Vanessa's Warning
938 Words
Chapter Three
The morning sun rose slow and warm over the island, but my heart felt cold.
Damon had flown out early for a quick business meeting. He promised to be back before nightfall. I told him I’d be fine. I needed the space, anyway. These quiet hours helped me breathe and remind myself why I came into this marriage. I wasn’t here for love. I was here for justice.
But I didn’t expect the knock on the door.
It came right after breakfast. I was still in a simple cotton gown, hair loose, sitting by the window and writing in my little diary—the one I hid from Damon.
The knock came again. Sharp. Impatient.
I frowned. “Who could that be?”
I opened the door, and everything inside me went still.
A tall woman with long curly brown hair and bold red lips stood in front of me. She had high heels on and carried herself like she owned the whole island. Her sunglasses were pushed up into her hair, and her eyes—cold and sharp—scanned me from head to toe.
“Are you Alina?” she asked, folding her arms.
“Yes,” I answered slowly, unsure what was happening.
“I’m Vanessa,” she said.
I didn’t know the name. But then she added the words that made my stomach twist.
“Damon’s ex.”
“Oh,” I breathed.
She smiled, but it wasn’t friendly. It was the kind of smile people wear when they’re ready to fight.
“You don’t look like his type,” she said, walking right past me into the room like she had every right to be there.
I stared at her, confused but silent. She looked around at the furniture, the wine bottles, the view from the window.
“So this is where he brought you,” she said with a dry laugh. “The same island he once promised me.”
I swallowed hard. “What do you want?”
She turned and faced me, her eyes full of fire.
“I want to know who you are and what spell you used on Damon. He used to love me. We were together for years. I stood by him when his world fell apart. I watched him build his company. And now? He marries a little quiet mouse like you in less than six months.”
I didn’t answer. My hands were starting to shake, but I hid them behind me.
“You don’t belong in his life,” Vanessa continued. “I know Damon. He’s not the type to fall for someone so fast unless she’s hiding something.”
I met her eyes then.
She wasn’t stupid.
But I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t tell her I never loved Damon… that I only married him because I believed he killed my father. I couldn’t tell her I was here to break his world the way he broke mine.
So I kept quiet.
Vanessa stepped closer. “Why did he choose you, huh? What do you have that I don’t? You think because you wear his ring, you’ve won?”
I swallowed. “I never said that.”
“Then say something!” she shouted.
I flinched.
She stared at me, breathing hard, then suddenly calmed down. “Listen… I know Damon. He doesn’t trust easily. But if you’re hiding anything… it will come out. He’ll find it.”
I looked away, my heart racing.
She turned to leave but stopped at the door. “One more thing,” she said without turning. “He still calls my name in his sleep sometimes. Don’t think you’ve replaced me.”
And with that, she walked out.
I stood frozen in the room, her words echoing in my head.
***
Hours passed.
I sat in the same spot by the window, too stunned to cry. My father’s photo sat on the table beside me. I picked it up and held it to my chest.
“Daddy, I’m trying,” I whispered. “But it’s getting harder.”
I felt guilty.
Not because of Vanessa’s visit.
But because her words made something inside me shake.
What if I was the bad one? What if Damon wasn’t as evil as I thought? What if… what if I was wrong?
No. I shook my head quickly. No, I wasn’t wrong. I saw the reports. I saw the silence from his company. I saw the threats to stay quiet.
Damon Steele had blood on his hands.
I just had to be strong enough to uncover it.
Still, when Damon returned that evening, smiling with a bag of gifts, my heart felt heavy.
He kissed my cheek. “Missed me?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
He held up a necklace. “I saw this and thought of you.”
It was beautiful. A small diamond heart on a thin gold chain.
I smiled weakly and let him put it around my neck.
Vanessa’s voice echoed in my head.
_He still calls my name in his sleep._
That night, I lay in bed, back turned to Damon. He pulled me close, arm wrapping around my waist. His breathing was soft, steady.
And then, just as I started to drift off…
He whispered something.
Very softly.
“…Vanessa.”
My heart stopped.
I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe.
I just stared at the wall, frozen.
She was right.
He did call her name.
Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them away.
Brave ladies don’t cry.
They fight.
They win.
And I was just getting started.
- Writer
