The wife he never Wanted

RUN

The lights went out for one terrifying second and the entire room was silent.Then the screaming began.People rushed toward the exits, knocking into tables and each other. Somewhere in the darkness, a woman cried out and I stood completely frozen.

"Sophia!"

Damian's voice came through my phone.

"I'm here!"

"Don't move."

My breathing became uneven.

"Damian, I can't see anything."

"I know. Stay where you are."

I heard footsteps approaching,slow and deliberate.Someone was coming toward me.I backed away until my shoulders hit the wall.Then a hand grabbed my wrist.

I screamed.

"Shh."

The voice was familiar.

"It's me."

"Damian?"

He pulled me toward him but I could barely make out his face in the darkness.

"How did you get here?"

"I followed you."

"You followed me?"

"We'll talk later."

A loud crash came from somewhere behind us.Immediately Damien pushed me behind him.

"Stay close."

We started moving.He kept one hand around mine as he guided me through the dark hallway.

"Where are we going?"

"Out."

"What about the box?"

"Forget the box."

I stopped.

"No."

He turned toward me.

"Sophia—"

"My mother left something for me."

"I know."

"And I'm not leaving without it."

His expression hardened.

"Your life is more important than whatever is inside that box."

"You don't understand."

"I understand perfectly."

He stepped closer.

"I know what these people are capable of."

Before I could answer, footsteps echoed behind us.Damian looked over his shoulder.

"Run."

We ran.

My shoes slipped against the polished floor as we raced toward the emergency exit.Then—A figure appeared at the end of the hallway,a man in a dark coat.He raised his arm and I saw a gun.

"Damian!"

He turned and a gunshot exploded through the hallway.Damian grabbed me and pulled me to the floor.The bullet struck the wall behind us.I covered my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

"Stay down." he whispered

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

He looked at me.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

The man was gone and Damian slowly stood.Then I noticed the blood as his hand was pressed against his shoulder.

"You're bleeding."

"It's a scratch."

"That's not a scratch."

He looked at the wound.

"Move."

I stared at him.

"Damian—"

"Now."

He pulled me behind a concrete pillar as another gunshot rang out making me flinch.Damian's body immediately moved in front of mine,he was shielding me.

"Why are you doing this?"

He looked down at me.

"Doing what?"

"Protecting me."

His eyes softened.

"Because you're my responsibility."

"I'm not your responsibility."

He was quiet.Then he said,

"Maybe not yet."

My heart skipped.

Before I could ask what he meant, my phone vibrated. It was an unknown number, a message.My breath caught immediately I opened it. It was a photograph of my mother,Alive.

She was standing outside somewhere covered in snow, wearing a long dark coat.She looked older but there was no mistaking her.My fingers trembled as I stared at the picture.

"Damian..."

He took the phone from me and his face changed the moment he saw the photograph.

"Where did you get this?"

"I don't know."

Another message popped up.Stop looking for me, Sophia.I stared at the words.

Damian looked at me and my throat tightened.

"She doesn't want me to find her."

"That's not necessarily what this means."

Another message showed up,"you were never supposed to know the truth".Then a final one.Next time, he won't be there to save you.Damian's jaw clenched.He looked toward the dark hallway as if in search of something.

"We're leaving."

"What?"

"Now."

"But my mother—"

"Your mother is trying to scare you."

"How do you know?"

"Because she knows exactly what happens when someone starts asking questions."

I stared at him.

"You know who did this."

He didn't answer.

"Damian."

He finally looked at me.

"I know who we're running from."

My stomach dropped.

"Who?"

He took my hand.

"Someone I thought was dead."

We hurried toward the exit.Outside, freezing air hit my face,while a black SUV was waiting.Damian opened the passenger door.

"Get in."

I hesitated.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Where?"

He looked around the empty street before answering.

"My private estate in Vermont."

I stared at him.

"You expect me to go into hiding with you?"

"No."

He opened the door wider.

"I expect you to survive."

I got into the car andDamian followed.As the SUV pulled away from the city, I looked back at New York disappearing behind us.I had come to the bank looking for answers.Instead, I had found a photograph of my mother, a man trying to kill me, and a secret Damian clearly wasn't ready to reveal.

I looked at him.He was staring out the window, his injured shoulder pressed against the seat.

"Damian?"

"Hmm?"

"Who do you think is behind this?"

He didn't look at me and his answer came quietly.

"My father."

I froze.

"Your father is dead."

"I know."

He finally turned toward me.

"That's what everyone thinks."

The car continued into the darkness.

And suddenly, I wasn't sure which was more frightening—the people chasing me...or the man sitting beside me who seemed to know exactly why.