My Husband's Secret Twin

Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Damien's footsteps sounded farther and farther down the hallway. Elara stood in the living room, her heart beating fast. Since morning, curiosity had been gnawing at her mind. There was something odd about the man-the way he looked, the way he organized everything, even his attitude that was too dominant for just a "sister-in-law" who happened to come by.

The opportunity just presented itself. As soon as the front door closed and the sound of the car engine faded, Elara stepped quickly into the corridor of the right wing of the house. She had seen Damien enter one of the rooms at the end and lock it.

The boudoir.

Her hand hesitated as she grabbed the doorknob, but it was unlocked. Elara breathed a sigh of relief and pushed it open slowly. The smell of old wood and leather from the chair filled the room. The furniture was neat, everything symmetrical-even the pens on the table were arranged in a straight line.

Elara wandered around the room. There was a shelf full of law books, a thick folder labeled "Confidential", and a half-open desk drawer. Her instincts prompted her to check. She looked down, her fingers dug in, and found a thin cream colored envelope.

As she pulled it out, a photograph fell into her lap.

The photo had yellowed at the edges, the folds smooth as if it had been opened and closed many times. In the photo, two identical boys stand in front of a simple house whose paint is fading. Their smiles were wide, but their eyes radiated a mixture of innocent happiness and a secret that only they knew.

Elara frowned. They looked so much like Damien. In fact, one of them looked like Adrian.

Why was this picture on Damien's desk? Didn't the Vale family never talk about Adrian or Damien's childhood in such a place? As far as Elara knew, the family came from an elite neighborhood, not a simple house like the one in the photo.

She flipped the photo over, but the back was blank. No date, no name. There was just a little faded ink stain in the corner.

The creak of the door made Elara jump.

She froze. The photo was still in her hand.

The door was fully open. Damien stood on the threshold, his body erect, his face... cold. Too cold. He had a cell phone in his hand, and his eyes were sharp as knives ready to pierce the skin.

"Very interesting," his voice was low, almost a murmur, but full of menace. "You forget your manners very quickly, Elara."

Elara hurriedly placed the photo on the table. "I... I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to?" Damien stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "You searched my study. That's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Elara took a step back. "I was just... curious. That picture..."

Damien didn't answer directly. He placed his phone on the table, then picked up the photo with a quiet gesture. His hands smoothed the folds of the photo as if he was taking care of a valuable item.

"Adrian is unreachable," he said finally, his tone flat but piercing. "And I'm here to make sure things stay under control. Avoid chaos."

Elara gave him a puzzled look. "Can't be reached? What do you mean, where did she go? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

The questions seemed to bounce off the walls. Damien just looked at her for a long time, then his lips curved in a faint smile-not a warm smile, but a kind of warning.

"You ask too many questions, Elara. And that's dangerous."

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Elara felt the air become heavier.

Damien walked over to the desk, opened another drawer, and took out a prepared sheet of paper. He placed it in front of Elara, along with a black pen.

"Here," he said briefly.

Elara looked down to read. The words on the paper made her eyes widen. A tacit agreement. In essence: she would act as Adrian's faithful wife in the public eye, maintain the Vale family's reputation, and would not ask questions or find out Adrian's whereabouts. Violation meant legal consequences... and personal.

"Are you kidding me?" Elara stared at him in disbelief. "This is ridiculous! I'm his wife. I have a right to know where she is!"

Damien didn't smile. "And I have the right to make sure you don't ruin a plan that's been years in the making."

"Elara, sign it. Now."

Elara clasped her hands together, trying to calm her racing heart. "If I refuse?"

Damien gave her a long look. Then, he stepped closer. They were now only one step apart. His hand came up, his fingertips touched Elara's chin, lifting her slightly. His gaze pierced straight into her eyes.

"If you don't." his voice dropped lower, almost a whisper that slapped her ears, "I'll make sure you regret it."

Elara's eyes widened. The threat wasn't just words. She could feel it, from the coldness in Damien's gaze to the tension in the air.

The clock on the wall ticked slowly, but every second sounded like a blow to her head.

Elara's mind was racing. What was Damien hiding? Why had Adrian completely disappeared? And who were the two boys in the photo?

Elara reached out hesitantly. The pen felt cold in her fingers.

Outside, the rain began to fall, tapping on the windows with an irregular rhythm-as if accompanying a decision that would change everything.