ELEVEN
734 Words
Chapter 11 – Echoes of the Past
It was already late when Xavier came home.
He was quiet, wordless, heading straight to his study—as if trying to escape or hide from something.
But tonight, Althea was no longer the woman who stayed silent.
She was no longer someone who could be swayed by excuses or reasons.
“Xavier,” she called, her voice firm. “We need to talk.”
Xavier stopped, still holding a glass of wine.
He tilted his head slightly, surprised by the sharp tone in her voice.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to sound calm.
Althea didn’t waste time.
“I found this.”
She handed him the document—the marriage contract that had haunted her all day.
Silence.
Only a few seconds passed, but to Althea it felt like hours.
The ticking of the clock on the wall echoed like heartbeats waiting for judgment.
Finally, Xavier spoke, his tone cold.
“That… shouldn’t be with you.”
Althea swallowed hard, holding back tears.
“What do you mean? Is it true? Were you married before I came into your life?”
Xavier lowered his gaze. In that moment, the perfect image of the man she loved shattered.
“It’s complicated,” he whispered.
“Complicated?” Althea repeated, her voice trembling with anger.
“Isn’t that just another word for a lie?”
Xavier turned away, looking out the window where the moonlight glimmered faintly against the glass.
“That marriage… was never real,” he said at last.
“It was a business arrangement—to save the company when it was on the verge of collapse. Lea was part of it. But I ended it long before you came.”
Althea froze, every word slicing through her.
“Lea?” she whispered. “So… Lea is the woman in the contract?”
Xavier said nothing.
His silence was enough to confirm everything.
“You made a fool of me, Xavier!” Althea shouted, unable to hold back the pain.
“Do you even know how much I trusted you?”
The staff outside the study could hear their voices, but no one dared to enter.
They exchanged nervous glances—silent witnesses to the crumbling of what once looked like a perfect love.
Xavier stepped closer, gently reaching for her shoulder.
“Please, Althea… it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. You were never part of the lie. You’re the only truth I have.”
But Althea stepped back, shaking her head.
“If I’m the truth, then why did you hide it from me? Why make me believe you had no secrets? Do you know how much it hurts to see her name written beside yours?”
Xavier’s chest tightened, his strength fading.
“Because I wanted to start clean,” he said softly. “I didn’t want to lose you.”
But for Althea, it was already too late.
The truth was like shattered glass—no matter how you tried to fix it, the cracks would always remain.
She lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“You already did,” she whispered, turning away.
But before she could step out of the study, Xavier spoke again.
“Althea, wait. It was never love with her. The contract was for power, not for feelings. I never loved her—not once.”
Althea stopped at the door, but didn’t look back.
“The problem, Xavier,” she said softly, her voice breaking,
“…even if you never loved her—you still deceived me.”
And she walked away.
Outside, the cold wind from the veranda greeted her.
The rain had stopped, but inside her chest, the storm continued to rage.
The city lights below flickered like memories—beautiful, yet painful to watch.
Back in the study, Xavier stood alone, still holding his glass of wine.
He stared at the document Althea had left on the desk.
Those signatures now looked like marks of sins that could never be erased.
He wanted to run after her—but deep down, he knew he had no right.
In his mind, her words echoed endlessly:
> “You already did.”
And outside the door stood Lea—listening, a faint smile curling on her lips.
Her eyes, cold and cunning, seemed to hold another secret waiting to unfold.
- Writer
