Chapter 6: The Past Revealed

"The truth has a way of creeping up on you, even when you think you've buried it forever."

I should have known that a night as perfect as the gala wouldn't last. I should have seen the signs—Maximilian's tense jawline, the way his gaze flickered to the mysterious man who spoke to me. But I didn’t. I was too caught up in the excitement of the evening, too wrapped in the moment of wearing that dress, my hand in his, feeling the weight of his world as we danced through the crowd.

Now, I stood in the midst of that tension, the words of the man from the gala echoing in my mind. He had warned me—Maximilian was dangerous. He wasn’t the man I thought he was.

I felt a chill crawl down my spine. Maximilian was supposed to be my ticket out, my way to fix everything, but now… now I was beginning to question it all.

His grip on my wrist was tight, but not painful. It was possessive like he was afraid I might slip away from him. His voice was low, the words sharp. “Forget what he told you, Eliza. He’s trying to turn you against me.”

But what if what he said was true? What if Maximilian was more dangerous than I realized? What if he really had buried secrets so deep that even he couldn’t escape them?

I wanted to ask him about it—ask him what it all meant. But the look in his eyes stopped me, a mixture of something like fear and anger, something raw and unguarded. It was a side of him I had never seen before, and it made my heart race.

I had spent months in his cold, controlled world. I had learned to navigate his business meetings, his rules, and his demands. But now, everything felt different. There were cracks in the surface I hadn’t noticed, and I was beginning to wonder if they would lead me somewhere I wasn’t ready to go.

“Maximilian,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “What are you hiding from me?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer. He simply stared at me, his eyes intense, like he was weighing something in his mind. And then, with a sigh, he pulled me closer, his fingers brushing against the back of my neck.

“Eliza, I’ve told you before,” he said, his voice softer now, but still edged with a warning. “You don’t want to know about my past. It’s nothing but pain and regret, and I won’t drag you into it. It has nothing to do with you.”

But how could it have nothing to do with me? I was his wife, his partner in this arrangement. I had been chosen not just for my family’s debts but because of the way he had seen me, quiet and docile, someone who wouldn’t ask questions. Someone who would never push back against him. But now, I wasn’t so sure. I wasn’t so sure I could keep quiet about the things that made my skin crawl, the things that I’d heard whispered at that gala, the way people looked at him with a mix of awe and fear.

“Maximilian,” I said again, my voice breaking. “I need to know. If we’re going to have any chance at this… marriage… I need to know who you really are.”

His eyes hardened, and for a moment, I thought he might shut me out like he had so many times before. But then something changed. The lines of his face softened, just slightly.

“I never wanted you to be part of this,” he said, his voice rough. “I never wanted you to get involved in my mess. But now… now I can’t undo it.”

There it was. The words that confirmed everything I had feared. I wasn’t just his wife; I was also a piece in a much bigger game. I wasn’t just a pawn in a business deal—I was a pawn in his life.

Before I could say anything else, a knock at the door interrupted us. Maximilian turned toward the sound, his expression instantly hardening again. He let go of my wrist and took a step back, his jaw tightening.

“Eliza,” he said, his voice cold again, “go to the other room. I’ll handle this.”

I wanted to argue, to demand more answers. But I saw the way his body stiffened, the way his fists clenched. This was not a conversation I could force. Not yet.

Reluctantly, I turned and walked toward the adjoining room, glancing back at him one last time. The look on his face was unreadable, his back turned to me. I hated the feeling of being left out of whatever was coming next. It made me feel small, like a child once again.

I could hear the murmur of voices from the other room as I sat on the plush sofa. The tension was palpable, thick enough to suffocate me. I strained my ears, trying to make out the conversation. But then, I heard something—something that made my blood run cold.

“Maximilian Grey,” the voice said, sharp and accusing. “You think you’ve buried me? You’ve made a grave mistake.”

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. My stomach clenched, and a chill ran down my spine.

Who was this person? Why did their voice carry so much weight? And why was Maximilian so… afraid?

I stood up, heart pounding, and walked slowly toward the door, pushing it open just enough to peer through the crack. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the man standing in front of Maximilian, his eyes cold, dark, and full of fury.

I couldn’t see his face fully, but something about the way he carried himself, the way he stood so confidently in front of Maximilian, made me feel like I was witnessing something I was never meant to see.

Maximilian’s voice was low and controlled, but I could hear the edge of panic underneath. “I told you to stay away,” he said, his tone flat, like he was speaking to someone who didn’t belong in his world.

The man smirked, taking a step closer to Maximilian. “You think you can control everything, Maximilian? You think you can bury the past and move forward like nothing happened?” He shook his head, his lips curling into a grin. “You’ve underestimated me. And now… you’re going to pay the price.”

“Who is he, Maximilian?” I whispered, barely able to hear my own voice over the thudding of my heart.

Maximilian turned around, his face twisted with frustration. “Eliza,” he began, his voice tight. “I told you to stay in the other room.”

I ignored him, my curiosity outweighing my fear. I stepped forward, my voice shaking as I spoke. “Who is he? What does he mean, ‘pay the price?’”

Maximilian looked at me for a moment, and then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “This is someone from my past, someone I thought was gone. But now he’s back. And it’s not just about me anymore. It’s about you, too.”

I felt my heart race, a wave of nausea washing over me. This was no longer just about Maximilian’s secrets. It was about me—about my place in this dangerous game.

And as I stood there, frozen in fear and confusion, I knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

The past had come back for us both.

And we were about to pay the price.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice trembling. Maximilian looked at me, his eyes hard as steel. “Because I can’t lose you, Eliza. Not now, not ever.”

But just as I began to let my guard down, a figure from Maximilian’s past appeared at the door.

“You think you’ve buried me? You’ve made a grave mistake, Maximilian.”