The Woman in the Portrait
1514 Words
"...She looks exactly like me."
Amelia's whisper barely left her lips.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
Then—
"You weren't supposed to come in here."
The deep voice behind her sent a shiver down her spine.
She slowly turned.
Damien stood at the doorway.
His expression was colder than she had ever seen it.
His sharp gaze shifted from Amelia... to the portrait... then back to Amelia again.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Damien walked into the room.
His polished shoes echoed against the wooden floor.
He stopped beside the portrait, staring at it with an unreadable expression.
"Leave."
Amelia didn't move.
"I asked you a question."
Damien's jaw tightened.
"And I gave you an order."
His voice remained calm.
But there was something dangerous beneath it.
"This room is off limits."
Amelia folded her arms.
"Who is she?"
Silence.
"You almost called me by another woman's name yesterday."
"You stare at me like you've seen a ghost."
"And now I find a portrait of someone who looks exactly like me."
She took a step closer.
"So tell me..."
"Who is she?"
For the first time since she'd met him...
Pain flashed across Damien's face.
It disappeared almost instantly.
"That's none of your business."
Amelia laughed bitterly.
"Really?"
"You buy me for one hundred million dollars..."
"Bring me into your mansion..."
"Then tell me it's none of my business?"
Damien looked away from her and back at the portrait.
His voice was almost a whisper.
"Leave."
"No."
His eyes snapped toward hers.
"No?"
"I'm tired of people making decisions for me."
"My stepfather sold me."
"The people at the auction treated me like property."
"And now you expect me to obey every order you give?"
She shook her head.
"No."
For several seconds...
Damien simply stared at her.
Most people would have lowered their heads by now.
Most people feared him.
This woman...
Didn't.
Instead of shouting...
Damien walked toward the window.
The sunlight illuminated the portrait beside him.
"You want to know who she is?"
Amelia nodded.
He spoke without looking back.
"Her name was Sophia."
"My wife."
The words hung heavily in the room.
Amelia looked back at the portrait.
Sophia.
Even the name sounded beautiful.
"I'm sorry," Amelia said quietly.
Damien closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"So am I."
It was the first genuine emotion Amelia had heard from him.
She almost felt sorry for him...
Until he spoke again.
"You've seen enough."
"Go back to your room."
Amelia looked at him, then at the portrait once more.
She turned and walked out without another word.
---
Mrs. Agnes was waiting outside.
The older woman looked relieved to see Amelia.
"My dear..."
"I told you not to come here."
Amelia ignored the comment.
"Who was Sophia?"
Mrs. Agnes sighed.
"She was Mrs. De Luca."
"The light of this house."
"She was kind to everyone."
"The staff loved her."
"So did Mr. De Luca."
"What happened to her?"
Mrs. Agnes lowered her eyes.
"She died three years ago."
"It was... a terrible accident."
An accident.
The words echoed in Amelia's mind.
She glanced back toward the closed doors of Sophia's room.
Now she understood.
The way Damien looked at her.
The unfinished name.
The strange sadness in his eyes.
Everything finally made sense.
She wasn't special.
She was simply a reminder.
A replacement.
As Mrs. Agnes quietly walked away, Amelia caught sight of her own reflection in a tall mirror standing in the hallway.
She slowly approached it.
Then looked from her reflection...
...to the closed door behind her.
"...We really do look alike."
She reached up and touched her own cheek.
A strange feeling settled inside her chest.
"No..."
Her voice grew firmer.
"No."
She looked herself straight in the eyes.
"I'm Amelia Quinn."
"I'm not Sophia."
"And I refuse..."
"...to spend the rest of my life being someone's replacement."
Just then, footsteps echoed behind her.
Damien had returned.
Their eyes met through the mirror.
Without turning around, Amelia spoke calmly.
"If you brought me into this house because I remind you of your wife..."
She finally turned to face him.
"...then you've bought the wrong woman."
Damien said nothing.
But for the first time...
He wasn't sure whether bringing Amelia into his life had been the right decision.
The mansion was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Amelia wandered through the east wing, unable to stop thinking about the portrait.
Sophia.
Damien's late wife.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the woman smiling back at her from the painting.
The resemblance was unsettling.
She now understood why Damien had stared at her the way he did.
Why he had almost called her another name.
Why his voice turned cold whenever he looked at her.
