Chapter 3- Behind closed doors
1799 Words
CHAPTER three
Behind Closed Doors
Three days after signing the contract, Aria Bennett stood in front of the grand entrance of Nightingale Manor, the place that would be her home for the next year.
The mansion was breathtaking. Marble steps led to towering oak doors, while perfectly manicured gardens stretched across the estate. It looked less like a home and more like a palace.
A chauffeur opened the car door.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Nightingale.”
The title caught her off guard.
She wasn’t used to hearing it.
And she wasn’t sure she ever would be.
Inside, the house was elegant but strangely quiet. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, expensive paintings lined the walls, and every piece of furniture looked untouched, as if no one truly lived there.
Gabriel descended the staircase in a charcoal suit, looking as composed as ever.
“I hope the journey wasn’t unpleasant.”
“It was fine,” Aria replied, glancing around. “Your house is… enormous.”
“It was my parents’ dream home.”
“And yours?”
He looked around the vast hallway before answering.
“It’s simply where I live.”
His answer told her everything.
This house had never felt like a home to him.
A woman in her sixties approached with a warm smile.
“Mrs. Nightingale, I’m Evelyn, the housekeeper. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Aria smiled gratefully.
“Please, call me Aria.”
Evelyn nodded warmly.
“As you wish.”
Unlike the rest of the mansion, Evelyn’s kindness made the place feel welcoming.
⸻
Later that evening, Gabriel showed Aria the west wing of the manor.
“This will be your suite.”
She stepped inside and was stunned.
The room was larger than her entire apartment. Soft cream walls, elegant furniture, a private sitting area, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the gardens.
“You’ll have complete privacy,” Gabriel explained.
“And you?”
“My suite is on the opposite side of the house.”
Aria looked at him.
“So we’re really doing this.”
“Yes.”
“No shared bedroom.”
“No.”
“No expectations.”
“None.”
She exhaled in relief.
“Good.”
For the first time since signing the contract, she felt she might actually survive the next year.
⸻
The following morning, breakfast was awkward.
A long dining table separated them despite there being only two people present.
Gabriel quietly read financial reports while Aria stirred her coffee.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Do you always work during breakfast?”
“Usually.”
“Do you ever relax?”
He looked up.
“I don’t see the point.”
She laughed softly.
“You really don’t know how to enjoy life, do you?”
“I enjoy productivity.”
“I enjoy sleeping in on Sundays.”
“I haven’t done that in fifteen years.”
She stared at him.
“You weren’t joking.”
“No.”
For reasons she couldn’t explain, she suddenly felt sorry for him.
Behind the wealth and success stood a man who had forgotten how to simply live.
⸻
That afternoon, Gabriel took Aria to the headquarters of Nightingale Enterprises.
Employees immediately congratulated the newly married couple.
Every smile, every handshake, every photograph strengthened the illusion.
In public, they looked perfect together.
Privately…
They barely knew each other.
As they exited the boardroom, a woman’s voice echoed through the hallway.
“Gabriel.”
Both of them turned.
A tall, elegant woman with striking blue eyes approached confidently.
She wore a tailored white dress and carried herself as though she belonged there.
Her gaze landed on Aria.
“So…”
She smiled politely.
“This is your wife.”
Gabriel’s expression hardened almost instantly.
“Victoria.”
“I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”
“There wasn’t one.”
Victoria laughed quietly.
“Of course there wasn’t.”
She stepped closer to Aria.
“I’m Victoria Hayes.”
Aria extended her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Victoria shook it briefly but her smile never reached her eyes.
“I’ve heard so much about you.”
Aria frowned slightly.
“Really?”
“Oh yes.”
Victoria turned to Gabriel.
“I just didn’t expect you to replace me so quickly.”
The hallway suddenly felt much colder.
Aria looked between them.
Replace?
Gabriel’s voice became firm.
“This isn’t the place.”
“No,” Victoria replied calmly.
“It never is.”
Without another word, she walked away.
Aria watched her disappear down the corridor.
When she finally looked back at Gabriel, his face was unreadable.
“Who was she?”
“My past.”
“That didn’t sound like the whole story.”
“It isn’t.”
Silence followed.
For the first time, Aria realized there were chapters of Gabriel’s life he had no intention of sharing.
Yet somehow…
She wanted to know them.
Because beneath his calm exterior was a man carrying wounds he refused to show.
And something told her those wounds were about to become her problem too.
Far above the city, storm clouds gathered over Nightingale Tower.
Neither Aria nor Gabriel noticed.
But before the week was over, the carefully constructed contract marriage would face its first real test—and someone from Gabriel’s past was determined to make sure it didn’t survive.
