Don't Look Too Deep
947 Words
Penthouse – Eva’s Bedroom, Late Night
The city lights blinked beyond the glass walls, but Eva lay awake, unable to look away from her phone. The message still glowed on the screen like it was branded onto her soul.
“ He’ll destroy you in the end. Just like he destroyed her.
Ask him who Lena was”.
She stared at the name — Lena — as if it could answer everything. A name that felt too dangerous to say out loud. Her stomach twisted, and for the first time since she signed the marriage contract, she felt like she was falling into something she couldn’t climb out of.
Andre’s touch still lingered on her skin from earlier that night, but now it felt distant. Fake. Like she had been touched by a stranger wearing her husband’s skin.
She sat up, pushing the covers aside.
There would be no sleep tonight.
Not until she knew who Lena was.
And what Andre was hiding.
---
Penthouse – Andre’s study, Dawn
The hallway was silent. Andre was still asleep—or gone. Eva didn’t care.
She moved quietly across the marble floors, her heart pounding harder with each step toward his private office. The door creaked slightly as she pushed it open.
Inside, it smelled like him — clean, sharp, expensive — and something colder.
Her eyes scanned the room. Everything was perfectly arranged, like always, except for a folder peeking out from beneath a stack of documents.
She hesitated. Then reached for it.
Confidential – 2019 Incident: L.H.
Eva opened it with trembling fingers.
Lena Hart.
Surveillance photos. Medical records. Interview transcripts. A missing person case.
Eva’s chest tightened as she read the summaries. Lena was Andre’s fiancée. She just disappeared like dust , no official charges, but the implications were everywhere.
People believed he hurt her.
And he never denied it.
Suddenly, the air shifted behind her.
“You shouldn’t be in here.”
His voice wasn’t raised but it hit her like a slap.
Eva turned slowly.
Andre stood in the doorway, barefoot, shirtless, tension carved into every muscle of his body. His eyes locked on hers… and then on the open folder in her hands.
“I needed to know,” she said softly.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“You read it all?” he asked.
She nodded, tears pricking her eyes. “You were engaged. And then she vanished.”
He said nothing.
“Why didn’t you tell me about her?”
He looked at the floor. “Because people see what they want to see. And once you start explaining, you sound guilty even if you’re not.”
“Did you love her?”
“Yes.”
“And did you hurt her?”
His jaw tightened. “No. But I didn’t protect her either.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat. “What happened?”
Andre walked past her to the desk and picked up one of the photos. His fingers curled around it.
“She had a breakdown. The media didn’t care. They twisted everything. I let them… because the truth would’ve destroyed her reputation worse.”
Eva stepped closer. “You let yourself become the villain… to protect her?”
“I lost her either way.”
They stood in silence for some seconds.
“I’m not her, Andre,” she whispered.
“I know,” he replied. “And that’s what terrifies me.”
The room felt too full, like emotion was pressing against the walls. But this time, he didn’t walk away.
Eva reached up, placed a hand on his chest. “I’m still here.”
He met her gaze. For once, he didn’t hide.
But then his phone buzzed on the desk.
He glanced at the screen and all softness vanished from his face.
---
Penthouse – Balcony, Later
Eva stepped outside into the cool morning air, needing space. The view of the city was stunning, but her thoughts were louder than the skyline.
She now knew more than she wanted to.
And yet... it still wasn’t enough.
Because if Andre truly had nothing to hide… why did someone keep warning her to stay away?
Her phone vibrated in her palm.
Unknown number again.
“Still digging, sweetheart?
Keep going and you'll end up just like her”
Her blood ran cold.
This wasn’t just a warning anymore.
It was a threat.
She looked out into the streets below. Lights flickered. People moved. But something in the air had shifted.
Someone was watching her.
And they wanted her to be afraid.
…………………
Penthouse – Evening
Eva waited in the living room, the red folder now sealed in an envelope on the table in front of her.
When Andre walked in, he paused, eyes landing immediately on it.
“You left it out?” he asked.
“I wanted you to know I’m not hiding,” she said. “I saw what you were trying to protect. And I’m not here to punish you for your past.”
He looked at her, uncertain.
She stood slowly. “But there’s something else, Andre. Someone still sends strange messages. I’ve been getting messages–threats, messages about Lena,about you and about me.”
His face changed. Cold fury burned behind his eyes.
“Show me.”
Eva handed him the phone, and he scrolled through the texts, his grip tightening.
“I’ll handle it,” he said darkly.
“Do you know who it is?” she asked.
He didn’t answer. Not directly.
But the way his jaw set… she knew.
He had an idea.
And whoever it was… they’d just made a dangerous enemy.
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