The girl he loved in silence

CHAPTER 8: VICTOR MATEO

The cabin felt like it had suddenly shrunk. The air inside became tight, suffocating, and Ariana’s body stiffened as if her blood had turned to ice. The voice outside wasn’t loud, yet it carried power calm, confident, and terrifyingly certain. Whoever was speaking knew they had already won. There was no urgency in that voice, no fear of resistance. It was the voice of a man who didn’t need to shout because the world already listened when he spoke.

Damien’s grip tightened around his gun. His shoulders squared, and Ariana could see the change in him immediately. He didn’t look like a man running anymore. He looked like a man preparing for war.

Ariana’s throat was dry. She barely managed to whisper, “Victor?”

Damien didn’t answer, but his silence confirmed it.

Outside, the voice spoke again, closer this time. “You’ve made this difficult, Damien. But you always did enjoy drama. Even as a boy.”

Ariana’s heart pounded so hard it felt painful. She looked at Damien, hoping for reassurance, but Damien’s face was unreadable. His eyes were cold and focused, and his jaw was locked like stone. He moved quietly toward the window, peeking through the curtain just enough to see outside.

Ariana held her breath.

Damien’s eyes narrowed.

Then he stepped back.

“There are at least eight men,” he murmured. “Maybe more.”

Ariana’s knees weakened. “Eight?”

Damien’s gaze flicked to her. “They’re surrounding the cabin. No clear exit.”

Ariana’s voice trembled. “So what do we do?”

Damien didn’t answer immediately. He walked toward the table, his movements controlled, and pulled the box out from under his jacket. He stared at it for a moment, then looked at Ariana.

His voice lowered. “If we don’t make it out, you run. Through the back window. Straight into the woods. Don’t look back.”

Ariana’s eyes widened in horror. Damien, no

Damien grabbed her shoulders firmly. “Listen to me. You are more important than me. That box is more important than me. You understand?”

Ariana shook her head, tears building instantly. “Stop saying that. I’m not leaving you.”

Damien’s voice became sharper. “Ariana!”

She flinched.

Damien exhaled hard, his eyes softening for half a second. “I can’t lose you again.”

Ariana’s lips trembled. “Then don’t die.”

Damien’s gaze held hers, and for a moment the cabin was silent except for the crackling fire. Then Damien leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Ariana froze completely.

Her heart stopped.

Her breath caught so sharply it hurt.

Damien’s voice was so quiet, so raw, that it didn’t sound like a confession. It sounded like a final truth.

Ariana’s eyes filled with tears immediately.

“Damien…” she whispered, barely able to speak.

Before she could say anything else, a loud knock hit the cabin door.

BANG.

The wood shook.

Ariana screamed softly, stepping back.

Damien lifted his gun instantly.

Another knock.

BANG.

Victor’s voice came again, calm and patient, almost amused. “Open the door, Damien. We can do this peacefully.”

Damien’s expression hardened. He glanced at Ariana, then back at the door.

Victor spoke again. “If you don’t open it, I will break it. And if I break it, your little girl will be the first to bleed.”

Ariana’s body trembled.

Damien’s eyes flashed with fury.

He stepped forward and shouted, “Touch her and I’ll put a bullet through your skull!”

Victor chuckled outside. “Still brave. Still emotional. Still foolish.”

Ariana’s chest tightened as she heard footsteps shifting outside. It sounded like men moving into position.

Victor’s voice softened, like a father talking to a stubborn child. “Damien, come on. You know you can’t win. You’re outnumbered. You’re trapped. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

Damien’s breathing was heavy. Ariana could see the anger in him, but also something else—pain. This wasn’t just an enemy outside. This was family. This was history. This was betrayal carved into Damien’s bones.

Victor’s voice continued. “I didn’t raise you to be this stupid.”

Ariana swallowed hard. “He raised you?”

Damien’s eyes stayed on the door. “My father died when I was fourteen. Victor took over.”

Ariana’s heart sank.

Victor took over. Victor raised him. Victor shaped him.

No wonder Damien looked like a man who had survived hell.

Victor’s voice became firmer. “Open the door. Now.”

Damien’s eyes flicked to Ariana again. He whispered, “Behind the curtain. Now.”

Ariana shook her head. Damien

“Go,” he ordered, low and harsh.

Ariana hesitated for only a second, then ran behind the curtain near the corner. Her hands shook as she pressed herself against the wall. She could barely breathe. She could hear Damien’s footsteps moving.

Then the cabin door creaked.

Damien opened it.

The cold air rushed in.

Ariana held her breath, peeking slightly through the gap in the curtain.

And then she saw him.

Victor Mateo.

He stepped inside like he owned the world. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in an expensive black coat that looked too elegant for the forest. His hair was dark with streaks of gray at the sides, his face sharp and refined like a man carved from marble. His eyes were the worst part cold, calm, and cruelly intelligent. Those eyes didn’t look like they belonged to a human being. They looked like the eyes of a predator.

