The Hidden Truth
1242 Words
Aria woke up the next morning to a life that still didn't feel like hers.
For a few seconds, she forgot where she was.
The sunlight spilling through the enormous windows.
The unfamiliar silence.
The softness of the bed beneath her.
Everything felt too perfect.
Too different.
Then reality returned.
Kingston Estate.
Damien Kingston's mansion.
Her new home.
Or at least, the place she was supposed to call home for the next year.
She sat up slowly and stared around the room.
The room was beautiful.
More beautiful than anything she had ever owned.
The walls were decorated with elegant paintings. The furniture looked expensive enough to belong in a luxury hotel. Even the flowers on the table looked carefully chosen.
But despite all of it, Aria felt something missing.
Warmth.
A home was supposed to hold memories.
Laughter.
Comfort.
This room felt like it was waiting for someone who might never arrive.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Clara entered carrying a tray.
"Good morning, Mrs. Kingston."
Aria closed her eyes briefly.
That name.
She still wasn't used to it.
"Good morning, Clara. Please, you can call me Aria."
The housekeeper smiled kindly.
"I understand, but old habits are difficult to change."
Aria smiled faintly.
"Fair enough."
Clara placed the tray on the table.
"Mr. Kingston asked me to inform you that breakfast will be ready soon."
Aria looked surprised.
"He asked?"
"Yes."
For some reason, that small detail caught her attention.
She expected Damien to send instructions through someone else.
That was how he operated.
Everything was controlled.
Everything was calculated.
But he had personally asked someone to tell her about breakfast.
It shouldn't have mattered.
Yet somehow, it did.
---
The dining room was larger than Aria's entire apartment.
The long table was designed for dozens of people.
But only two chairs were occupied.
Damien sat at one end, reading through documents while eating breakfast.
Of course.
Even before 8 a.m., he looked like he was already running the world.
Aria sat across from him.
"Good morning."
Damien lowered the papers.
"Good morning."
Silence followed.
A very long silence.
Aria looked around the room.
"Do you always eat breakfast like you're about to negotiate a billion-dollar deal?"
Damien looked at her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you look terrifying."
For a moment, Damien simply stared.
Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth lifted.
A small smile.
Almost invisible.
But Aria noticed.
"You smiled."
His expression immediately returned to normal.
"No, I didn't."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I saw it."
"You imagined it."
A small laugh escaped her before she could stop herself.
And for a moment, the tension between them disappeared.
Just for a moment.
Then reality returned.
This was still an arrangement.
---
After breakfast, Damien handed her a folder.
"What is this?"
"Your schedule."
Aria opened it.
Inside were invitations, charity events, interviews, and public appearances.
She looked up.
"This is a lot."
"Yes."
"Do I have to do all of this?"
"No."
The answer surprised her.
She studied him.
"You actually give people choices?"
Damien looked at her.
"I never wanted a wife who would simply obey."
The words caught her attention.
"Then what did you want?"
A pause.
"A partner."
The answer was quiet.
Almost too quiet.
Aria looked away.
Because for one second, she forgot this wasn't real.
---
Her phone rang.
Liam.
She immediately answered.
"Hey."
"Aria!"
His voice sounded happier than it had in weeks.
"What happened?"
"I got the scholarship."
A smile immediately appeared on her face.
"You did?"
"Yes! They approved everything. I can stay in school."
Relief washed over her.
"That's amazing, Liam."
"I still can't believe it. Yesterday I thought I was going to lose everything."
Aria looked down.
A strange feeling filled her chest.
She had saved him.
But she knew the truth.
Someone else had made it possible.
Her eyes moved toward Damien.
He was watching her quietly.
When the call ended, he spoke.
"He's happy."
Aria looked at him.
"You helped him."
Damien didn't deny it.
"It was part of the agreement."
"No."
She shook her head.
"That wasn't part of the agreement."
A pause.
"Maybe I wanted to help."
The honesty surprised her.
She didn't know what to say.
Because Damien Kingston was becoming harder and harder to understand.
---
That evening, Aria decided to explore the mansion.
Not because she was curious.
At least, that's what she told herself.
She simply needed to know where she was living.
The halls seemed endless.
Every room showed another side of Damien's wealth.
But nothing showed Damien himself.
No family pictures.
No personal items.
Nothing that suggested someone actually lived there.
Until she reached the hallway at the end of the east wing.
A single photograph sat on a table.
Aria stopped.
She picked it up.
It was Damien.
Younger.
Different.
He was smiling.
Actually smiling.
Standing beside him was a woman.
She looked happy.
And Damien looked like a completely different person.
Aria stared at the picture.
Who was she?
A voice behind her answered the question she hadn't asked.
"Someone I lost."
Aria turned.
Damien stood there.
His expression was unreadable.
"I wasn't trying to invade your privacy."
"I know."
She looked back at the picture.
"Who was she?"
For several seconds, Damien said nothing.
Then he walked closer.
"Her name was Isabella."
The way he said the name told Aria everything.
This woman mattered.
A lot.
"Was she someone you loved?"
The question left her mouth before she could stop it.
Damien's eyes moved to hers.
"Yes."
The honesty surprised her.
No denial.
No attempt to hide it.
Just the truth.
Aria lowered the picture.
"I'm sorry."
Damien looked away.
"Don't be."
There was pain in his voice.
A pain he tried to hide.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Then Damien said:
"Some questions are better left unanswered."
Aria studied him.
"Is that what you always do?"
"What?"
"Hide behind silence?"
His expression changed slightly.
"Sometimes silence is the only thing that protects people."
The answer stayed with her.
---
Later that night, Aria returned to her room.
She couldn't stop thinking about Isabella.
About Damien's reaction.
About the sadness hidden behind his perfect image.
She knew she shouldn't care.
This was temporary.
One year.
A contract.
Nothing more.
But her heart didn't seem to understand that.
Just as she was about to sleep, her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She frowned.
A message appeared.
You made the biggest mistake of your life by marrying Damien Kingston.
Aria froze.
Another message came immediately.
You don't know the man you married.
Her heartbeat increased.
She stared at the screen.
Who was this?
Before she could respond, another message appeared.
Ask him what happened five years ago. Ask him why Isabella died.
The phone nearly slipped from her hand.
Isabella.
The woman in the photograph.
A cold feeling spread through her.
Because suddenly, the secrets surrounding Damien Kingston felt much darker than she imagined.
The door to her room opened slightly.
Aria looked up.
Damien stood there.
"Are you okay?"
She quickly locked her phone.
"Yes."
But Damien studied her face.
He knew immediately.
She was lying.
"Aria."
She looked at him.
"Who sent that message?"
Her blood ran cold.
He knew.
Somehow, he knew.
And that scared her more than the message itself.
Because maybe the person warning her was right.
Maybe she really didn't know the man she married.
End of Chapter 6
- Writer
