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Chapter 36: The Price of Secrets
Last Updated:
2025-01-22 16:23:16
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I can feel the weight of Maximilian’s presence even before I hear his footsteps. He’s standing there, near the door, but neither of us moves. It’s as if we’re both frozen, caught between the past and the possibility of something better, something different. The words my father spoke to me—his cold admission of orchestrating everything—are still ringing in my ears.“You never wanted me to have her, did you?” I had asked. His silence in return had been deafening.And now here I am, standing in the cold silence of Maximilian’s office, waiting for him to say something that will make this all make sense. I need him to explain—to make it right. I’m desperate to understand why he didn’t tell me about the hidden hand behind our marriage, why he kept it from me. And yet, part of me already knows the answer. I just don’t want to face it.“Maximilian,” I begin, my voice barely a whisper, “I need you to be honest with me. Please. About everything. No more lies, no more secrets. I can’t keep livin
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The car ride back to my mother’s house was silent except for the low hum of the engine. I stared out the window, my thoughts a tangled mess of fear and guilt. What had happened? Why had my mother sounded so frantic? And, selfishly, why did I feel as if my world had split in two the moment I left Maximilian standing in the doorway, his jaw clenched, his eyes unreadable? “Do you want me to come in with you?” Maximilian’s voice broke through my thoughts. I glanced at him, his hands gripping the steering wheel like it was the only thing anchoring him. “No,” I said quietly. “I think it’s better if I go alone.” His jaw tightened. “Are you sure? I don’t mind—” “Max,” I interrupted, using the nickname he only allowed me to use in private. “This is my family. I need to handle this.” His eyes flicked to me briefly before returning to the road. “Alright,” he said after a pause. “But call me if you need anything.” “I will,” I lied. When we pulled up to the house, I hesitated, my han
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It was quiet, too quiet, as I stood by the window of our penthouse, watching the lights of the city flicker against the night sky. The weight of the past few weeks hung heavily on my shoulders, yet there was a strange sense of peace in the silence. The decision to stay with Maximilian—to choose him—wasn’t made lightly. It had been a battle between my head and my heart, but for once, I let my heart win. “Penny for your thoughts?” His voice startled me, low and smooth, as he approached. I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, his tie loosened and his sleeves rolled up. There was something different about him tonight—an openness in his expression, a vulnerability I wasn’t used to seeing. “I was just thinking about how far we’ve come,” I said softly. “It feels... unreal.” He crossed the room in a few long strides, stopping just inches away from me. “Unreal, or unbelievable?” I tilted my head, meeting his gaze. “Both, maybe.” For a moment, neither of us spoke. The sile
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The room was cold, though the fireplace flickered with embers. Maximilian’s face was a mask of control, but his eyes betrayed something darker. His phone lay forgotten on the coffee table, the call from moments ago still echoing in my mind. “Maximilian,” I said cautiously, my voice trembling. “What’s going on? Who was that?” He didn’t answer right away, his jaw tightening as he stared at the floor. When he finally looked up, his expression was unreadable, a fortress of emotions I couldn’t penetrate. “Eliza,” he began, his voice low and measured, “there’s something I need to tell you. Something I should’ve told you a long time ago.” My stomach twisted. “What is it?” “I thought I had everything under control,” he said, pacing now, his movements sharp and restless. “But there are... loose ends from my past. Things I thought I’d buried.” “What kind of things?” I pressed, fear creeping into my voice. He stopped pacing and faced me, his shoulders squared. “There’s a man—someon
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Christopher’s words hung in the air like a thunderclap, the silence between us suffocating. “I’m here to take you back.” The world tilted, the weight of his presence dragging me into memories I had buried long ago. My throat tightened, but before I could speak, Maximilian stepped forward, his body shielding mine. “She’s not going anywhere with you,” Maximilian said, his voice icy and firm, every syllable laced with warning. Christopher smirked, his gaze drifting lazily over Maximilian before settling on me. “I don’t recall asking for your permission, Grey. Eliza knows why I’m here.” His words sent a chill racing down my spine. I took a step back, but Maximilian’s hand shot out, anchoring me. “Eliza,” Maximilian demanded, his voice low but urgent, “what is he talking about?” I swallowed hard, my chest constricting. “Christopher, you shouldn’t be here.” My voice was shaky, my mind spinning. “Whatever you think we had—whatever this is—it’s over. It’s been over.” “Oh, Eliz
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I couldn’t breathe. The air in the room felt thick, and suffocating, as if I had been dragged back into the past with a force I couldn’t escape. My heart pounded in my chest, a constant, deafening beat, while my thoughts scrambled for any semblance of control. There, standing in the doorway, was someone I never thought I would see again. "I—" I started, but the words lodged in my throat. I couldn’t even form a sentence. It was as though seeing this person had shattered every ounce of resolve I had built up over the years. How long had it been since we parted ways? Years? A lifetime? The figure standing in front of me was none other than James Calloway, my first love. The man who had promised me the world, only to vanish into thin air when I needed him most. The man I had once trusted with every secret I had—until he betrayed me in ways that still haunted my thoughts. Maximilian moved next to me, his presence like a towering shield. I felt his arm around me, protective and firm, bu
