WHEN THE DEVIL CHOSE LOVE

THE DEVIL'S PROMISE

Chapter 9

Dawn arrived, but Blackwood Manor remained wrapped in darkness.

The rain had finally stopped.

Yet the silence that settled over the estate felt heavier than the storm itself.

Nerisse hadn't slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the woman in white collapsing into the rain...

Her mother's letters...

The hidden cameras...

And Lucien shielding her from the sniper's bullet.

None of it made sense anymore.

She stood on the balcony, staring at the sunrise.

It should have been beautiful.

Instead, it felt like the beginning of another nightmare.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Miss Nerisse?"

It was Margaret.

"Mr. Blackwood would like to see you."

Nerisse nodded.

"I'll be there."

A few minutes later, she entered Lucien's study.

He stood beside the fireplace, already dressed in a charcoal-black suit.

Ethan was reviewing several security reports.

The atmosphere inside the room was tense.

Lucien looked up as Nerisse entered.

"Good morning."

She forced a small smile.

"Morning."

Ethan placed a folder on the desk.

"The flash drive Victor hid has finally been decrypted."

Nerisse's heartbeat quickened.

"What's on it?"

Ethan opened the folder.

"Thousands of confidential files."

"Financial records."

"Surveillance reports."

"Private communications."

"But one file stands out."

Lucien folded his arms.

"Show us."

Ethan connected the flash drive to a laptop.

A single video appeared on the screen.

There was no title.

No date.

Only the words...

**PLAY ME LAST.**

Nerisse frowned.

"Why would someone write that?"

Lucien answered quietly.

"Because it's probably the most dangerous file."

Ethan clicked on another video instead.

The recording began.

The image was grainy.

An underground laboratory slowly came into view.

Men in white coats hurried through long corridors.

Security guards stood at every entrance.

Then...

The camera stopped.

Nerisse's breath caught.

A little girl stood in the middle of the room.

She couldn't have been older than six.

She wore a white hospital gown.

Her long dark hair covered part of her face.

She looked frightened.

Confused.

Alone.

Ethan paused the video.

"Do you recognize her?"

Nerisse stared at the screen.

Her chest tightened.

"She..."

She couldn't finish the sentence.

The little girl looked exactly like her.

Lucien slowly lowered his eyes.

He had hoped she wouldn't discover this yet.

Nerisse whispered,

"That's me..."

Ethan nodded.

"We believe so."

Her breathing became uneven.

"I don't remember any of this."

Ethan resumed the video.

A scientist approached the little girl.

He knelt beside her and smiled.

His smile looked kind.

But something about it felt wrong.

He held out a silver pendant.

The same pendant Nerisse's mother had always worn.

The scientist spoke.

The audio was distorted.

Only a few words could be heard.

"...memory..."

"...erase..."

"...Project Phoenix..."

The video suddenly ended.

Silence filled the study.

Nerisse couldn't move.

Her mind replayed those three words.

**Memory.**

**Erase.**

**Project Phoenix.**

She slowly looked at Lucien.

Tears shimmered in her eyes.

"What did they do to me?"

Lucien walked toward her.

His expression was softer than usual.

"I don't know everything."

"But I know enough."

Nerisse searched his face.

"Then tell me."

Lucien took a deep breath.

"Your father wasn't protecting money."

"He wasn't protecting power."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"He was protecting you."

Before Nerisse could respond—

The laptop screen suddenly flickered.

The video disappeared.

Black static filled the display.

Then a familiar face appeared.

Damien.

He smiled calmly into the camera.

As though he knew they were watching.

"Good morning, brother."

Lucien's eyes hardened.

Damien leaned closer to the camera.

"If you've reached this recording..."

"...then Nerisse has finally begun remembering."

Nerisse felt her heart stop.

Damien's smile slowly faded.

His next words were barely above a whisper.

"Ask her what happened..."

"...on the night she killed her first person."

The room fell into complete silence.

No one spoke.

No one even breathed.

Damien's words echoed inside Nerisse's mind.

**"...the night she killed her first person."**

Her face turned pale.

"No..."

She took a step backward.

"That's impossible."

Lucien immediately closed the laptop.

The screen went black.

"Don't listen to him."

Nerisse looked at him with frightened eyes.

"Tell me he's lying."

Lucien didn't answer.

That silence hurt more than any words could.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

"Lucien..."

"...please."

Ethan lowered his head.

He had served Lucien for nearly ten years.

He had never seen him hesitate like this.

Finally, Lucien spoke.

"I don't know exactly what happened that night."

Nerisse's heart pounded painfully.

"But I know one thing."

He stepped closer.

"You were never a murderer."

"Then why can't I remember?"

Lucien looked away.

"Because someone made sure you wouldn't."

Nerisse's breathing became uneven.

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too quiet.

She rushed out of the study without another word.

"Nerisse!" Lucien called.

But she didn't stop.

She ran through the long hallway, past frightened servants and confused guards.

Her thoughts raced faster than her footsteps.

**Who am I?**

**What happened to me?**

**What if Damien is telling the truth?**

She reached the manor's garden.

The morning air was cold.

She leaned against an old oak tree, struggling to breathe.

"None of this is real..."

"It can't be."

Suddenly—

"You're finally asking the right questions."

A familiar voice came from behind her.

Nerisse spun around.

Standing beneath the shadow of another tree was a young woman.

She wore a black leather jacket and dark jeans.

Her shoulder-length brown hair moved gently with the breeze.

There was a small scar beneath her left eye.

She looked to be about Nerisse's age.

"Who are you?" Nerisse asked cautiously.

The woman smiled faintly.

"My name is Selene."

"I've been looking for you."

Nerisse took a cautious step back.

