clung to me.
Pulling me back.
But then—
“Ariana.”
My name.
Clear.
Sharp.
Close.
My eyes fluttered open.
Light hit me instantly, making me wince.
Too bright.
Too much.
I blinked slowly, trying to focus.
A ceiling.
White.
Unfamiliar.
A hospital?
My chest tightened slightly.
Of course.
⸻
“You’re awake.”
His voice.
I turned my head slightly.
Damien stood by the window, his posture straight, his expression unreadable.
But his eyes—
They were on me.
Watching.
Always watching.
I swallowed, my throat dry.
“…what happened?” My voice came out weak.
“You collapsed.”
Straight.
Simple.
No emotion.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course I did.
I pushed too far.
Again.
“I’m fine,” I murmured.
Even now.
Still lying.
Silence.
Then—
“No.”
My eyes opened again.
He hadn’t moved.
Hadn’t looked away.
“You’re not.”
The words were quiet.
But firm.
Certain.
I looked away first.
“I just need rest.”
Another lie.
Another weak one.
“And how long do you plan to keep saying that?”
My fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t have one.
⸻
The door opened.
A doctor walked in, flipping through a file.
“Miss Hale—”
He stopped.
His eyes flicked between us.
Something shifted in his expression.
Recognition.
Awareness.
My heart skipped.
No…
He knows me.
Of course he does.
He’s seen me before.
“Mr. Blackwood,” the doctor corrected smoothly, “your wife needs proper treatment.”
My chest tightened.
Treatment.
Damien’s gaze sharpened slightly. “For what exactly?”
The room went still.
The doctor hesitated.
And in that single moment—
Everything felt like it was about to collapse.
“Just exhaustion,” I said quickly, cutting in. “I haven’t been eating well and—”
“That’s not accurate.”
My breath caught.
The doctor’s voice was calm.
But firm.
Too firm.
“Her condition—”
“Doctor.”
My voice broke slightly.
Pleading.
Warning.
Begging.
Don’t.
He stopped.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Tense.
Unforgiving.
I couldn’t breathe.
Damien didn’t say anything.
But I could feel it—
His attention sharpening.
His suspicion deepening.
His patience… thinning.
⸻
“Leave us.”
His voice cut through the silence.
Cold.
Controlled.
The doctor hesitated for a second… then nodded.
“I’ll return shortly.”
The door closed behind him.
And just like that—
It was just the two of us again.
⸻
The silence this time?
Worse.
Because now—
There was no distraction.
No escape.
Only truth.
And the fact that it was dangerously close to coming out.
⸻
“What condition?”
His voice was low.
Too calm.
I swallowed.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Lie.
Again.
Again.
Again.
I was digging my own grave at this point.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Until he was standing right beside the bed.
Looking down at me.
“You collapsed.”
A pause.
“You’ve been bleeding.”
Another step closer.
“You can barely stand.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“And you expect me to believe there’s nothing wrong with you?”
My chest tightened painfully.
“I can handle it,” I whispered.
Wrong answer.
His jaw clenched slightly.
“That’s not what I asked.”
I looked away.
Because I couldn’t hold his gaze anymore.
Because if I did—
I might break.
⸻
“Look at me.”
I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
“Ariana.”
That did it.
Slowly… I turned.
And immediately wished I hadn’t.
Because this time—
His expression wasn’t just cold.
It was… something else.
Frustration.
Real frustration.
“Why are you lying?”
The question hit deeper than anything else.
Because I didn’t have a good answer.
Because the truth?
Was worse.
“Because it doesn’t matter,” I said quietly.
Silence.
Then—
“It matters to me.”
My breath caught.
What?
For a second, I just stared at him.
Confused.
Thrown off.
Because that…
That wasn’t what I expected.
At all.
His gaze didn’t waver.
“If you die while carrying my name,” he continued, his voice low, controlled, “it becomes my problem.”
There it was.
Not concern.
Not care.
Just logic.
Just responsibility.
Still—
It hit.
Harder than it should have.
⸻
“I’m not going to die,” I said softly.
Lie.
He knew it.
I knew it.
We both knew it.
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You’re already halfway there.”
My chest tightened.
Tears burned behind my eyes.
But I refused.
Not here.
Not in front of him.
Not again.
⸻
“Fine.”
The word cut through the tension.
Sharp.
Final.
“If you won’t tell me…”
He straightened slightly.
“I’ll find out myself.”
My heart dropped.
No.
“You don’t have to—”
“I do.”
His voice was firm.
Unyielding.
Dangerous.
“And when I do…”
A pause.
Just long enough to make my breath hitch.
“I won’t be as patient.”
The warning settled heavily in the room.
⸻
The door opened again.
The doctor stepped back in.
“Your wife needs to stay overnight—”
“She won’t.”
Damien didn’t even look at him.
“We’re leaving.”
My eyes widened slightly.
Leaving?
Already?
“But sir—”
“I’ll arrange private care.”
His tone left no room for argument.
The doctor hesitated… then nodded slowly.
“Very well.”
⸻
Minutes later—
I was being wheeled out.
Everything felt surreal.
Fast.
Out of control.
As always.
Damien walked beside me, his expression unreadable.
But his mind?
Working.
I could feel it.
⸻
Because now—
He wasn’t just suspicious.
He was hunting.
⸻
As the car doors closed and the mansion came back into view…
One thought echoed in my mind louder than anything else:
I’m running out of time.
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