Chapter 12: A Secret from the Past
555 Words
The ballroom had finally emptied.
Broken glass covered the floor, and the once elegant hall now looked like the scene of a battle.
Isabella stood quietly, watching Ethan.
He hadn't spoken since the security team found the silver pendant.
He stared at it as if it carried memories he wished to forget.
"Ethan..." she called softly.
He looked up.
"What does that pendant mean?"
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he slipped it into his pocket.
"It's from my past."
"What kind of past?"
"The kind that should stay buried."
His cold answer made Isabella realize she had asked too much.
She nodded and looked away.
An hour later...
Rain poured heavily outside the Kingsley Estate.
Ethan stood alone on the balcony, watching the storm.
His phone vibrated.
The screen displayed a familiar name.
Daniel Carter.
His oldest friend.
Ethan answered immediately.
"You heard?"
"I did," Daniel replied. "Are you sure it's them?"
Ethan looked at the rain.
"I found their symbol."
Daniel sighed.
"I warned you years ago that they would come back."
"They've never stopped looking for me."
"And now they've found Isabella."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"No."
"They found my weakness."
Inside the mansion...
Isabella couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the masked man's hand grabbing her arm.
She walked downstairs for a glass of water.
As she entered the kitchen, she froze.
Ethan was already there.
He stood by the window, holding a cup of black coffee.
"You couldn't sleep either?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"I don't sleep much."
She poured herself a glass of water.
For the first time, neither of them argued.
The silence between them felt... comfortable.
"You saved me tonight," Isabella said quietly.
"I promised I would."
She smiled.
"I never thanked you properly."
Ethan looked at her.
"You already did."
"No."
"I mean it."
"If you hadn't been there..."
"I don't know what would've happened."
For a brief moment, the cold billionaire's expression softened.
"As long as you're under my protection..."
"No one will hurt you."
Isabella felt her heart skip a beat.
Why did those words make her feel so safe?
The next morning...
News of the attack was everywhere.
Television stations replayed the engagement party.
Social media exploded with headlines.
"Masked Men Attack Billionaire's Engagement!"
"Who Wants Isabella Hart Dead?"
At a luxury penthouse across the city, Victoria switched off the television in frustration.
Her assistant stood nearby.
"The kidnapping failed."
Victoria smiled.
"I know."
"What now, ma'am?"
She picked up a photograph of Isabella.
"If I can't separate Ethan from Isabella by force..."
"I'll make Ethan stop trusting her."
Her assistant frowned.
"How?"
Victoria's smile grew colder.
"Everyone has a past."
"We just have to invent one for Isabella."
Back at the Kingsley Estate...
A maid handed Isabella a sealed envelope.
"It was delivered this morning."
"There was no sender."
Confused, Isabella opened it.
A single photograph slipped onto the table.
The color drained from her face.
It was a picture of her...
Standing beside a man she had never met.
Across the photograph, someone had written in red ink:
"Your fiancée isn't as innocent as you think."
Just then...
Ethan walked into the room.
His eyes landed on the photograph.
His expression turned unreadable.
He slowly looked at Isabella.
"Would you like to explain this?"
- Writer