Morning sunlight spilled across the gardens of Nightingale Manor, painting the roses in shades of gold. From her bedroom window, Aria watched the gardeners at work, wishing life could be as simple as tending flowers. Instead, she was living a lie that the entire city believed was a fairy-tale marriage.
A gentle knock sounded on her door.
“Come in,” she called.
Evelyn entered carrying a breakfast tray.
“I thought you’d enjoy breakfast in your room after yesterday.”
“Thank you,” Aria said with a grateful smile.
Evelyn hesitated before speaking again.
“Mr. Nightingale has already left for the office.”
“He leaves early.”
“He always has.”
There was sadness in Evelyn’s voice.
“I’ve watched him grow up,” she continued. “He wasn’t always so serious.”
Aria looked up with interest.
“What happened?”
Evelyn smiled sadly.
“That’s a story only Gabriel can tell.”
⸻
Across the city, Gabriel sat through another board meeting.
His attention drifted when his phone vibrated.
Unknown Number
He ignored it.
A second message appeared.
You can’t hide forever. Tell your wife the truth before I do.
His jaw tightened.
Only one person would send a message like that.
Victoria.
He deleted it without replying.
For the first time in years, he felt something close to fear.
Not for himself…
But for Aria.
⸻
That evening, Gabriel returned home later than usual.
He found Aria in the library, surrounded by fashion magazines and sketches.
“I didn’t know this room existed,” she said without looking up.
“I rarely use it.”
“You have thousands of books.”
“My mother collected them.”
Aria smiled as she held up an old novel.
“Maybe you should start reading them.”
“I don’t have the time.”
“You always say that.”
“And it’s always true.”
She closed the book and stood.
“You know, Gabriel, you’re the richest man I’ve ever met…”
He raised an eyebrow.
“…and somehow you’re also the poorest.”
His expression changed.
“What does that mean?”
“You have money, success, influence…”
She stepped closer.
“But you don’t seem happy.”
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Gabriel answered quietly.
“Happiness has never been one of my goals.”
Aria’s heart ached at the honesty in his voice.
Maybe he truly believed that.
Maybe no one had ever shown him otherwise.
⸻
The next afternoon, they attended their first charity gala as husband and wife.
The ballroom sparkled beneath crystal chandeliers. Cameras flashed from every direction as guests admired the city’s newest power couple.
“They’re staring,” Aria whispered.
“They’re supposed to.”
“I’ll never get used to this.”
“You will.”
He offered his arm.
She slipped hers through it.
For anyone watching, they looked deeply in love.
Only they knew the distance between them.
As the orchestra began to play, the host announced the opening dance.
Gabriel looked at Aria.
“We have to.”
She swallowed.
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
“I assume you can dance.”
“A little.”
“So can I.”
He led her onto the dance floor.
Soft music filled the room as he placed one hand gently at her waist.
She rested hers on his shoulder.
For a moment, the noise around them disappeared.
They moved slowly across the polished floor.
Neither spoke.
Neither wanted to break the strange peace settling between them.
Aria looked into his eyes.
They no longer seemed cold.
Just… lonely.
“You dance well,” she whispered.
“My mother insisted I learn.”
“I’m glad she did.”
Their eyes met.
The world faded.
For one dangerous heartbeat…
The contract disappeared.
⸻
A loud clap interrupted the moment.
The music stopped.
Guests turned toward the ballroom entrance.
Victoria Hayes stood there, dressed in an elegant crimson gown.
She smiled sweetly.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Gabriel’s expression darkened immediately.
“What are you doing here?”
“I received an invitation.”
“You weren’t invited by me.”
Victoria’s smile never faltered.
“No…”
She glanced at Aria.
“…but apparently someone thought I deserved to witness this performance.”
Whispers spread across the ballroom.
Aria felt every pair of eyes watching them.
Victoria stepped closer.
“Tell me, Aria…”
She tilted her head slightly.
“Did Gabriel ever tell you why our engagement ended?”
Aria looked at Gabriel.
He remained silent.
Victoria laughed softly.
“I thought not.”
She reached into her handbag and removed an old photograph.
It showed a younger Gabriel…
Standing beside Victoria.
Both smiling.
Both wearing engagement rings.
Victoria handed the photograph to Aria.
“I think every wife deserves to know the truth.”
Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving stunned silence behind her.
Aria stared at the picture.
Then slowly lifted her eyes to Gabriel.
“Is it true?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
And in that silence…
The first crack appeared in the foundation of their carefully written contract.
Neither of them realized that this secret was only the beginning.
Because someone wasn’t just trying to expose their fake marriage…
Someone wanted to destroy Gabriel Nightingale completely.
- Writer