He glanced around the cabin slowly, as if inspecting it, then his gaze landed on Damien.

Victor smiled.

“Look at you,” he said. “All grown up. All powerful. All dramatic.”

Behind Victor, several armed men entered, spreading out like shadows. They were dressed in dark clothing, their weapons visible, their faces blank.

Damien stood still, gun in hand.

Victor’s gaze dropped to Damien’s gun and he sighed. “Still pointing weapons at family. It’s such an ugly habit.”

Damien’s voice was ice. “You’re not my family.”

Victor chuckled softly. “Oh, but I am. Blood doesn’t disappear just because you hate it.”

Ariana’s heart pounded.

Victor’s eyes scanned the cabin again, and Ariana could tell he was searching. Not for Damien.

For her.

Victor tilted his head slightly. “Where is she?”

Damien didn’t answer.

Victor sighed as if he was disappointed. “Damien. You always had such a beautiful weakness. Even as a child. You would cry over injured birds. You would protect servants. You would defend strangers.”

He stepped closer, his voice smooth like poison. “And now you’ve gone and fallen in love with the wrong girl.”

Ariana’s throat tightened.

Damien’s hand tightened around his gun. “Don’t talk about her.”

Victor smiled. “I can talk about whoever I want.”

He stopped directly in front of Damien. The tension between them was suffocating.

Victor’s voice became quiet. “Give me the evidence.”

Damien’s jaw clenched. “No.”

Victor stared at him for a moment, then laughed softly. “You’ve become arrogant.”

Damien’s eyes burned. “I’ve become free.”

Victor’s smile faded slightly, and the air in the cabin became colder.

Victor stepped back, and his eyes narrowed. “Free? Is that what you call this? Hiding in the woods like an animal? Damien, you’re not free. You’re just a child running away from discipline.”

Damien’s voice rose slightly. “Discipline? You call murder discipline?”

Victor shrugged. “Murder is a word poor people use when they don’t understand power.”

Ariana’s stomach twisted in disgust.

Victor turned his head slightly and spoke calmly to his men. “Bring her out.”

Ariana’s heart slammed.

Damien lifted his gun. “No one moves.”

Victor didn’t even flinch. He looked back at Damien with an almost bored expression.

“You will shoot them?” Victor asked softly. “In front of me?”

Damien’s eyes were deadly. “Yes.”

Victor smiled again, slow and cruel. “Then shoot.”

Damien’s finger tightened on the trigger.

Ariana’s breath stopped.

But Damien didn’t fire.

Victor leaned in slightly, his voice low. “Because you know what I will do if you kill them.”

Damien’s eyes hardened.

Victor straightened and spoke louder. “Ariana Benson.”

Ariana’s blood ran cold.

He knew her name.

Victor walked deeper into the cabin, his eyes scanning. “Ariana. Come out.”

Ariana couldn’t move. Her body was frozen. Her breath was shallow. Her heart was screaming at her to run, but there was nowhere to run.

Victor’s voice became sweet, mocking. “Don’t be shy. I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

Damien’s voice was sharp. “She’s not coming out.”

Victor turned to Damien, his eyes narrowing. “Then I’ll pull her out myself.”

He nodded slightly.

One of the men stepped toward the curtain.

Damien fired.

The gunshot exploded in the cabin.

The man screamed and fell to the ground, blood spilling from his leg.

Ariana covered her mouth, shaking violently.

The other men raised their guns instantly.

Victor’s expression didn’t change. Not even slightly.

He just stared at Damien.

Then he clapped slowly.

“Well,” Victor said. “You have become bold.”

Damien’s breathing was heavy. His gun was still raised.

Victor’s voice became cold. “But you’ve also become stupid.”

Victor lifted his hand.

In one second, everything happened.

Two men fired at Damien at the same time.

Damien reacted quickly, pushing himself to the side. The bullets hit the wall behind him. Damien fired back, hitting one of the men in the chest. The man dropped instantly.

The cabin became chaos.

Gunshots. Shouting. Ariana’s scream stuck in her throat as she watched the violence unfold like a nightmare.

Damien grabbed the table and flipped it over for cover, pulling the box with him. Bullets hit the wood, splintering it.

Ariana’s body shook as she pressed herself against the wall behind the curtain, praying she wouldn’t be seen.

Victor didn’t hide.

He didn’t even duck.

He stood calmly in the middle of the cabin while his men fought, as if bullets couldn’t touch him. His eyes remained focused, cold, calculating.

He was watching Damien like Damien was a test.

Damien fired again.

Another man fell.

Victor sighed, annoyed now.

“This is tiring,” Victor said.

He raised his gun slowly.

