WHISPERS BEHIND THE DOOR
730 Words
~Leanah~
I used to think silence was peaceful.
Now, it was the sound of danger.
After the gala, the days moved in a blur. Aiden became even more distant. He would leave early, come back late, and barely said a word. It was as if the more I tried to understand him, the more he disappeared into himself.
One night, I heard something.
I was passing his office when I heard voices. The door was slightly open, and I know I shouldn’t have stopped — but I did.
“…If she finds out, everything falls apart,” a deep voice warned.
“She won’t,” Aiden replied firmly.
“What if she turns out like Amira?”
A long pause. Then his voice, low and sharp:
“Then she’ll end up the same.”
My heart stopped.
I stepped back slowly, but the floor creaked beneath me. Aiden’s voice immediately called out, “Who’s there?”
I didn’t wait. I turned and ran — to my room, to my bed, pulling the blanket over me like it could hide the truth.
That night, I didn’t sleep. I stared at the ceiling, asking myself over and over:
What did he mean?
Would he let me die too?
---
~Aiden~
I knew she heard me.
The guilt was a slow poison in my chest. But I couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Not yet.
Not until I was sure she wouldn’t leave.
Because Leanah wasn’t just part of the plan anymore.
She was the only thing keeping me from becoming like my father.
---
~Leanah~
The next morning
I wanted to act normal. I tried.
But when I looked at him across the breakfast table, I couldn’t help but see the shadow of what I’d heard last night.
He noticed. Of course he did.
“You didn’t sleep,” he said.
“I heard something,” I replied, keeping my voice steady.
He set his cup down. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
“You shouldn’t threaten people who trust you,” I snapped.
His eyes darkened. “Is that what you think this is? A threat?”
I stood up, hands trembling. “I think I’m in danger. And I don’t know if it’s from the people outside… or from you.”
He rose from his seat slowly, walked toward me, and stopped inches away.
“If I wanted to hurt you,” he said quietly, “I would’ve done it long ago.”
“That’s not comforting,” I whispered.
“No,” he agreed. “It’s not meant to be.”
---
Later That Day – Unexpected Visit
A knock at the door. Rare, in this place.
Elisa opened it.
And there she was — an older woman, with sharp eyes and elegant clothes.
“I’m here to see Miss Leanah,” she said, with the confidence of someone who always got what she wanted.
“Do I know you?” I asked cautiously.
She smiled. “No. But I knew Amira. Very well.”
My breath caught.
She sat down in the lounge, legs crossed gracefully.
“Amira was brave,” she began. “But too curious. She thought love could change him.”
“And it couldn’t?” I asked.
The woman’s eyes met mine. “Love is powerless when the man you love is haunted by bloodlines and ambition.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I saw you last night. I saw how you looked at him. And I don’t want another girl to die believing she could fix a broken man.”
She stood up, handed me a card, and whispered:
“When you’re ready to know the truth… call me.”
Then she left.
---
~Aiden~
I saw her.
Of course I did.
Mother always knew when to appear — when to strike. And now, she’d gone behind my back.
She’d told Leanah more than she should’ve.
And it was only a matter of time before Leanah came looking for answers I couldn’t afford to give.
---
~Leanah~
That night
I held the card in my hand for hours. I wanted to ignore it. Pretend none of this mattered. But I couldn’t.
Because something deep inside me already knew —
This wasn’t about a fake marriage anymore.
This was about a life…
that might not be mine to survive.
---
- Writer
