Behind the broken vows

Richard stared at him. Then he laughed once, without amusement. "Marry her?" "Yes." "Have you lost your mind?" "No." "Your future is tied to this family and this company. You cannot make decisions like a lovesick boy." "Amelia is not a distraction." "She is a girl with no standing in our world, the woman I love." Richard stood. "Love will not protect the Blackwood name." Ethan's jaw tightened. "I am not asking you to love her. I am asking you to respect my decision." Victoria stepped forward. "Please, Ethan. Don't turn this into a fight." He looked at his mother. "Then stop treating my relationship like a problem that needs to be eliminated." "So," he said slowly, "you intend to choose this girl over your own family?" "I intend to choose my own life." The older man's expression hardened. "Then perhaps you are not ready for the responsibilities waiting for you." Ethan shook his head. "If being your son means surrendering every choice that matters to me, perhaps we have very different ideas about responsibility." He turned toward the door. "Ethan," Richard called. He stopped. "Think carefully about what you are doing. Some mistakes cannot be undone." Ethan looked back. "Neither can the mistakes people make when they underestimate someone." He left before his father could answer. Outside the study, his phone vibrated. A message from Amelia appeared on the screen. Amelia: I'm on my way. Wish me luck. Ethan smiled despite the argument. Ethan: You don't need luck. You have me. He had no idea that, elsewhere in the house, someone had already begun preparing a different kind of welcome for the woman he intended to marry. Amelia arrived shortly after seven. A servant escorted her toward the dining room, but before she reached it, a woman stepped into the corridor. Victoria. "Amelia," she said, her smile polite and distant. "There you are." "Good evening, Mrs. Blackwood." "I hope the journey was comfortable." "It was, thank you." Victoria glanced at the necklace around Amelia's neck. "Ethan gave you that, didn't he?" Amelia touched it instinctively. "Yes. For my birthday." "He's always been generous with people he cares about." There was something in the way she said it that made Amelia uncomfortable. Before she could respond, Victoria extended a hand toward the adjoining sitting room. "Come with me for a moment. There is something we should discuss before dinner." Amelia hesitated. "Is Ethan waiting?" "He will join us shortly." Reluctantly, Amelia followed her. The sitting room was quiet, with tall windows overlooking the gardens. Victoria closed the door behind them. "I understand that Ethan has been making promises to you," she began. Amelia's stomach tightened. "He told me he wants us to have a future together." "And you believe that is possible?" "Yes." Victoria studied her for several seconds. "Let me be honest with you. Ethan is the heir to a powerful family. His decisions affect more than his personal happiness." "I understand that." "Do you?" Victoria asked. "Because loving Ethan means entering a world where people will judge you, question, and expect you to behave in ways you may not understand." Amelia lifted her chin. "I love him. I don't expect his money to make me happy." "Perhaps not. But you may discover that love is easier when you have nothing to lose." Amelia's fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag. "I didn't fall in love with Ethan because of his family." "That is what you say." "Because it's the truth." Victoria's smile vanished. "Then you should ask yourself what you would do if loving Ethan meant losing everything else." Amelia stared at her. "Why are you saying this to me?" "Because someone should make you understand what is at stake before you make a mistake you cannot reverse." The door opened before Amelia could answer. Ethan entered, his expression changing immediately when he saw their faces. "What's going on?" "Nothing," Victoria replied smoothly. "We were simply talking." Amelia looked at him. Since she had arrived, she had felt uncertain. Ethan crossed the room and took her hand. "Are you ready for dinner?" She nodded, although her thoughts were elsewhere. As they walked out together, she glanced back at Victoria. The older woman was watching them. There was no smile on her face now. Only a look Amelia could not understand. And for reasons she couldn't explain, a small voice inside her warned her that something was wrong. Dinner began with uncomfortable politeness. Richard asked Amelia about her studies and her plans for the future. She answered honestly, explaining her interest in interior design and her dream of opening her own studio one day. He listened without offering much encouragement. "And you intend to support yourself with this business?" he asked. "Yes, sir. That's my plan." "Ambition is admirable. Success, however, requires more than enthusiasm." "I agree." Richard lifted his glass. "Then I hope you understand how difficult the road ahead may be." "I do." Ethan placed his fork down. "Father, Amelia doesn't need an interview. She's here because I invited her." Richard looked at his son. "And I am speaking to someone who may one day become part of this family." "Then perhaps you should treat her like a person rather than a business proposal." "Enough," Victoria said quietly. The room fell silent. Amelia looked from one face to another, wishing she could disappear into her chair. She had imagined meeting Ethan's father many times. In every version, she had hoped to impress him, even earn his