Ariana’s breath stopped.

Victor aimed directly at Damien’s head.

Damien was too busy firing at the other men to notice.

Ariana’s body moved before her mind could think.

She burst out from behind the curtain.

“DAMIEEEN!”

Damien’s eyes widened.

Victor’s gun fired.

Ariana screamed.

The bullet hit Damien in the shoulder.

Damien grunted and stumbled backward, his gun slipping slightly from his hand.

Ariana’s heart shattered.

“No!” she cried, running toward him.

Damien grabbed her wrist and pulled her down behind the overturned table.

His shoulder was bleeding heavily.

Ariana’s hands trembled as she pressed against him. “You’re shot!”

Damien’s breathing was heavy. “I’m fine.”

Ariana’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re not fine!”

Victor’s voice came from the other side of the cabin, calm and amused. “Ariana Benson. Finally. I was beginning to think you were a ghost.”

Ariana’s entire body trembled as she looked up.

Victor was staring directly at her now.

His eyes were sharp, hungry.

He stepped closer slowly, his boots crunching against the wooden floor.

Damien lifted his gun again, aiming at Victor, his face pale from blood loss.

Victor smiled. “You’ll shoot me? In front of her?”

Damien’s voice was rough. “I’ll kill you.”

Victor’s smile widened. “You won’t. Because you are still the boy I raised.”

Ariana’s throat tightened.

Victor’s gaze moved to Ariana, and his voice softened, becoming disturbingly gentle. “My dear girl. Do you know who I am?”

Ariana’s voice trembled. “You’re the man who killed my parents.”

Victor laughed softly. “Killed? No. That’s too dramatic. I removed them.”

Ariana’s hands clenched into fists. “You destroyed my life.”

Victor tilted his head. “Your life? Ariana, your life was meaningless before me. You were a little girl in a fragile family. You would have grown up poor, struggling, invisible. But now look at you. You have Damien. You have attention. You have importance.”

Ariana stared at him with disgust. “You’re sick.”

Victor chuckled. “And you’re emotional. Just like your mother.”

Ariana’s breath caught.

Victor’s eyes gleamed. “She screamed beautifully, you know. She begged me to spare you. She offered me everything.”

Ariana’s stomach twisted violently.

Damien growled, his voice shaking with fury. “Shut up!”

Victor ignored him.

Victor stepped closer again, his eyes locked on Ariana. “But I didn’t kill you. I let you live. I even arranged your new life.”

Ariana froze.

Her blood ran cold.

“You arranged… my life?” she whispered.

Victor smiled. “Of course. Your aunt Clara was paid very well to keep you quiet. To keep you broken. To keep you obedient.”

Ariana’s entire body went numb.

She felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her.

Clara…

Clara wasn’t just cruel.

She was paid.

She was part of it.

Ariana’s eyes filled with tears instantly. “No… no…”

Victor’s voice was calm, almost proud. “Your father was a smart man. Too smart. He thought he could destroy me with evidence. But I destroyed him first. And I kept his precious daughter alive as a reminder.”

Ariana’s lips trembled. “Why?”

Victor smiled slowly. “Because it’s more satisfying.”

Ariana shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “You monster…”

Victor’s gaze flicked briefly to Damien. “And then Damien made the mistake of finding you.”

Damien’s voice was rough. “You never cared about me. You only cared about control.”

Victor’s smile faded slightly, and his eyes hardened.

“I cared enough to make you powerful,” Victor said coldly. “Everything you have is because of me.”

Damien spat, his eyes burning. “Everything I have is because I fought my way out of your hell.”

Victor’s face remained calm, but Ariana saw something flicker in his eyes.

Anger.

Victor looked back at Ariana. “Now, Ariana. Give me the box.”

Ariana’s body shook. She glanced at Damien.

Damien’s eyes held hers, silently warning her.

Victor’s voice softened again. “You don’t want Damien to die, do you?”

Ariana’s throat tightened. “Don’t use him against me.”

Victor shrugged. “Then don’t force me to.”

Victor lifted his gun slightly, aiming it at Damien’s chest now.

Damien’s breathing was heavy, his shoulder bleeding, but he didn’t flinch. He looked at Victor like he would rather die than surrender.

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Last chance.”

Ariana’s mind spun.

If she gave Victor the box, he would destroy the evidence, and her parents would never get justice.

If she didn’t…

Damien would die.

Ariana felt like she was suffocating.

Victor smiled, sensing her fear. “Choose, Ariana. Choose love or revenge.”

Ariana’s lips trembled. Her body shook violently.

Then she looked at Damien.

His eyes were on her.

And in those eyes, Ariana saw something that terrified her more than Victor’s gun.

Damien was ready to die for her.

He was ready to sacrifice himself without hesitation.

And Ariana realized she couldn’t let him.

