His substitute bride

Chapter ten/Shadows at the dinner table

The dining room shimmered under the glows of chandeliers, their crystals scattering light across polished goblets. Bella sat stiffly in her chair, every nerve strung tight. The long mahogany table stretched them like a battlefield disguised in elegance.

The question still hung in the air like smoke after a gunshot.

“Do you even know about Edward's first wife?”

The word had come from Edward's uncle, a man with a gray beard, eyes sharp as glass. The silence that followed was deafening. Forks paused midway to mouth, wine glasses rested untouched, and all eyes turned to her.

Bella swallowed, heat rising to her cheeks. She could feel Edward tense beside her, his hand brushing lightly against hers under the table. A small gesture, protective yet warning, telling her don't answer.

But the family waited. Their gaze were not just curious, they were predatory.

“I… Bella began, forcing her voice steady, “I don't pretend to know everything about Edward's past. But what I do know is that he chose to marry me. And that's enough.

It was a careful response, but the smirk tugging at Vanessa's painted lips told Bella it hadn't landed the way she hopped.

Vanessa leaned forward, her diamond bracelet catching the light. “How sweet,”

she drawled, eyes cutting to Bella with surgical precision. “But don't you think it's odd, dear, to marry a man whose history

is… so full of shadows?”

Bella's stomach twisted. She glanced at Edward. His jaw was set, a storm brewing in the hard line of his profile.

“Enough,” Edward said finally, his voice low but commanding. The air shifted.

“This is not a subject for tonight's table.”

But the damage was done. A murmur rippled down the table, sly smiles exchanged, a few raised brows. The Blackwood's were wolves, they'd scented weakness, and Bella was the bleeding lamb.

Ethan, Edward's elder brother, cleared his throat. “Edward's right,” he said, though his eyes lingered on Bella. “This isn't the time. “We should let them enjoy their marriage without digging up ghosts.”

Bella was about to thank him, but there was something in his tone, too careful, too rehearsed, that left her uncertain if he was shielding her or testing her.

Conversation resumed, but lighter topics were only camouflage. The real tension pulsed like an undercurrent beneath every laugh and toast. Bella tried to eat, but the food turned to dust in her tongue. Her senses sharpened, every flick of glances, every whisper of cutlery became a clue in a puzzle she didn't yet understand.

Then Vanessa struck again. “Bella, darling, how are you finding the estate?”

Her tone was smooth, almost kind, but her eyes glinted with something sharper.

“It must be overwhelming, stepping into a family like ours.”

Bella forced a smile. “It's… different. But I'm learning.”

“And Edward?” Vanessa's lips curved into a slow smile, eyes flicking to him. “Has he been… patient with you?”

Heat pickled Bella's skin. She sensed the trap, the implementation hidden in that innocent question. She wanted to shrink, to hide, but Edward's hand covered hers firmly now, grounding her.

“Bella has been nothing but remarkable,”

Edward said, his voice clipped. “I won't have her treated like she doesn't belong.”

Vanessa's smile widened, but it didn't reach her eyes. Oh, of course. She belongs. I only hope she realizes what she stepped into.”

Bella's heart shuttered. The words were casual, delivered with silky grace, but to Bella, they rang like a warning. I only hope she realizes what she stepped into.

The table laughed at some unrelated jest, but Bella barely heard it. Her eyes moved across the faces before her. Vanessa, smug and sharp, the uncle with his probing stare, Ethan with his careful half- smile, Edward's mother, quiet and watchful, her expression unreadable.

Any of them could be the one slipping notes beneath her door. Any of them could be playing the cruel game that left her sleepless at night.

Her finger trembled against her wine glass.. Edward's touch was warm, steadying, but her mind was whirled. She couldn't show her fear. If she crumbled, they'd devour her whole.

So she lifted her chin, meeting Vanessa's gaze head- on. “I know exactly what I've stepped into,” Bella said softly, but her voice carried. “And I don't scare easily.”

For a moment, silence. Then Ethan chuckled, raising his glass. “Well said, Bella.”

Reluctantly, others followed, laughter smoothing over the tension, but Bella knew better. She had just stepped into a chess game the Blackwoods loved to play, and the stakes were higher than she imagined.

The rest passed in a blur of politeness laced with poison. Every toast carried a double meaning, every smile had sharp edges. Bella felt like was balancing on a tightrope, and below her waited nothing but knives.

When the plates were cleared and the family began to disperse, Bella exhaled shakily. Her body ached from holding herself so rigid.

Edward touched her elbow, guiding her from the room. “You did well,” he murmured, low enough for only her to hear.

“Did I?” Bella whispered back. “Because it felt like they were dissecting me.”

He glanced down at her, eyes softening,

“That's what they do. They look for weakness. But you held your ground.”

They were halfway done in the hall when a voice stopped them.

“Bella.

She turned. It was Edward's mother, standing at the edge of the dining room, her figure framed in golden light. She looked serene, almost gentle.

