The Wife He Replaced

Chapter12

Chapter 12: Questions Without Answers

Rita's pov

I didn't make it far.

"Rita."

His voice followed me down the corridor. It was low and controlled. I couldn't escape it. I stopped. Of course I did. Running would make me look weak.

I had promised myself I wouldn't run. Never again. I slowly turned around.

Victor stood a step behind me. His jacket was slightly undone. His usual perfect composure was off. Not broken, not messy, just unsettled. That made him more dangerous.

"Yes Mr. Vale?" I asked calmly. I used formality to create distance. I needed that distance.

"You don't have to keep doing that, " he said. "I think I do " I replied.

There was a silence between us. It was heavy. Then he stepped closer. Not too close. Close enough that I could feel his pull.

That unwanted awareness of him. "I want to talk, " he said. My eyebrows lifted slightly. "We just did." "No " he said quietly. "We didn't."

His tone shifted. It was less controlled. More personal. More dangerous.

I held his gaze. "What do you want, Victor?" I asked. I said his name. Not "Mr. Vale." Victor. Something flickered in his eyes. It disappeared quickly.

"I want to know what happened, " he said.

He was straightforward. Direct. Too direct.

I tilted my head slightly. "That's vague, " I said. His expression hardened.

"You disappeared, " he said. "No calls. No explanation. Nothing." My chest tightened for a second. I forced it down. Locked it away. "People leave, " I said simply.

"That's not an answer, " he said. "It's the one you're getting, " I replied. His eyes searched mine intensely. Like he was trying to find something buried beneath my calm. Something real. Something emotional. He wouldn't find it. Not anymore.

"You were in the hospital, " he said.

The words hit me harder than I expected.

My breath caught. He saw it. Of course he did. Victor's gaze sharpened. "So it's true, " he said quietly. My fingers curled slightly at my sides.

I was careful. Very careful. "Who told you that?" I asked. "Does it matter?" he countered. Yes it did. Because it meant someone had been watching. Someone had been talking. I couldn't show that.

I wouldn't show that. "I had an accident, " I said calmly.

The truth. Not the whole truth. His jaw tightened. "An accident?" he repeated.

"Yes, " I said. "That's it?" he pressed.

I met his gaze. "What do you want me to say?" I asked. There was silence. Thick.

Tense. Because we both knew that wasn't the whole truth. Not even close.

"You were gone for days, " he continued. "No one knew where you were." I didn't respond. "You came back, " he added, ". Then you left again. Completely." Still I said nothing. His frustration was building.

I could see it. In the tension of his shoulders. In the way his fingers flexed at his sides.

"You expect me to believe that was nothing?" he asked. "Yes, " I said without hesitation. That did it. Something snapped quietly but clearly. "That's not how this works, " he said.

I almost laughed. Almost. ". How exactly does it work?" I asked. His eyes darkened.

"You don't just disappear like that and pretend it doesn't matter, " he said. The words hung between us. Heavy. Sharp.

I took a breath. "It didn't matter to you then, " I said quietly.

That landed hard. Victor stilled. Completely. For a moment there it was.

That c***k. That shift. That realization.

"You don't know that, " he said. His voice lacked certainty.

I held his gaze. "I do, " I said. There was another silence. This one felt different.

Because now he wasn't just asking. He was searching. Trying to understand something that no longer belonged to him.

"You were hurt, " he said finally. Not a question. A statement. My expression didn't change. "I'm fine, " I said.

"You weren't, " he pushed. "I am now, " I said. Short. Final. Unmovable. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You're avoiding the question, " he said.

"No, " I said calmly. "I'm answering it."

"Not honestly " he said. That made something inside me stir. Not anger.

Something sharper. Something colder.

"You want honesty?" I asked quietly. He didn't hesitate. "Yes, " he said. I stepped a little closer. Not, out of emotion. Out of control. Deliberate.Measured.

"Fine, " I said.

He stood still Waiting.Expecting. Hoping. For honesty, for a split second I almost gave it to him. Almost told him everything.

About that day. About the fall. About the blood. About the fear. About Aria.

My chest tightened painfully. No. Never.

I straightened slightly. My expression smoothed out completely.

"You made your choice, " I said. His eyebrows drew together. "That's not.."

"And I made mine, " I continued.

His voice cut in sharper "That doesn't explain anything, " he said. "It explains enough, " I replied.

There was another pause. Tense. Charged.Because he knew I was holding back. He hated it. "Was there someone? " he asked suddenly. The question caught me off guard. Not because it was true.

Because of what it meant. My eyes flickered briefly. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"Someone " he repeated. "Is that why you left?" There it was. Possessiveness. Buried. Subtle.

A bitter amusement curled in my chest.

"You think that matters?" I asked. His jaw clenched. "It does if.."

"If what?" I cut in. "If it bruises your ego?"

His expression darkened. "That's not what this is " he said.

"No?" I tilted my head slightly. "Then what is it Victor?" He didn't answer immediately.

That silence said everything. I let out a breath. "You don't get to ask me these questions " I said.

His gaze hardened. "I have every right.."

"No, " I said firmly. The word cut through the air. Clean. Sharp. Final.

"You lost that right five years ago, " I said.

Silence fell instantly. Heavy. Unavoidable.

Because this time there was no softness in my voice. No hesitation. Just truth.

It hit him. I could see it. In the way his posture shifted slightly. In the way his eyes changed. Not anger. Not fully. Something deeper. Something unsettled.

"You've built walls " he said quietly. I didn't deny it. "I had to " I said.

Then "From me?" The question was softer.

Almost careful.I held his gaze. "Yes, " I said.

That was the truth. It landed exactly where it needed to. Victor didn't move. Didn't speak. For a moment he just stood there.

Processing. Understanding. At least trying to. He was too late. Five years too late.

"There's more you're not saying, " he said finally. Of course there was. So much more. He would never hear it.

"Some things don't concern you anymore, " I replied. "You don't get to decide that " he said. "I already did " I said.

Another hit. Another c***k. This one he felt deeply. We stood there for a moment longer.

Two people bound by a past that refused to stay buried. No longer standing on the same side of it.

Then… I took a step back. I was trying to get some space. I wanted it to be over.

"I have to go to work, " I said in a voice.

He kept looking at me. He was still trying to figure things out. He still didn't get it.

"Rita.." I cut him off. "Goodbye, Victor."

This time I really meant it. I turned around.

I started walking and I didn't stop. I could hear him behind me. He didn't follow me.

He didn't call out my name again. I could feel something. It was a feeling. It was like he was realizing something.

He had a lot of questions. He wasn't going to get any answers. Not about what happened Not about the hurt.

Definitely not, about Aria.