Tainted Love

Chapter 23

Chapter: The Hidden Truths

And finally… Vivian was made a joint owner of the house alongside Victor.

The agreement was sealed, signed, and stamped …the sharp thud of the gavel-like seal echoing faintly across the quiet office. It was the kind of sound that marked endings and beginnings all at once. To Vivian, it felt like a new chapter, a symbol of unity, a promise made official. To Victor, however, it was nothing more than a calculated move … another box checked on the long list of his manipulations.

The lawyer smiled faintly, closing his briefcase. “I may take my leave now,” he said, adjusting his tie before heading for the door. His footsteps clicked crisply against the marble floor, each one echoing like a metronome counting down to something unseen.

As the door closed behind him, the air in the room seemed to shift. A heavy, tense silence settled … the kind that carries secrets no one dares to name.

Victor turned slowly toward Vivian, his features soft, his eyes almost gentle ….but hollow, like a man who had learned how to imitate affection without ever feeling it. “And again,” he began, exhaling dramatically as though rehearsing for a stage play, “I want to apologize for not telling you everything before you found out. I’m deeply sorry, honey.”

It was a backhanded apology …one that hid a thousand unspoken truths.

Vivian’s eyes, filled with trust and love, shimmered with tears that threatened to fall. Her heart was too pure, too ready to forgive. She reached for his hands with trembling fingers, her warmth wrapping around his cold palms.

“It’s okay, honey,” she whispered, forcing a small smile. “And I also apologize for how rude I was yesterday. I shouldn’t have let my emotions control me. I’m sorry.”

Victor nodded, feigning relief. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her closer. “We’ll be getting married this weekend. I can’t wait.”

He kissed her forehead …the gesture soft, the meaning hollow.

Vivian leaned into him, eyes closed, heart racing. She wanted to believe that everything was fine, that love had conquered doubt, that what she felt was real. But little did she know, she was standing at the very edge of heartbreak, blinded by a devotion that would soon destroy her.

She was in the darkest place ….and didn’t even know it.

As they embraced, Vivian’s back faced the doorway, where Bianca stood silently.

Her presence was like a shadow … burning, jealous, alive with fury. Her nails dug into her palms, and her lips trembled as she fought back the scream that rose in her throat. Every second of that hug between Victor and Vivian was torture …a dagger twisting deeper into her chest.

Bianca’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She had given Victor everything …her loyalty, her body, her heart … only to watch him play the perfect lover to someone else.

Victor caught her gaze. His expression hardened for a split second before he gave her a subtle shake of the head …. a warning to stay quiet. But that tiny gesture only made things worse. The signal, the secrecy, the silent conversation between them ….it was fuel to the fire.

The fact that Vivian stood there, smiling, resting her head on his chest, believing she was loved …. it was unbearable.

Bianca clenched her fists. Her heart pounded so violently it hurt to breathe. If she didn’t leave, she knew something inside her would snap.

So she turned ….trembling, furious …and walked away. Her heels struck the floor like drumbeats of war, her shadow vanishing into the hallway.

Victor exhaled, pretending nothing had happened, and gently stroked Vivian’s hair. She smiled faintly, unaware of the woman behind the door who wanted her gone ….or the truth that was slowly building like thunder over their fragile peace.

⸻

Inside the Great Dary Empire

Far away, in the heart of the city, stood the Dary Empire….a mansion so vast and silent that even the ticking of a clock could be heard echoing through its halls.

On the balcony, under the silver glow of the moon, Mr. Dary stood motionless. The night wind brushed against his face, but it did little to ease the storm inside him. His doubts had grown louder with each passing day, clawing at the edges of his sanity.

For weeks, he had sensed that something was wrong with his wife, Emilia. Her tone had changed, her movements had grown secretive, and she often took late-night calls in hushed whispers. But tonight ….tonight, he finally heard something that made his blood run cold.

He had overheard her say, “We have to keep an eye on Pascaline. We can’t let her escape.”

The words struck him like lightning.

Pascaline? he repeated to himself. Which Pascaline?

And then, realization dawned on him like a nightmare he couldn’t wake from. “Pascaline… her sister,” he muttered under his breath. His stomach tightened. His knees almost gave in.

The same Pascaline he was once meant to marry ….before she mysteriously vanished from their lives.

He gripped the iron railing so tightly that the metal bit into his palms. His mind raced back to that time ….the scandal, the disappearance, the letter that claimed Pascaline had taken her own life. The grief had almost broken him.

And yet, here he was, years later, hearing Emilia speak her name.

His first instinct was to rush downstairs, confront her, and demand the truth. But halfway through the hallway, he stopped himself. “No,” he whispered. “Not like this. I can’t act foolishly.”

He forced himself to breathe, to think. He returned to the balcony, staring into the darkness.