“A word, if you don't mind,” she said.

Edward tensed. “Mother..”

“It's alright,” Bella said quickly, though her pulse quickened. She needed to show she wasn't afraid. “I'll be fine.”

Edward searched her eyes, reluctant, but finally nodded. “I'll wait for you in the study.” He brushed her head with his thumb before stepping away.

Bella followed his mother into a smaller sitting room. The air smelled faintly of lavender, softer than the heavy perfume of the dining hall.

“Sit,” Mrs. Blackwood said, gesturing gracefully.

Bella obeyed, folding her hands in her laps.

The older woman studied her for a long moment. “You're brave,” she said finally.

“Brave to marry into this family. I wonder if you realize how dangerous that is.”

Bella's breath caught. “Dangerous?”

Mrs. Blackwood's lips curved faintly, but it wasn't a smile. “Edward's past isn't just Edward's. It's ours. And the past has teeth, my dear. Teeth that don't let go easily.”

Her heart pounded. “Are you trying to warn me?”

“Perhaps.” The woman's eyes gleamed. “Or perhaps I'm testing you. Either way, be careful. In this family, love is the easiest thing to weaponize.”

I really like your personality, and don't want anything bad to happen to you. Edward's mother said with a gentle tone

Bella's throat tightened, but she forced herself to hold the woman's gaze. “I love him,” she whispered.

Mrs. Blackwood leaned back, her expression unreadable. “Then heaven help you.”

Bella rose, her legs trembling but her resolve firm. As she left the room, the words echoed in her mind like a curse.

When she reached the study, Edward was waiting, pacing. His face softened with relief when he saw her, but Bella couldn't shake the chill in her bones.

She didn't tell him everything, not yet. She couldn't. Not until she knew who in this family wanted her gone.

But as she leaned into his arms, feeling his warmth and strength surrounding her, one thought seared into her heart.

Someone in this family wanted to break. And she would find out who.

She stayed in his embrace longer than she meant to, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It calmed her, yet it also reminded of how fragile this peace was. Behind the walls of this house, there were too many eyes, too many whispers.

“Bella,” Edward murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “You're shaking.”

“I'm fine,” she lied softly.

He studied her with a searching gaze, as if he could see the lie written across her skin. But instead of pressing, he drew her closer, wrapping his coat around her shoulders. “They won't hurt you,” he said firmly. “Not while I'm here.”

His words should have reassured her. Instead, they carried a weight she couldn't

Ignore, not while I'm here. What about when he wasn't?

Later when Edward was called away to speak with his uncle, Bella slipped into the corridor alone. The house was quieter now, though the silence felt heavy, watchful. She walked slowly, her fingers trailing along the carved wood panels, when she noticed it again, the faint sensation of being followed.

She turned quickly. The hall was empty.

Her pulse quickened. A draft stirred the curtains, making shadows dance across the floor. She wanted to believe it was her imagination, but a flicker of movement at the corner of her eye made her breath hitch. Someone had been there, she was certain.

A folded slip of paper lay just beneath the leg of a console table, out of place in the immaculate hallway. Bella bent down and picked it up, her fingers trembling.

Three words, scrawled in sharp ink.

“You're not safe.”

Her stomach dropped. She crushed the paper in her fist, her eyes darting down there once more. Whoever left it was close, too close.

Footsteps echoed. Edward's voice called softly, “Bella?”

She forced her breathing steady and tucked the note into her sleeve before he rounded the corner. His eyes searched hers, concerned. “What are you doing out here?”

“Nothing,” she said too quickly. “I just… needed air.”

His gaze lingered on her face, suspicious, but he didn't press. He held out his hand. “Come back inside.”

Bella slipped her fingers into his, but as they walked together, the words burned against her skin through the paper hidden in her sleeve.

She couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not until she knew who was playing this dangerous game.

As she glanced back once more at the empty corridor, she had the unshakable feeling that someone was smiling in the shadows.

Bella's smile was faint as Edward guided her back towards the dining room, but her mind was a storm. Every laugh that echoed from behind the closed doors, every hushed conversation, now felt like a mask for something darker.

Edward leaned close, his breath warm against her temple. “You don't have to face them, again tonight if you don't want to. I'll make an excuse.”

Part of her wanted to agree, to let him shield her. But another part, the one that has survived years under her father's roof, knew hiding would only make her look weaker. “No.” she whispered. I'll be fine.”

His eyes softened, admiration flickering there. He kissed her forehead lightly, lingering just long enough to steady her shaking hands. “Then I'll be right there beside you.”

But as he pushed open the dining room doors Bella's gaze flickered back to the corridor.

The note was gone.

Her heart jolted. She had tucked it into her sleeve, she was sure of it. She pressed her arm, frantic. Empty.

A chill slid down her spine. Someone had taken it while she was standing there, holding Edward's hand.

And if they could get that close…what else could they take from her?