Unbelievable words
1244 Words
Lucy sat quietly in the small, dimly lit room, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts. Marcel stood at the window, his back to her, staring out at the city lights, but he wasn’t seeing them. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, the tension in his body palpable.
She watched him, her heart heavy with uncertainty. The man who had appeared in the hallway, the cryptic words he had spoken, it all felt like something out of a nightmare. Lucy could feel the weight of it pressing down on her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Marcel turned to face her. His eyes were filled with something dark, something she hadn’t seen in him before. Fear. But it wasn’t for himself, it was for her.
“Lucy, I, ” Marcel started, his voice shaking for the first time that night.
“What’s going on, Marcel?” she interrupted, unable to hold back the question that had been burning inside her. “Who was that man? What does he want from us?”
Marcel took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “I wish I could explain everything right now. But it’s complicated. That man... he’s someone from my past, someone I thought was long gone.”
Lucy’s brow furrowed. “Your past? What does that mean?”
“Before I became the CEO, before I built the company, I was part of something much darker. A world I left behind. And that man?” Marcel shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “He’s one of the reasons I had to leave it all behind.”
Lucy’s heart pounded in her chest. “What world, Marcel? What are you talking about?”
Marcel hesitated for a long moment, as if weighing whether he should tell her the truth or not. He looked at her with a mixture of guilt and sorrow. “I was raised in a world where power wasn’t just about money, it was about control. About being part of a... a family that was built on fear, intimidation, and violence. My mother... she’s part of it. She’s the reason I walked away.”
Lucy’s breath caught in her throat. “Your mother? But... I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? Why did you keep it from me?”
“I didn’t want you to be involved in that world,” Marcel said, his voice filled with regret. “I didn’t want to drag you into the mess I left behind. I thought I could protect you by keeping you away from it. But now... now it’s coming for us.”
Lucy shook her head, her mind racing to catch up with everything Marcel had just revealed. “But why now? Why would they come after us now, at our wedding?”
“Because of you,” Marcel said quietly. “They never wanted me to marry you. They don’t want me to have a life outside of their control. They see you as a weakness, Lucy. They think if they take you from me, they can break me.”
Her heart sank at the weight of his words. “So, it’s not just your mother? There are more people involved?”
Marcel’s face darkened. “Yes. And they’re dangerous. More dangerous than you can imagine.”
Lucy swallowed hard, trying to steady her nerves. “What do we do now?”
“We stay one step ahead,” Marcel said, his voice resolute. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. I’m not letting them take you away from me.”
Lucy’s mind was still spinning, but she nodded slowly, trusting him despite the fear that gripped her. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I trust you, Marcel. I don’t want to be scared, not now. Not when everything is supposed to be perfect.”
Marcel stepped forward, his hand reaching for hers. “We’ll get through this together. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”
She squeezed his hand, finding comfort in his words even though they didn’t completely erase the fear building in her chest. “I just don’t understand... why now? Why did they wait until our wedding to show up?”
Marcel looked away, his jaw tightening as he thought. “Because I’m vulnerable now. I’ve never been more exposed. I have everything I want, everything I’ve fought for, and they think they can take it from me. Take you from me.”
“Is that why your mother is so... cold toward me?” Lucy asked softly. “She doesn’t approve of me. She doesn’t want this marriage to happen, does she?”
“No, she doesn’t,” Marcel admitted. “But she’ll never say it outright. It’s the way she’s been raised, Lucy. She believes power is everything, and she’s never had any use for weakness. For love.”
“I don’t understand her,” Lucy said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “She’s your mother, Marcel. Doesn’t she care about you?”
“I’m her legacy,” Marcel replied, his voice hard. “But to her, I’m just a tool to maintain that legacy. I’m not a son, not really. I’m a means to an end. A way to keep her power intact.”
Lucy’s heart ached for him, for the pain he must have carried for so long, hidden behind his stoic façade. “That’s... that’s so unfair.”
“I know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “But it’s my reality. And now it’s your reality too.”
Lucy squeezed his hand tighter, her eyes determined. “I won’t let them tear us apart, Marcel. We’re in this together. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.”
Marcel’s eyes softened as he looked at her. For a moment, the weight of everything seemed to lift just a little. “I don’t deserve you.”
“You don’t have to deserve me,” she said, her voice fierce with conviction. “You just have to love me. And I love you. That’s all that matters.”
He stared at her for a long moment, his chest rising and falling as though he were processing her words, absorbing them into his very being. Slowly, a small, tentative smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I love you too, Lucy. More than you’ll ever know.”
A knock on the door interrupted their moment.
“Marcel,” a voice called from the other side. “It’s time. We need to move.”
Marcel’s expression darkened, and he turned to face Lucy once more. “I’m sorry you’re caught up in this. I never wanted this for you.”
“I know,” she said softly, reaching for his arm. “But we’ll get through it. Together.”
He nodded, taking her hand and leading her toward the door. “Stay close. No matter what happens, don’t leave my side.”
As they stepped into the hallway, the weight of their situation pressed down on Lucy, but she stood tall, resolute in her decision. She didn’t know what would come next, but she would face it with Marcel by her side. Whatever the world threw their way, they would fight it together.
And that, for now, was enough.
- Writer