Because she couldn’t survive losing him.

Not again.

Ariana’s hands moved slowly.

She reached into Damien’s jacket.

Damien’s eyes widened slightly. “Ariana…”

Ariana pulled out the box.

Victor’s smile grew.

“Good girl,” Victor murmured.

Ariana stood up slowly, holding the box with trembling hands. Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes were burning with something stronger than fear.

Hatred.

Victor stepped forward.

“Bring it,” he said.

Ariana walked toward him slowly.

Damien tried to stand, but he stumbled.

“Ariana, don’t Damien’s voice was strained.

Victor’s men raised their guns, ready.

Ariana stopped a few feet away from Victor.

Victor reached out his hand.

Ariana’s fingers tightened around the box.

Then she smiled.

It was small.

Broken.

But it was a smile.

Victor frowned slightly. What are you smiling about?

Ariana’s voice was shaking, but clear. “Because you think you’ve won.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Give it to me.”

Ariana lifted the box slightly.

Victor’s hand moved closer.

And then Ariana threw the box into the fire.

Victor’s eyes widened in shock.

“No!” he shouted.

The metal box hit the flames with a loud clang. Sparks flew as the fire swallowed it instantly. The wax-sealed envelope inside began to blacken.

Victor lunged forward, but Damien fired.

The bullet hit Victor’s arm.

Victor staggered back with a roar of pain.

His men raised their guns immediately.

Damien grabbed Ariana and yanked her down.

Bullets exploded through the cabin again.

The fire grew wilder as the box burned, flames climbing higher, licking the ceiling.

Smoke filled the air.

Ariana coughed violently.

Damien’s voice was harsh. “We have to go!”

Ariana’s eyes were wide with panic. “The evidence!”

Damien grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. “It’s gone. But you just bought us time. Now move!”

Ariana’s chest tightened with grief, but she nodded.

Damien pulled her toward the back window.

Victor’s voice roared behind them, filled with rage. “KILL THEM! BRING ME HER HEAD!”

Ariana screamed as Damien kicked the window open.

Glass shattered.

Damien pushed Ariana through first.

Ariana fell onto the wet ground outside, her hands scraping against mud.

Damien climbed out after her, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

The cabin behind them was burning now.

Flames poured out through the broken windows.

Ariana’s heart pounded as they ran into the woods again.

Victor’s men chased after them, shouting.

Ariana’s lungs burned as she ran. Her feet slipped on wet leaves. Damien stayed close, holding her wrist, dragging her forward.

But Damien was losing blood.

His steps slowed.

Ariana looked back and saw his face turning pale.

“Damien!” she cried.

Damien’s voice was strained. “Keep moving.”

Ariana’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re bleeding too much!”

Damien gritted his teeth. “I said keep moving!”

Ariana forced herself to run faster, pulling Damien with her now. Her arms ached, her chest hurt, but she refused to stop.

Behind them, gunshots echoed.

The forest felt endless.

Then Damien suddenly stumbled.

He fell to his knees.

Ariana turned quickly. “Damien!”

Damien’s breathing was heavy. His face was pale, his lips slightly blue.

“I can’t…” he whispered.

Ariana’s heart shattered.

“No,” she cried, grabbing his face. “No, please.”

Damien looked at her, his eyes weak but still full of love.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Ariana shook her head violently. “No. Don’t say that. You promised me.”

Damien’s eyes fluttered.

Ariana’s panic exploded. She grabbed him, trying to pull him up.

“Get up! Damien, get up!” she cried.

Footsteps approached.

Voices.

They were getting closer.

Ariana’s mind raced desperately.

Then she saw it.

A steep slope leading downward, hidden by bushes.

Ariana didn’t think.

She grabbed Damien’s arm and dragged him toward it.

Damien groaned, barely conscious.

Ariana pulled him down the slope, her body sliding through mud and leaves. She screamed as her back hit a rock, but she didn’t stop.

They rolled down the slope and landed at the bottom near a narrow stream.

Ariana gasped, her body shaking.

She pressed herself against Damien, trying to keep him hidden.

The voices above grew louder.

Victor’s men were searching.

Ariana held her breath, covering Damien’s mouth gently so he wouldn’t groan.

Damien’s eyes were half-closed, his body weak.

Ariana’s tears fell silently as she held him.

Footsteps moved closer.

Then stopped.

Ariana’s heart stopped.

A voice above them spoke. “They were here. Look for tracks.”

Ariana’s hands trembled.

Damien’s body was heavy against her, warm but fading.

Ariana whispered into his ear, barely audible. “Please don’t die. Please… don’t leave me.”

Damien didn’t answer.

Ariana’s sob shook her body.

Above them, the men continued searching.

And Ariana realized something terrifying.

Even if they survived this moment…

Victor Mateo would never stop hunting them.

Not until one of them was dead.