WHISPERS AND WARNINGS
663 Words
Ayana stared at the closed door long after Ethan had left the balcony. The warmth of his presence still lingered in the air, but her mind was a storm.
How had she ended up here trading a simple life in Kawangware for glittering gowns, cameras, and a man with secrets deeper than oceans?
The next morning, the storm outside had cleared, but a new one was brewing inside the mansion. Ayana was sipping tea in the sunroom when Marjorie, Ethan’s assistant, arrived unannounced.
Tall, sharp-featured, and impeccably dressed, Marjorie wore suspicion like perfume.
“I thought I’d stop by to check in on Ethan’s... wife,” she said, her tone smooth but laced with ice.
Ayana offered a polite smile. “He’s not in. Would you like to leave a message?”
Marjorie’s eyes scanned her up and down. “No need. I just came to see for myself.”
“See what?”
“If the girl in the tabloids was real or just another cover-up.”
Ayana’s spine straightened. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but our marriage is real.”
“Oh, I’m sure it feels real. Especially with that ring.” Her eyes dropped to Ayana’s hand. “But be careful. Ethan has a habit of making people feel important until they’re not.”
Before Ayana could respond, Marjorie gave a tight smile and turned to leave.
The encounter left Ayana rattled. She found Ethan later in his home office, phone pressed to his ear. When he saw her, he ended the call quickly.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Marjorie was here.”
Ethan tensed. “What did she say?”
“Enough to make me feel like I’m disposable.”
“You’re not,” he said firmly. “Don’t let her get to you.”
“She said you make people feel important… until you don’t.”
He walked over, placing a hand on her arm. “Ayana, if you ever feel like I’m using you say the word. We’ll walk away from this.”
She looked at him, searching for truth in his eyes. “What are we even doing, Ethan? One minute we’re pretending, the next…”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “All I know is, when I look at you, it doesn’t feel like acting.”
She looked away, trying to steady the emotions rising in her chest. “You still haven’t told me everything. About the accident. About her.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched. “You’re right. And you deserve the truth.”
That evening, he poured two glasses of wine and sat beside her on the couch. The fire crackled softly, casting a warm glow around them.
“Her name is Claudia Sinclair,” he began. “My parents arranged the engagement. It was political business, image, power. But I never loved her. I tried to end things, but before I could, the scandal broke.”
“What scandal?”
“She was the one behind the leak about my company’s internal security breach. She betrayed me, tried to ruin everything including me. That night, I left a meeting with her. We argued. I drove off alone and crashed. You found me.”
Ayana’s heart pounded. “So she’s the reason you disappeared.”
“Yes. I needed to vanish protect my company, protect myself. Marrying you gave me the cover I needed. But now… I’m not sure where the lie ends and the truth begins.”
Ayana took a deep breath. “And what happens when it all comes out?”
Ethan looked at her, eyes dark and unreadable. “Then I’ll protect you. No matter what.”
She stared into the fire, wondering if she could trust that promise.
Outside, the night deepened. Inside, Ayana and Ethan sat closer than ever yet still separated by the walls of unspoken truths and fragile hope.
This was no longer just a contract.
It was a ticking time bomb.
- Writer