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I could feel the tension in the room like a thick fog, a heavy presence that pressed against my chest and made it hard to breathe. Maximilian’s eyes were dark, and distant, as if he were staring into a place only he could see. His jaw was clenched tight, the muscles in his neck strained. He was struggling—struggling in a way I had never seen before.I had never thought much about how someone like Maximilian might carry his past, how it might affect him in ways I couldn’t understand. He was always in control, always calm and composed. But now, I could see it, the cracks, the rawness beneath that impenetrable exterior.“I never asked for this,” he said softly, his voice low, almost broken.I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to fix him or if he even wanted to be fixed. But the sight of him, unraveling like this, made something inside of me stir. He had been there for me when I needed him, when my world was falling apart when everything seemed like it was slipping through my fin
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The room felt colder than usual, the shadows from the fireplace flickering against the walls as Maximilian stared out of the window, his jaw clenched tight. I watched him from the edge of the sofa, my hands gripping the fabric of my dress, unsure of what to say—or if I should say anything at all. The silence between us was a heavy thing, oppressive, almost unbearable. But I couldn’t let it win. Not this time. “Maximilian,” I finally said, my voice soft yet steady. He didn’t turn around, his shoulders stiff as if he were holding the weight of the world on them. “Not now, Eliza.” My chest tightened at his words, but I refused to let them deter me. “You can’t keep shutting me out like this. Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.” His laugh was bitter, hollow. “Together? You have no idea what kind of enemies I’ve made, what kind of world I’ve dragged you into. Do you think words like ‘together’ will fix any of it?” I rose to my feet, taking a tentative step closer to him. “It’s
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“I can’t believe we made it, Maximilian,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion.He turns to face me, his deep gaze holding mine. There’s a softness in his eyes that I’ve never seen before—a warmth, a tenderness, that sends a flutter through my chest. It’s as if all the walls we’ve spent so many years building around us have finally crumbled.“We didn’t just make it, Eliza,” he says, his voice low and steady, but filled with conviction. “We built something.”I let out a breath, feeling the weight of the words settle in my heart. It wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about thriving, growing, and loving each other in ways we never thought possible.“I didn’t know I could love you like this,” I confess, my voice barely more than a whisper.Maximilian’s lips curl into a faint smile, and his hand reaches out to gently cup my cheek. His thumb traces the line of my jaw as if memorizing the curve of my face.“You’ve always had that potential, Eliza. I just had to see it,” he murmurs.
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“You’re late again.” My voice trembled, though I tried to keep it steady. Maximilian’s towering figure stood by the doorway, his expression blank. The suit jacket he wore was wrinkled, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. His eyes were devoid of the sharp intensity that usually defined him.“I had meetings.” His tone was clipped, dismissive. He loosened the knot of his tie, his gaze avoiding mine.“Meetings that run until two in the morning?” I crossed my arms, trying to hide the ache in my chest. “This has become a pattern, Maximilian.”He sighed heavily, tossing his tie onto the couch. “I don’t have time for this, Eliza.”“There it is again.” My voice cracked. “You never have time for me, do you? Or for us.”He finally met my gaze, his blue eyes cold. “I’m building an empire, Eliza. That doesn’t come without sacrifices.”“And I’m just one of those sacrifices, right?” My throat tightened. “Do you even realize how distant you've become? I can't keep pretending that this—whatever
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"Eliza, stop running from this conversation," Maximilian’s voice was sharp, cutting through the heavy silence in the room.I whirled around, my chest heaving. "I'm not running! I'm trying to breathe, Max. Is that too much to ask after what you just said?" My voice cracked despite my efforts to sound strong.Maximilian’s jaw clenched. "We can get through this together. Why can't you trust that?""Because you kept something from me!" I snapped, my words echoing off the walls. "Do you even understand how humiliating it was to hear about your past from someone else?"His eyes darkened. "I was trying to protect you.""No." I shook my head vehemently. "You were protecting yourself. There's a difference."He took a step toward me, his presence commanding as ever. "You're right. I was selfish. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you, Eliza. Everything I've done—every decision—was because I couldn't risk losing you."My heart twisted painfully at his confession. "Then why does it feel lik
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“You’ve been unusually quiet all morning,” Maximilian said, his tone sharp as he glanced at me from across the breakfast table.I clenched my fork tighter, pushing the scrambled eggs around my plate. “Just thinking.”His eyes narrowed. “About what?”I debated whether to answer or deflect. But the weight in my chest wouldn’t let me stay silent. “You.”Maximilian set down his coffee cup with a deliberate clink. “What about me?”I met his gaze, refusing to look away despite the unease tightening my stomach. “About what you’re hiding.”His expression hardened. “Eliza—”“You’ve always been a fortress, Maximilian,” I interrupted, my voice trembling. “I’ve respected that. But there’s something different now. I can feel it.”He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “You’re imagining things.”I shook my head. “No, I’m not. You’ve been distant, even after everything we’ve been through. And then there’s that phone call last night—”His jaw tensed. “What phone call?”“The one you took in t
