WEDDINGMUSTGO ON
987 Words
The rain had stopped by the time Damien and Lina returned to Blackwood Mansion.
Neither of them spoke during the journey.
Lina stole a glance at him more than once.
He sat with his eyes fixed ahead, his jaw clenched, as though he was carrying a burden too heavy to share.
The note his grandfather had slipped into his hand never left his mind.
Don't marry Lina... unless you want her to die too.
Every word echoed inside his head.
As soon as the limousine stopped, Damien stepped out without waiting for anyone.
He walked straight into the mansion.
Lina watched him disappear through the front door.
"He didn't even look at me," she whispered.
Sarah stood beside her.
"Mr. Blackwood is dealing with something difficult."
"So am I."
Sarah smiled sadly.
"I know."
Lina sighed before following her inside.
---
Damien locked himself inside his study.
He took the folded note from his pocket and read it again.
His grandfather had always been careful with his words.
If Edward had written that warning...
Then he had a reason.
But what reason could be terrible enough to stop the wedding?
Damien opened a drawer and removed the old photograph he had kept hidden for years.
It showed two smiling families standing together.
His father stood beside Daniel Brooks.
They looked like brothers.
Not enemies.
Damien stared at the picture.
"What really happened?"
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Sarah entered quietly.
"Sir..."
"The hospital just called."
Damien stood immediately.
"My grandfather?"
Sarah nodded.
"He regained consciousness a few minutes ago."
"He asked to see you."
Damien grabbed his coat.
"Get the car ready."
"Yes, sir."
---
Twenty minutes later...
Damien arrived at the hospital.
A doctor met him outside the intensive care unit.
"Mr. Blackwood."
"How is he?"
"He's awake, but very weak."
"You shouldn't keep him talking for long."
Damien nodded.
"I understand."
He entered the room slowly.
Edward Blackwood looked pale.
His breathing was shallow.
But when he saw Damien, he smiled faintly.
"You came."
"I'm here, Grandfather."
Damien pulled a chair closer.
"You left me a note."
Edward's smile disappeared.
"I had no choice."
"What did you mean?"
The old man looked toward the door to make sure no one else was listening.
"They're watching."
"Who?"
Edward lowered his voice.
"The people who destroyed both our families."
Damien frowned.
"My father always said Daniel Brooks betrayed him."
Edward slowly shook his head.
"Your father believed that..."
"...because someone wanted him to."
Damien's heart pounded.
"What are you saying?"
Edward reached for Damien's hand.
"There was another man."
"Who?"
The old man's lips trembled.
"Victor..."
"Victor Hale."
The name meant nothing to Damien.
"Who is Victor Hale?"
Edward tried to answer.
Instead, he began coughing violently.
The heart monitor beeped faster.
Doctors rushed into the room.
"Please step outside!"
Damien was forced into the hallway as the medical team surrounded the bed.
He stood there, staring through the glass.
Victor Hale.
For the first time...
He had a name.
But not the truth.
---
Back at Blackwood Mansion...
Lina couldn't stop thinking about Edward.
She wandered through the quiet halls until she reached the library.
Thousands of books covered the shelves.
She smiled faintly.
At least this room felt peaceful.
As she searched the titles, something caught her attention.
A dusty family album rested on a small table.
Curious, she opened it.
The first few pages showed birthdays and family dinners.
Then she stopped.
One photograph made her heart skip.
It showed Edward.
Damien's father.
And another man.
The caption underneath had faded with time.
Only one word remained clear.
...Hale
"Hale?"
Lina whispered.
"Why does that name sound familiar?"
Before she could turn the page, someone gently closed the album.
She looked up.
It was Sarah.
"I'm sorry," Lina said.
"I was just curious."
Sarah picked up the album.
"There are memories better left alone."
"You've said that before."
Sarah's expression softened.
"Some truths protect us."
"And some truths destroy us."
She carried the album away before Lina could ask another question.
---
Night fell over the city.
Damien finally left the hospital.
His grandfather had fallen asleep again.
The doctors said there was no telling when he would wake.
As Damien drove back toward the mansion, his phone rang.
Unknown Number.
He answered immediately.
"Who is this?"
A man's calm voice filled the silence.
"So..."
"Edward finally remembered my name."
Damien tightened his grip on the phone.
"Victor Hale."
The man laughed softly.
"Smart."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to keep your promise."
"What promise?"
"The wedding."
Damien's eyes narrowed.
"If you're behind this, tell me the truth."
"The truth?"
The man chuckled.
"The truth isn't something you're ready for."
Damien's patience was gone.
"Stay away from Lina."
There was a brief silence.
Then the voice became cold.
"If you cancel tomorrow's wedding..."
"...Grace Brooks will never leave that hospital alive."
The line went dead.
Damien slammed on the brakes.
His breathing became heavy.
How did this man know about Grace?
How long had he been watching them?
For the first time in years...
Damien realized this was no longer about revenge.
Someone was using Lina as a pawn.
And if he made one wrong move...
She would lose the only family she had left.
He looked into the darkness beyond the windshield.
"I don't know who you are, Victor Hale."
"But I swear..."
"I'll uncover every secret you've buried."
Miles away, inside a dimly lit office, a man stood by the window overlooking the city.
He held a glass of wine in one hand.
A photograph rested on his desk.
It was a picture of Lina and Damien leaving the hospital.
He smiled.
"The wedding will happen."
He gently placed the photograph into a file marked Blackwood Project.
Then he whispered,
"After tomorrow..."
"...there will be no turning back."
He switched off the light.
The office fell into darkness.
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