Chapter 6: Secrets Behind Closed Doors
1180 Words
Dante’s POV
The office door clicks shut behind Matteo.
Silence settles over the room.
I finally turn to face Alessia.
She stands where Matteo leaves her, shoulders straight, chin high.
Most people avoid my eyes.
She doesn’t.
A small smile touches my lips.
“So…”
I take one step toward her.
“You tried to run.”
She says nothing.
Good.
She refuses to bow her head.
“I’ll try again,” she says.
“I know.”
“You sound very sure of yourself.”
“I am.”
She scoffs.
“You can’t keep me here forever.”
“I don’t need forever.”
She frowns.
“What does that mean?”
“Three days.”
Understanding flashes across her face.
“The wedding.”
I nod once.
“I’ll never marry you.”
“You will.”
Her jaw tightens.
“You really think you can force me?”
“I already have.”
Anger burns in her eyes.
“You kidnapped me.”
“I protected you.”
She lets out a bitter laugh.
“That’s what you’re calling it now?”
I don’t answer.
Instead, I walk to the window.
“The escape attempt ends here.”
“I’ll find another way.”
“You won’t.”
She steps closer.
“You don’t know me.”
“No.”
“But I know the people watching this estate.”
She goes still.
“My enemies miss nothing.”
She hesitates.
“If they see you running…”
I pause.
“…they’ll assume you’re my weakness.”
She doesn’t speak.
“They won’t come for you first.”
Her breathing slows.
“They’ll go after your family.”
The color drains from her face.
“My parents?”
“Yes.”
She shakes her head.
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I were.”
Silence fills the room.
For the first time…
The fire in her eyes gives way to fear.
Not for herself.
For the people she loves.
And that is exactly what I fear too.
***
Alessia’s POV
I leave Dante’s office before he can say another word.
Your family.
The words won’t leave me alone.
Was he telling the truth?
Or was it just another way to keep me here?
I hate that I don’t know.
I should go back to my room.
Instead, I keep walking.
The mansion is strangely quiet.
The sound of my footsteps echoes through the hallway.
Most parts of the estate are filled with guards or staff.
Not here.
This hallway is different.
No guards.
No maids.
No voices.
Just silence.
I slow down.
At the end of the hallway, I notice a door.
It’s slightly open.
A strange feeling settles in my chest.
I should walk away.
I know I should.
But curiosity wins.
One look.
Then I’m leaving.
I take a deep breath.
And push the door open.
The room isn’t what I expect.
It isn’t a bedroom.
Or another sitting room.
It’s an office.
A private one.
Dark wooden shelves line the walls.
Books fill every shelf.
Maps cover one wall.
Stacks of files sit neatly on a large desk.
Everything is clean.
Everything is in its place.
It feels… personal.
I take a slow step inside.
Then another.
My eyes move around the room.
Then they stop.
A photograph.
I walk closer.
My breath catches.
It’s me.
I’m standing outside the bakery, carrying a box of bread.
I frown.
Then I notice another one.
Me leaving the grocery store.
Another.
Walking home with my mother.
Another.
Waiting at a bus stop.
I spin around.
More photographs.
On the wall.
On the desk.
Every single one is of me.
Different clothes.
Different places.
Different days.
My hands begin to shake.
“No…”
The word slips out before I can stop it.
Who takes this many pictures of a stranger?
I pick one up.
It’s older than the others.
I look younger.
Someone has been watching me.
Not for days.
Not for weeks.
For months.
Maybe longer.
A chill runs down my spine.
Who… is Dante De Luca?
You shouldn’t be in here.”
The deep voice sends a chill down my spine.
I spin around.
Dante stands in the doorway.
His face gives nothing away.
I tighten my grip on the photograph.
“What is this?”
He doesn’t answer.
I hold the picture up.
“No.”
My voice shakes.
“Who are you?”
His eyes stay on me.
“Put it down.”
“I asked you a question.”
Silence.
I let out a bitter laugh.
“You’ve been following me.”
Silence.
“You’ve been watching me.”
“Were you outside my house?”
He doesn’t deny it.
“Were you watching my family too?”
His jaw tightens.
“Answer me!”
I throw the photograph onto the desk.
“You’re insane.”
I push past him.
He steps in front of me.
“Move.”
“No.”
“I said move.”
“You’ve seen something you shouldn’t.”
Anger takes over.
I shove him.
He doesn’t move.
Instead, his hand closes around my wrist.
My breath catches.
He’s uddenly too close.
I glare up at him.
“I hate you.”
For a second…
Neither of us moves.
Then he kisses me.
My eyes fly open.
The world stops.
As quickly as it begins, it’s over.
He lets go.
Shock turns into anger.
My hand flies across his face.
Slap.
The sound echoes through the room.
Neither of us speaks.
My chest rises and falls.
My palm stings.
I don’t care.
I glare at him.
“Stay away from me.”
Dante slowly turns his face back toward me.
A faint red mark is already forming on his cheek.
He doesn’t look angry.
If anything…
He looks disappointed.
“You hate me,” he says quietly.
“I do.”
He nods once.
“I expected that.”
Silence stretches between us.
Then he says the last thing I expect.
“Your father didn’t sell me to you.”
My breath catches.
“What?”
“He begged me to take you”
The room spins.
I shake my head.
“No.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You’re lying.”
“I don’t lie.”
My heart pounds.
“My father would never…”
“He would.”
I stare at him.
“Why?”
For the first time…
Something flickers in his eyes.
Regret.
He walks to the door.
My voice cracks.
“Why would he beg you to marry me?”
His hand closes around the doorknob.
He pauses.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“And when you do…”
He looks back at me.
“…you’ll wish he hadn’t.”
The door closes behind him.
I stand frozen, the photograph still clutched in my hand.
For the first time since I arrive at the De Luca estate…
I’m no longer asking how to escape.
One question keeps echoing in my mind.
What’s my father hiding?
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD