Married by deception

THE PHOTOGRAPH

Elena stood in the doorway of her bedroom, staring at the hallway.

Damian's bedroom was on the floor above.

The message was still open on her phone.

Ask him about the photograph in his bedroom.

She should have ignored it.

She knew that.

Breaking into someone's private room wasn't exactly the best way to build trust with her future husband.

But Damian had spent days refusing to tell her the truth.

Someone else was clearly determined to expose it.

And Elena was tired of being the only person who knew nothing.

She quietly stepped into the hallway.

The house was silent.

Too silent.

She looked toward the staircase.

Then she started walking.

One step at a time.

She reached the third floor and found a long corridor with several doors.

At the very end was a dark wooden door.

She tried the handle.

Unlocked.

Elena hesitated.

"Just look," she whispered to herself.

She pushed the door open.

Damian's bedroom was nothing like hers.

It was darker, more masculine, and almost completely free of decoration.

A large bed stood against one wall.

There was a sitting area near the windows.

A bookshelf covered an entire section of the room.

Everything was perfectly organized.

Elena slowly walked inside.

She felt strangely guilty.

She had never been the type to invade someone's privacy.

But then again, Damian wasn't exactly being transparent with her.

She searched the room.

Nothing.

No obvious photograph.

She checked the desk.

Nothing.

The bedside table.

Nothing.

She turned toward the bookshelf.

Still nothing.

"Maybe the message was a lie."

She turned around.

A small black cabinet stood beside the wardrobe.

Elena walked toward it.

The first drawer contained documents.

The second contained old watches.

The third was locked.

Her heart began beating faster.

She tried the handle again.

Nothing.

Then she noticed a small key sitting on the desk.

She stared at it.

"No way."

She picked it up.

It fit perfectly.

The drawer opened.

Inside was a small wooden box.

Elena slowly lifted it out.

She placed it on the desk.

The box wasn't locked.

She opened it.

Inside were several photographs.

Her breath caught.

She picked up the first.

Damian.

Much younger.

Maybe twenty-two or twenty-three.

She picked up another.

Damian standing beside his grandfather.

Another.

Damian at a family event.

Then she saw it.

A photograph of herself.

Elena froze.

It wasn't from the charity event.

It was more recent.

She was walking out of a university building.

Someone had taken the photograph from across the street.

Her face was clearly visible.

She picked up another.

Her sitting in a café.

Another.

Her walking through a shopping center.

Another.

Her standing beside her mother.

Elena's hands began to shake.

"Why?"

She searched through the photographs.

There were dozens.

Some were years old.

Some were recent.

All of them were of her.

Someone had been watching her.

For years.

She heard footsteps outside.

Elena quickly put the photographs down.

The door opened.

Damian stood there.

His expression changed instantly when he saw what was on the desk.

"Elena."

She turned around.

"I can explain."

"You broke into my room."

"I didn't break anything."

"That's not what I meant."

His voice was dangerously calm.

Elena pointed toward the photographs.

"Then explain those."

Damian walked into the room.

He looked at the photographs.

For a few seconds, he said nothing.

"How long?"

Elena's voice was quieter.

"How long have you been watching me?"

"I haven't."

She laughed bitterly.

"Don't lie to me."

"I didn't take those."

"Then who did?"

"I don't know."

"How convenient."

Damian picked up one of the photographs.

His expression became darker.

"I've never seen this."

"You're saying someone has been following me without your knowledge?"

"Yes."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"You're not."

He placed the photograph back down.

"But I'm telling you the truth."

Elena stared at him.

"Then why were they in your room?"

Damian looked toward the box.

"I don't know."

She pointed at it.

"There's more."

She pulled out another photograph.

This one was from six years ago.

The charity event.

She and Damian were standing near the garden.

Exactly like the photograph from the previous chapter.

But this one had something different.

There was another person in the background.

A man.

His face was partially hidden.

Elena leaned closer.

"Who is that?"

Damian took the photograph from her.

His expression changed.

"You know him?"

"No."

"Then why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Damian stared at the photograph.

"I've seen this man before."

"Where?"

"At the event."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know."

Elena looked at him.

"You're lying again."

"I'm not."

"Then what do you know?"

Damian turned the photograph over.

There was writing on the back.

This time, there were only three words.

**She belongs elsewhere.**

Elena's stomach tightened.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"Damian."

"I said I don't know."

His voice was sharper now.

Elena stepped back.

"Don't raise your voice at me."

He immediately stopped.

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him in surprise.

Damian rarely apologized.

He rubbed his forehead.

"I shouldn't have."

"No."

Silence filled the room.

Then Elena asked quietly, "Why do you have these?"

Damian looked at the box.

"I told you. I don't know who put them here."

"But the box is in your room."

"I know."