“But that day…” he murmured. “That Pascaline never came back. They said she killed herself. Or…” He couldn’t finish the thought.

He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “Am I overthinking? Why would Emilia do such a thing? What could she possibly gain by hurting her own sister?”

But then his thoughts began to connect …one horrible piece at a time.

The way Emilia always changed the subject whenever Pascaline’s name came up.

The way she avoided her sister’s old belongings.

The strange fear that flickered in her eyes whenever he mentioned the past.

And now, this phone call.

A realization crept through his mind, slow and suffocating.

He stumbled backward, collapsing into the chair behind him, clutching his chest.

“Did she… did she do it just to marry me?” he whispered, disbelief and terror in his voice.

He wanted to dismiss it …to call himself paranoid …but deep down, something told him he wasn’t wrong.

He shook his head violently. “No, Emilia can’t be that cruel. She can’t.”

But denial didn’t make the dread fade. His mind was clouded, his heart heavy. He felt like a stranger in his own house, surrounded by walls that hid too many secrets.

Still, one thing was certain ….Emilia was keeping someone named Pascaline under surveillance, and she planned to meet that person this weekend.

Whether it was her sister or not, he had to know. He couldn’t live another day with this gnawing uncertainty.

He rose from the chair, gripping the railing once more, his reflection glimmering faintly in the glass doors.

“I’ll follow her,” he murmured. “I’ll follow her and find the truth ….no matter what it costs.”

His voice was low but determined. The decision was made.

⸻

On the Other Side of the World

Meanwhile, Vivian was floating on clouds of joy. Her wedding was only three days away, and every moment felt like a dream she didn’t want to wake from.

She moved around the small hall, her fingers brushing the edges of ribbons and chairs, her mind already painting the picture of her perfect day.

At long last, she would marry Victor ….the man she had fought for, the man everyone said wasn’t good for her. Her parents had doubted her. Her friends had mocked her. But she had stayed. She had believed. And now, she had “won.”

She would finally prove them wrong.

But as her eyes swept across the room, her smile began to fade.

The hall was small. Too small. The décor looked cheap, the lights too dim, the flowers artificial. It wasn’t the fairytale wedding she had imagined. She had always pictured something grand … chandeliers, music, soft laughter echoing through a sea of white roses. But the truth before her was modest …. painfully so.

Everything, from the chairs to the cake, cost less than $500. Even her dress was cheap …vey cheap

The only expensive part of the ceremony was the court registration.

A knot tightened in her stomach. Why does Victor insist on keeping everything so small? she wondered. Why does he act like he doesn’t want the world to know?

She quickly brushed the thought aside, whispering to herself, “Love doesn’t need to be fancy.”

But her eyes betrayed her heart. The dullness of the place reflected a quiet disappointment.

She sat on one of the empty chairs, clasping her hands together. The moment she closed her eyes, memories of her best friend, Cecilia, rushed back.

Cecilia …her sister by choice, her confidant, her everything.

She could still hear her laughter.

“As for me,” Cecilia would say, “I’ll sack anyone who looks better than me at my wedding!” And they’d burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Vivian smiled sadly at the memory. “We’ll make beautiful brides,” Cecilia had once said, her voice full of hope.

They used to argue about who would marry first. Cecilia always teased her, saying Vivian’s kindness would make her the first to walk down the aisle.

Now that the day had come, Cecilia was nowhere to be found.

No calls. No messages. Just silence.

The ache in Vivian’s chest deepened. She blinked rapidly to keep her tears from falling. It felt wrong ….celebrating love while her dearest friend had vanished from her life without explanation.

Just then, Victor’s voice snapped her from her thoughts. “Honey, I’m done. The driver’s sending everything,” he said, stepping inside the hall. His voice was smooth, casual …too casual.

Vivian wiped her eyes quickly and turned with a forced smile. “Okay, honey,” she replied softly.

They began moving their belongings into the mansion ….their supposed new home after marriage.

To Vivian, the mansion symbolized a promise, a shared future. To Victor, it was nothing but convenience.

As she carried the last box, she paused by the doorway. The sun was setting, painting the sky in gold and orange. The light poured into the hallway, wrapping her in a warm glow.

For a brief, fragile moment, everything felt perfect.

She imagined the laughter of children echoing through the halls, Victor’s arm around her waist, the smell of fresh coffee in the mornings.

She smiled to herself, whispering, “Finally, everything is falling into place.”

But she was wrong.

The universe had other plans …. cruel ones.

The pieces she thought were aligning so perfectly were, in truth, forming the outline of a tragedy that would soon consume her and everyone she loved.

And as the night drew in, shadows gathered quietly around her happiness ….patient, waiting.

Because in this story, love wasn’t the beginning.

It was the warning.