"How did you get inside Blackwood Manor?"

Selene ignored the question.

Instead, she reached into her pocket and removed an old photograph.

She held it out.

Nerisse hesitated before taking it.

The moment she looked at it...

Her heart stopped.

It was another childhood picture.

This time, two little girls stood side by side.

One was Nerisse.

The other...

Was Selene.

They were holding hands.

Smiling.

As though they had been inseparable.

Nerisse stared at the photograph in disbelief.

"I..."

"I don't remember you."

Selene's smile faded.

"I know."

"Because they erased me from your memories."

Nerisse looked up sharply.

"Who are 'they'?"

Before Selene could answer—

Lucien's voice echoed across the garden.

"Nerisse!"

Selene's expression changed instantly.

"He's here."

She quickly grabbed Nerisse's wrist.

"Listen carefully."

"If you want the truth..."

"...meet me tonight."

She slipped a folded piece of paper into Nerisse's hand.

"Come alone."

"Don't tell Lucien."

Footsteps grew closer.

Selene stepped backward.

Within seconds, she disappeared behind the tall hedges.

By the time Lucien reached the garden...

She was gone.

He looked around carefully.

"Who were you talking to?"

Nerisse quickly hid the folded paper inside her jacket.

Her heart pounded with guilt.

She looked into Lucien's eyes.

Then...

For the first time since they met...

She lied.

"No one."

Lucien studied her face for several long seconds.

He knew she wasn't telling the truth.

But instead of pressing her...

He simply nodded.

Deep inside...

He had the unsettling feeling that someone had just pulled Nerisse one step further away from him.

Lucien watched Nerisse for a long moment.

She stood before him, her breathing uneven, her hands hidden inside the pockets of her jacket.

"No one."

Those two words echoed in his mind.

They were a lie.

He could see it in her eyes.

But he chose not to expose her.

Not yet.

"Let's go back inside," he said quietly.

Nerisse nodded.

They walked back toward the manor in silence.

Neither of them noticed the pair of binoculars hidden deep within the forest.

Someone was watching.

Waiting.

Smiling.

**Everything is going according to plan.**

• • • •

That evening...

Blackwood Manor was quieter than usual.

Dinner was served, but hardly anyone touched their food.

Ethan spent the entire meal reviewing security reports.

Margaret remained unusually nervous.

Lucien barely said a word.

Nerisse could feel his eyes on her from time to time.

It made the folded note inside her pocket feel heavier.

Finally, dinner ended.

Lucien stood.

"Ethan."

"Yes, sir?"

"Double the guards tonight."

"No one enters or leaves the estate."

Ethan nodded.

"Understood."

Nerisse lowered her eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She had already decided.

She was going.

She had to.

If Selene truly knew the truth about her past...

She couldn't ignore the chance.

• • • •

Eleven forty-five.

The manor slept beneath the darkness.

Nerisse quietly opened her bedroom door.

The hallway was empty.

She removed her shoes and carried them in one hand, careful not to make a sound.

Every step felt like a betrayal.

Yet every unanswered question pushed her forward.

She slipped through the servants' corridor and reached the eastern garden.

The iron gate was slightly open.

Someone had unlocked it.

Waiting.

She stepped outside.

The cold wind wrapped around her.

The forest beyond the estate looked darker than ever.

"You came."

Selene emerged from the shadows.

She was dressed entirely in black.

Her face was hidden beneath a hood.

Nerisse folded her arms.

"You said you knew the truth."

Selene nodded.

"I do."

She slowly reached into her backpack and removed a worn leather journal.

The cover was faded with age.

Gold letters were barely visible.

Nerisse gasped.

"That's..."

"Your father's journal."

Tears filled Nerisse's eyes.

She reached for it.

But Selene pulled it back.

"Not yet."

"First, I need to know whether you're willing to hear the truth."

Nerisse frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Selene's expression became serious.

"The truth will destroy the life you've been trying to hold together."

"You'll never see Lucien the same way again."

Nerisse's heart pounded.

"Why?"

Selene looked directly into her eyes.

"Because Lucien didn't fail to save your father..."

She paused.

"...he was there when your father died."

Nerisse's face lost all color.

"No..."

"You're lying."

Selene shook her head.

"Am I?"

She opened the journal.

Folded between its pages was an old photograph.

She handed it to Nerisse.

Nerisse's hands trembled as she looked at it.

The picture showed her father.

Lucien.

And a third man whose face had been scratched out.

All three stood together.

Smiling.

Friends.

On the back of the photograph were six handwritten words.

**Brothers until death tears us apart.**

Nerisse looked up slowly.

Her mind was spinning.

"Who is the third man?"

Selene answered without hesitation.

"Damien."

Nerisse froze.

"Damien..."

"...is Lucien's brother?"

"Twin brother."

The words struck her like lightning.

Suddenly...

A gunshot echoed through the forest.

Bang!

The bullet struck the tree beside Selene.

Bark exploded into the air.

"Run!" Selene shouted.

More gunshots followed.

Bang!

Bang!

Masked men emerged from the darkness, surrounding them from every direction.

Nerisse's breathing became frantic.

There were too many.

Selene grabbed her wrist.

"Don't let them take you!"

Before they could escape...

A powerful beam of headlights pierced through the forest.

Tires screeched across the dirt road.

A black SUV burst through the trees.

The driver's door flew open.

Lucien stepped out with a gun in one hand.

His voice thundered through the night.

"Get away from her!"

Every masked man turned toward him.

Their leader laughed.

Then calmly removed his mask.

Nerisse felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.

It wasn't Damien.

It wasn't anyone she had seen before.

It was someone standing beside Lucien every single day...

Ethan.

End of chapter 9

When The Devil Chose Love