"Then someone has access to your bedroom."

His eyes narrowed.

"Apparently."

"That's terrifying."

"Yes."

Elena looked at the photographs again.

"If someone has been following me, why?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think it's connected to your company?"

"Possibly."

"Or your family?"

"Possibly."

She looked at him.

"Or the marriage?"

Damian didn't answer.

"Damian."

"I don't know."

Elena folded her arms.

"That's the first honest answer you've given me tonight."

He looked at her.

"I've been honest with you."

"Not completely."

"No."

The admission surprised her.

Damian walked toward the window.

"There are things I haven't told you."

"Clearly."

"Because I wasn't sure who I could trust."

Elena's expression softened slightly.

"You could have trusted me."

"I didn't know you."

"You knew enough to marry me."

His eyes met hers.

"Maybe I knew more than you think."

Elena went quiet.

"What does that mean?"

Damian looked away.

"Nothing."

She shook her head.

"No. You don't get to say that anymore."

She walked closer.

"You keep telling me you know me. You keep saying you remember me. You have photographs of me. Someone is threatening me. And now I find out someone has been watching me."

She paused.

"So tell me the truth."

Damian remained silent.

"Why me?"

His jaw tightened.

"I told you."

"No."

She shook her head.

"You told me what you wanted me to hear."

He looked at her.

"I chose you because our families needed the marriage."

"That's not enough."

"Because I knew you'd be strong enough to handle my world."

"Still not enough."

"Because I trusted you."

Elena blinked.

"You didn't even know me."

"I knew enough."

She stared at him.

"How?"

Damian didn't answer.

Elena took a step backward.

"I think I'm starting to understand."

"Understand what?"

"This marriage wasn't arranged three days ago."

His expression changed.

"What?"

"You already knew about me."

Damian's silence confirmed it.

Elena's heart sank.

"How long?"

"Elena—"

"How long did you know about me before our families announced the marriage?"

He looked away.

"Damian."

"Several months."

She stared at him.

"Several months?"

"Yes."

"And you never told me?"

"I didn't think it mattered."

She laughed.

"Of course it mattered."

"I knew your family."

"You knew my family. That's different."

"I knew about you."

"Exactly."

She turned toward the door.

Damian stopped her.

"Elena."

She turned.

"What?"

"I didn't choose you because you were convenient."

"Then why?"

His eyes held hers.

"Because I knew you'd never survive being married to someone who treated you like an obligation."

She didn't know how to respond.

The words sounded almost sincere.

Almost.

But there was still something he wasn't saying.

Before Elena could speak, a loud crash came from downstairs.

Both of them froze.

Damian immediately moved toward the door.

"Stay here."

Elena followed.

"Not this time."

"Elena."

"I'm coming."

He looked at her for a moment.

Then nodded.

They hurried down the stairs.

The housekeeper stood near the entrance, visibly shaken.

"What happened?" Damian asked.

She pointed toward the front door.

"It was open."

Damian looked at the security panel.

"Who opened it?"

"No one."

He walked toward the door.

The security system showed no record of entry.

Elena looked around.

Nothing appeared to be missing.

Then she noticed something on the floor.

A white envelope.

Her name was written across it.

Elena bent down.

Damian caught her hand.

"Don't touch it."

He took the envelope himself.

There was no return address.

He opened it carefully.

Inside was another photograph.

He handed it to Elena.

She stared at it.

It was a picture of her and Damian from earlier that evening.

Leaving Blackwood Corporation.

They hadn't known anyone was watching.

Elena's face went pale.

"How did they get this?"

Damian's expression was cold.

"They were following us."

There was a message written underneath the photograph.

**You still don't understand.**

Elena swallowed.

Then she saw the second line.

**Damian isn't protecting you from me.**

Her eyes moved to the final sentence.

**He's protecting you from the truth.**

She looked at Damian.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Damian took the photograph from her.

"Go upstairs."

"No."

"Elena."

"You promised you'd stop keeping me in the dark."

"I know."

"Then tell me."

Damian stared at the message.

His expression slowly changed.

"You want the truth?"

"Yes."

He looked at her.

"Then tomorrow, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"The place where I first saw you."

Elena's breath caught.

"And you'll tell me everything?"

Damian held her gaze.

"Everything I remember."

She nodded.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

Damian turned toward the stairs.

But Elena remained where she was.

Something still bothered her.

She looked at the photograph one more time.

The image had been taken earlier that evening.

Which meant someone had been close enough to follow them all the way to the house.

She looked toward the dark windows.

Someone was watching.

And this time, Elena was certain of one thing.

The person behind the messages wasn't trying to stop the marriage.

They were waiting for it.

Because whatever secret connected her to Damian had been hidden for six years.

And now that they were finally getting married...

Someone had decided it was time for the truth to come out.