The Secret Bride

Victor's Offer

The Secret Bride

Chapter Seventeen: Victor's Offer

He reached for her, pressing his lips to her hair.

"You're safe with me, " he murmured. "Always."

Amanda closed her eyes against the promise.

Because for the first time since she met him, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to be true.

Damon watched Amanda across the breakfast table, but she hardly touched her food. Her gaze was distant, fixed somewhere beyond the tall windows, lost in place he couldn't reach.

The silence between them was suffocating.

He set his coffee down with a quiet clink.

"Amanda."

She blinked, startled, as if he had pulled her from a dream. "Yes?"

"You've been quiet for days." His voice was low, careful. "Tell me what's wrong."

Her lips parted, but hesitation clouded her face. She pushed her fork across the silver scraping against porcelain. "I just...I'm trying to make sense of everything."

Damon's jaw tightened. He leaned forward, elbows on the table. " Is this about the video?"

The word hung in the air like a shadow.

Amanda's throat worked, but she nodded. " It's hard to forget what I saw. The man in that video...he wasn't the man I married."

His chest constricted. He wanted to reach for her, to erase the distance, but her posture screamed don't touch me.

" That man," Damon said carefully, "was someone who had on choice. My world isn'tr clean, Amanda. I've tried to shield you from it, but now you've seen -"

She cut him off, her voice trembling but fierce. "You keep saying you shield me, protect me. But what if what you're really doing is controlling me?"

The words struck like a whip.

Damon stilled, his expression unreadable. "Is that what you believe?"

Her chest rose and fell sharp. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

The silence between them was jagged, dangerous. Damon pushed back his chair, rising slowly, his eyes looked on hers. "Amanda, I've bled for you. Killed for you. Every move I make is to keep you breathing. If that understand the kind of enemies we're facing."

Her hands trembled beneath the table. She wanted to scream, to tell him about the phone, about Victor's messages-but fear chained her tongue. Fear of what Damon would do if he found out.

Instead, she whispered, "And what about me, Damon? Do I get a say in my own life?"

His gaze softened then, the steel in his voice cracking. He knelt beside her chair, taking her hand despite her resistance. "You always have a say. But if your choice puts you in danger, I'll fight it. Because losing you is the only thing I can't survive."

Her heart twisted painfully. His words should have reassured her. Instead, they echoed Victor's warning. He possesses you, Amanda there's a difference.

Later that evening, Damon retreated to his office, but his mind wouldn't rest. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, the amber liquid catching the light.

He replayed her words, the doubt in her eyes, the hesitation in her touch.

Something had changed. Something-or someone-was getting between them.

A knock sounded on the door. His head lifted sharply. "Come in."

Marcus, his most trusted guard, entered. "Sir, there's been... chatter. Someone's trying to get close to Mrs. Blackwood. we can't trace how yet, but the signal isn't coming through the usual channels."

Damon's blood turned cold. His grip on the glass lightened until it nearly shattered.

Victor.

It had to be Victor.

"Find it," Damon growled. "Find it and destroy it. No matter what it takes."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Amanda sat on the edge of their bed, the black phone heavy in her palm. Another message glowed on the screen.

Victor: He's watching you even now, isn't he?

Every move, every breath. That isn't love, Amanda-it's a prison.

Tears pricked her eyes.

Amanda: Why are you doing this to me?

Victor Because I want you free. Because I want you to see the truth. You can't save Damon from himself. But you can save yourself. Come to me, and I'll prove it.

Her hands shook as she off the screen.

Her heart screamed to tell Damon, to confess everything. But another part of her - the part drowning in fear, doubt, and loading for freedom-kept her silent.

And that silence was the very crack Victor needed.

That night, when Damon returned to their room, he found Amanda curled on her side, pretending to be asleep. He lay beside her, pulling her close, his face buried in her hair.

But her body was stiff in his arms.

And thought her eyes were closed, her heart was wide awake, torn between the man who swore he'd die to protect her and the shadow whispering promises of freedom in the dark.

Amanda woke to find Damon already gone. The sheets beside her were cold, the space empty. A sharp ache pulsed in her chest. She remembered how tightly he had held her the night before, as though she were the only thing keeping him alive. And yet... she couldn't shake the feeling that his embrace was another kind of chain.

Dragging herself from bed, she moved toward the dresser where the small black phone was hidden beneath folded scarves. Her pulse quickened as she slid it out, the screen lightning up instantly.

Two unread messages.

Victor: He won't stop until he owns every breath you take.

Victor: Meet me tomorrow. Alone. No guards .

No Damon. You owe yourself that much truth .

Her throat tightened. She pressed a hand to her chest, as if that would still the chaos inside her. She knew Damon would never forgive her if he discovered this secret- if he leaned she had even considered seeing Victor.

But a part of her yearned for answer. She wanted to understand the war raging around her, not live in the dark while Damon fought battles she couldn't see.

A knock startled her. She shoved the phone back under the scarves, her hands trembling.

"Amanda?" Damon's voice carried through the door. "Breakfast in the garden?"

Her heart lurched. She forced a smile as she opened the door. "Of course."

The morning sun bathed the gardens in gold. Damon pulled out a chair for her, his eyes studying her face too intently.

"You didn't sleep well, "he said, not a question but an observation.

I'm fine, "lied, lowering her gaze.

He reached across the table, capturing her hand. His touch was warm, grounding, but it only amplified the guilt twisting in her stomach.

"Amanda, "he said softly, "I can feel you slipping away. If something's wrong, tell me. Don't shut me out."

Her throat closed. She wanted to blurt everything- the phone, the message,

Victor's demand to meet. But fear clamped down.

Instead, she whispered, "I'm just... overwhelmed."

Damon jaw tightened. He knew she wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he didn't press. Instead, he leaned back eyes shadowed .

"Overwhelmed or not, I won't let anyone come between us. Ever."

The words were meant to reassure her, but they sounded like a vow- and a threat.

Later, Damon convened with Marcus in his study.

"Have you found the source of the breach?" he demanded.

Marcus nodded grimly. "The signal is coming from inside the estate. It's a hidden device-likely a secondary phone. Someone is feeling her information, contacting her directly."

Damon's heart froze. He already knew the answer, but the confirmation ignited fury.

" Search everything. Every room, every drawer.

Find it before she slips further."

Marcus hesitated. "And if she resists?"

Damon's voice dropped, dangerous. "She won't. Because if she's hiding something, I'll make sure she understands there's nothing in this world more dangerous than keeping secrets from me."

Upstairs, Amanda stood by the window, staring out at the horizon. Her reflection in the glass looked like a stranger.