Chapter five/A warning in the shadows.
996 Words
Vanessa's words kept ringing in Bella's ears, like a reminder, she couldn't shake them off, even as they walked out of the dining room.
“You have no idea what you've walked into”
The Blackwood's family estate's hallway stretched endlessly, lined with expensive paintings. Her heels clicked gently on the marble floor, each step producing noises in the silence. Edward remained mute,his stride consistent, but he had a tension in his jaw that made her notice that he was not only walking but also thinking.
When they got to the door that leads to the room they were supposed to pass the night, he opened the door letting her in first.the moment he came,his voice was calm but low.
“What exactly did Vanessa say to you”?he asked.
Bella hesitated. “She…warned me. She said "I don't know what I'd walked into.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, but there wasn't any surprise in them. “Of course she did.”
“You are not even shocked.” Bella said, crossing her arms.
Edward loosened his tie, and tossed onto the chair, “Vanessa likes to make people feel unwelcome, “just ignore her.”
“That's easy for you to say” Bella replied
You've known her for years. I'm the outsider here.
Edward stepped closer to her, his gaze steady. “Outsider or not you are my wife.she can't do anything to you.”
The way he said it made her chest tighten, but it didn't stop the unease creeping in.
“It wasn't just what she said, Edward. It was how she said it.like she knew something about me…about us.”
He looked away briefly. “Vanessa thinks she knows everything. Trust me, she doesn't.”
Bella didn't answer. Deep down, she didn't believe it was just a harmless word.
A gentle knock on the door broke the silence.
Edward opened it. revealing a tall man in his forties, his looks calmer, more reserved than Edward, but with the same sharp eyes.
Edward,
Ethan,
They shook hands, greeting themselves.
Bella straightened herself, so this was Edward's elder brother.
Ethan's eyes landed on her. “Bella” Welcome to the family.” His tone was polite, but there was a weight behind it, as if he was measuring her.
Vanessa can be… blunt. Don't take it to heart.”
Bella smiled softly, “Thanks. I'll try not to.
He paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on her. “The thing about this family is…We look out for each other. But to stay, you've got to understand how things work. “It's not always simple.”
Bella tilted her head, “What do you mean?”
Ethan's mouth moved like he was debating whether to say more. “Just…pay attention.
Don't believe everything you hear, he gave a short nod and left.
When the door shut, Bella turned to Edward. That didn't sound very reassuring.
“That's just Ethan” he keeps things to himself. Edward said while pulling his wristwatch.
Bella refused to believe it. “Edward,is there something I need to know about your family? Something,you are not telling me?”
He froze for a moment, then said, “Bella, this marriage is complicated enough without chasing shadows.”
“But what if they are real?” she asked with a soft voice.
He stepped closer, rested a hand on her shoulder, and simply said, “you have to Trust me.”
It wasn't the answer she wanted.
That night, when Edward had fallen asleep, Bella lay awake,staring at the ceiling. The mansion was silent except for the occasional tick of a distant clock. She thought of Ethan's careful warning, Vanessa's sharp tone, Edward's half answers.
Nothing was making sense to her.
She told herself to let it go, to close her eyes and sleep, but her curiosity won't.
She slipped out of the bed, crept to the double doors and opened them. The hallway was dim, shadows pooling in the corners. She was about to close the door when she heard voices.
It was Vanessa's voice. “She won't last you know it.”
A man's voice replied, firm but too low to identify. Edward won't let her go this time.”
Bella’s heart skipped, “Not this time?”
She leaned forward in order to hear the voice clearly, but the voices moved away, footsteps fading into silence.
She gently shut the door, her mind spinning like a roller coaster. She wanted to believe she was imagining things, but deep down knew she wasn't.
Just as she turned to head back to the bedroom, something caught her eye.
On the desk by the window, there was an envelope, it wasn't here before Bella said to herself.
Her name was written across the front in neat, unfamiliar handwriting.
Bella picked it up, her fingers slightly trembling. The flap wasn't sealed, whoever left it here wanted her to open it.
She flipped the paper out, unfolded it. Four words stared back at her in dark ink.
“Leave while you can”
Bella's eyes darted towards the door, she was expecting someone to be standing there watching her. But the hallway was empty, and silent.
She glanced at Edward, still asleep, his face calm in the faint glow from beside the lamp. For a fleeting moment, she thought about waking him, to show him the envelope.
But something stopped her.
If Vanessa's warning and Ethan's careful choice of words had taught her anything tonight, it was that speaking too soon might be dangerous. She doesn't know who to trust, not even Edward.
She folded back the note into the envelope, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She slipped it into the drawer of the nightstand, closing it softly so it wouldn't wake him.
Different thoughts were running through her mind, but one was louder than the rest.
If someone wanted her gone..
What would happen if she stayed.
- Writer