She wasn't Amelia in his eyes.
She was a painful memory.
"No," she whispered to herself.
"I won't let that happen."
She stopped beside one of the large windows overlooking the mansion gardens.
"I'm Amelia Quinn."
"I have my own name."
"My own life."
"And my own future."
"I refuse to live in another woman's shadow."
Behind her, Mrs. Agnes smiled faintly.
"That's exactly what I hoped to hear."
Amelia turned.
"You heard that?"
The older woman chuckled.
"These old ears still work surprisingly well."
She stepped closer and gently adjusted a loose strand of Amelia's hair.
"Never become someone else just to make another person happy."
Amelia gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you."
Before Mrs. Agnes could reply—
A luxury car rolled into the front courtyard.
One of the maids hurried to the window.
"Miss Vanessa is here."
Mrs. Agnes' face immediately brightened.
"Oh."
"It's been weeks since her last visit."
Amelia frowned.
"Who's Vanessa?"
Mrs. Agnes smiled warmly.
"Miss Vanessa Moreau."
"Mr. De Luca's childhood friend."
"They've known each other for years."
"She practically grew up in this house."
The front doors opened.
Elegant heels clicked softly against the marble floor.
Vanessa Moreau stepped inside with effortless grace.
She wore a cream-colored designer dress that perfectly complemented her figure.
Her long chestnut hair rested neatly over one shoulder, and a warm smile lit up her face as several staff members greeted her.
"Welcome back, Miss Vanessa."
"It's good to see you again."
Vanessa smiled sweetly.
"It's good to be home."
She handed a small gift bag to one of the maids.
"I brought everyone chocolates."
The young maid beamed.
"Thank you, Miss Vanessa!"
From the staircase, Luca Moretti appeared.
"Vanessa."
She laughed.
"Luca."
"You still look as if you haven't slept in days."
"Working for Damien does that to a man."
Both of them laughed.
Watching from the hallway, Amelia couldn't help noticing how comfortable everyone seemed around Vanessa.
She was elegant.
Polite.
Kind.
The complete opposite of what Amelia had expected from someone close to Damien.
Mrs. Agnes gently nudged Amelia.
"Come."
"I'll introduce you."
Amelia hesitated but followed.
As they approached, Vanessa turned toward them with a welcoming smile.
"Mrs. Agnes."
"My dear."
Then...
Her eyes landed on Amelia.
Everything stopped.
The smile on Vanessa's face froze.
The color drained from her cheeks.
Her heartbeat thundered painfully against her chest.
Impossible...
Her fingers tightened around her handbag.
No...
No...
No...
She stared at Amelia's face.
Those eyes.
That smile.
The shape of her jaw.
For one terrifying second...
She thought she was looking at Sophia.
The woman she had watched die.
The woman who was supposed to be buried forever.
Vanessa forced herself to breathe.
Control yourself.
No one can know.
The panic vanished behind another gentle smile.
She stepped forward and extended her hand.
"You must be Amelia."
Amelia accepted the handshake.
"Yes."
"I'm Vanessa."
"It's lovely to meet you."
"You too."
Vanessa held Amelia's hand for just a second longer than necessary.
Her smile never faded.
But inside...
Her thoughts were spiraling.
Why does she look exactly like Sophia?
Did Damien notice?
Is that why he bought her?
Does he suspect something?
No...
He couldn't.
If he knew the truth...
I wouldn't still be standing here.
She slowly released Amelia's hand.
"I hope you'll be happy here."
Amelia forced a polite smile.
"I'll try."
A few minutes later, Vanessa excused herself and walked calmly toward the front entrance.
She greeted every servant she passed.
Smiled at the guards.
Waved goodbye to Mrs. Agnes.
Anyone watching would have thought she was the picture of kindness.
The moment she climbed into her car...
The smile disappeared.
She slammed the door shut.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her perfectly manicured fingers gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.
She could still see Amelia's face.
Sophia's face.
"No..."
She whispered.
"This can't be happening."
Her eyes slowly filled with hatred.
"If Damien starts loving her..."
"...everything I've done..."
"...everything I sacrificed..."
"...will be meaningless."
She leaned back in her seat.
A cold smile spread across her lips.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said,
"I killed Sophia once..."
She looked back at the De Luca mansion through the windshield.
Her smile widened.
"...I won't hesitate to do it again.”
- Writer