approval, never imagined being the reason father and son could barely speak to each other. Under the table, Ethan squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. They would face it together. That was what they had promised. After dinner, Ethan excused himself to take an urgent call from one of his father's business associates. He promised Amelia he would return in a few minutes. She waited in the sitting room, trying to calm her nerves. Her phone vibrated. An unknown number. Unknown: You should leave the Blackwood estate immediately. Amelia frowned. She read the message again, wondering if someone had sent it to the wrong person. Another message arrived. Unknown: If you care about Ethan, don't trust anyone in that house. Her heartbeat quickened. Before she could reply, the screen went dark. She looked toward the doorway. "Ethan?" she called. No answer. She stood, intending to find him, when she heard voices coming from the corridor near his father's study. One belonged to Richard. The other was unfamiliar. "Everything must be settled tonight," the stranger said. Richard's reply was too quiet to understand. Then the stranger spoke again. "And the girl?" Amelia froze. A pause followed. "She won't be a problem for long." Amelia's blood seemed to turn cold. She stepped backward, her hand trembling around her phone. What did they mean? Who was the stranger? And why were they talking about her? Before she could move away, a servant appeared at the far end of the corridor. "Miss Rose?" Amelia turned sharply. The voices behind the study door stopped. A moment later, Richard opened it. His eyes found hers. Nobody spoke. Then he smiled. It was a small, controlled smile that did not reach his eyes. "Amelia. Is there something you need?" She forced herself to breathe normally. "No, sir. I was just looking for Ethan." "He is taking care of something important. You should wait in the sitting room." She nodded and walked away, painfully aware of his gaze following her. When she returned to the sitting room, Ethan was already there. He approached her immediately. "Rose, what's wrong?" She looked at the man she loved, remembering the promise they had made the previous evening. No secrets, no running away. If something was wrong, they would face it together. "Ethan, I need to ask you something." "Anything." "Is there something happening in your family that I should know about?" His expression changed. "What do you mean?" She hesitated. She wanted to tell him about the messages, the voices, and the strange warning she had received. But before she could speak, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen. "My father," he muttered. He answered, listening in silence. Then his face hardened. "I'll be there in a minute." He ended the call and looked at Amelia. "I need to speak with him. Stay here, okay?" "Ethan" "I won't be long." He kissed her forehead and hurried out. Amelia watched him disappear through the doorway. She wanted to follow him, demand answers, believe that the promise he had made her was strong enough to protect them. Instead, she sat down and waited. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Finally, her phone vibrated again. This time, it was a message from Ethan. Ethan: Don't leave the sitting room. I need to speak to you. Amelia stared at the words. A strange feeling settled in her stomach. She typed a reply. Amelia: What's wrong? The message showed as delivered. No answer came. Then footsteps sounded in the corridor. Amelia stood. The door opened. Ethan walked in. But the warmth she knew so well was gone from his face. His expression was cold, jaw tight, eyes held something she had never seen directed at her before. Doubt. Behind him stood Victoria. Amelia looked from one to the other. "Ethan?" He stopped several feet away. "Tell me something, Amelia." Her heart began to race. "What's going on?" He held up his phone. On the screen was a photograph of Amelia standing outside an office building earlier that afternoon, speaking to a man she barely knew. Beneath it was a message. A message claiming she had been meeting with someone connected to a business deal that could damage the Blackwood family. Amelia stared at the photograph in confusion. "I don't understand." "Then explain it to me," Ethan said. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Who is that man?" "I met him briefly this afternoon. He asked me for directions." Ethan's expression tightened. "You're telling me this is a coincidence?" "Yes!" Victoria stepped forward. "Ethan, perhaps you should let her explain everything." But her voice carried no real warmth. Amelia looked at Ethan, desperate for him to remember the promise they had made. "You know me," she whispered. "You know I would never deliberately hurt you." He looked at her for a long moment. Then he asked what would haunt her for seven years. "Is there anything you've been hiding from me?" Amelia's lips parted. She thought of the unknown messages. The conversation outside Richard's study, a stranger asked whether she would be a problem. She thought of all the things she did not understand. In that moment, she realized that someone had begun turning the people she loved against her. "Ethan," she said, her voice breaking, "Please listen to me." He lowered the phone. "I'm listening." But the look in his eyes told her that he might not believe a single word she said. Somewhere beyond the closed doors of the Blackwood estate, the person who had set everything in motion was waiting for the final piece to fall into place.