A LOVE THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN
1013 Words
Elisa's fingers trembled as the black silk cloth slipped from her hands and landed silently on the marble floor.
Her breath became shallow.
Her heart pounded violently against her chest.
No.
No, this was impossible.
She took a step closer to the portrait, her eyes refusing to leave the woman staring back at her.
The same eyes.
The same lips.
The same shape of her face.
It was as if she was looking at an older version of herself.
Or a reflection from another lifetime.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
The cold night air from the nearby windows drifted through the hallway, sending a chill across her skin.
For the first time since arriving at Blake Manor, the luxurious mansion no longer felt welcoming.
The golden lights.
The expensive decorations.
The beautiful walls.
Everything suddenly felt like a prison built around a secret.
And somehow, she was standing at the center of it.
"Elisa."
The deep voice behind her caused her body to stiffen.
She turned around immediately.
Ethan stood at the entrance of the hallway.
His face was unreadable.
But his eyes—
His eyes gave him away.
He had seen the portrait.
And he knew.
"Ethan…" she whispered.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The distance between them felt like a thousand miles.
Only a few hours ago, they were arguing about who would sleep on the sofa.
Only a few hours ago, they were two strangers pretending to be lovers.
Now, it felt as though a dead woman stood between them.
"Who is she?" Elisa finally asked.
Ethan looked away.
That hurt her more than she expected.
"Tell me."
His jaw tightened.
"Her name was Amelia Rhodes."
"Was?"
His silence answered the question.
A painful truth.
The woman was dead.
Or at least gone.
Elisa swallowed.
"Why do I look like her?"
Ethan looked back at her.
His expression softened.
Because despite everything his father had said, despite the warnings and suspicions, he could see the fear in her eyes.
The fear of a woman who had just discovered that her past might not belong to her.
And for some reason, his first instinct was not to question her.
It was to protect her.
"I don't know."
The honesty in his voice shocked her.
A billionaire who always seemed to have all the answers was admitting that he had none.
Inside the study downstairs, his father's words echoed inside Ethan's mind.
"The night Amelia disappeared, she was carrying my child."
The possibility was impossible to ignore.
Could Elisa be Amelia's daughter?
If she was…
What did that mean?
Was she his father's child?
Was she connected to the Blake family in a way that would make his growing feelings for her impossible?
The thought made Ethan's blood run cold.
But he couldn't tell her.
Not yet.
Not until he knew the truth.
"Are you afraid of me?"
Elisa's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
His eyes snapped to her.
"What?"
She laughed softly, but there was no happiness in it.
"Everyone in this house seems afraid of a woman who has been gone for thirty years."
Her eyes glistened.
"And now they look at me as if I brought her ghost back."
Ethan took a step toward her.
"Elisa—"
"Tell me honestly."
Her voice cracked.
"Do you think I came here because of this?"
The question pierced him.
Because his father did.
Because anyone looking from the outside would think the timing was too perfect.
A woman who looked exactly like Amelia suddenly appears in his life.
On the very day he returns to his family home.
The same home where Amelia's memory had been buried.
Too many coincidences.
Too many questions.
But Ethan remembered the woman who argued with him at the airport.
The woman who refused his money.
The woman who cared about his mother's happiness.
The woman who made him laugh.
She was many things.
But she was not a liar.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"I don't believe you planned this."
"You don't even know me."
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"That has never stopped me from knowing what kind of person you are."
The words entered her heart before she could stop them.
Dangerous.
That was what Ethan Blake was.
Not because of his money or power.
But because, despite everything happening around them…
he was still making her feel safe.
Without thinking, she stepped closer.
Ethan did the same.
The distance between them disappeared.
The silence around them became heavy.
Her breathing slowed.
His gaze dropped to her lips.
The world outside that hallway disappeared.
No family.
No secrets.
No lies.
Only them.
And for a brief second, they forgot the one rule they had created.
No real feelings.
Ethan lifted his hand slowly.
His fingers brushed against her cheek.
The touch was gentle.
Careful.
As though she might disappear.
"Elisa…"
The way he said her name made her heart surrender.
She closed her eyes.
Waiting.
Wanting.
A moment that should never happen.
"ETHAN!"
The voice shattered the silence.
They immediately stepped apart.
Ethan's mother stood at the end of the hallway.
But she wasn't smiling.
She wasn't teasing.
She looked terrified.
Behind her stood his father, his face pale.
Something had happened.
Something worse than the secret they had already uncovered.
"Ethan," his father said.
For the first time in his life, Ethan heard fear in the man's voice.
"You need to come downstairs."
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
His father looked at Elisa.
Then back at him.
His next words froze everyone in place.
"I just received a call from the private investigator I hired thirty years ago."
The entire mansion became silent.
The old man swallowed.
"Amelia Rhodes was never dead."
For thirty years, the Blake family believed Amelia Rhodes was gone forever.
But she had been alive all along.
Now there is only one question left—
If Amelia is alive… why did she wait thirty years to return?
And what does she want from the daughter she may have abandoned?
- Writer
