Unravelling Secrets

Damian's POV

I stormed into the bedroom, a mixture of curiosity and anger boiling over.

"Lisa, we need to talk," I growled.

She looked up from her book, her eyes narrowing.

"What's wrong, Damian?"

"You know exactly what's wrong," I spat.

"This...this charade. You're still freezing me out."

Lisa's expression didn't change.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me!" I slammed my fist on the dresser.

"The death threats. The tension. It's all connected to you."

Lisa's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.

"You're acting like I'm the enemy," I accused.

"Like I've done something unforgivable."

Lisa's gaze dropped.

"You have no idea," she whispered.

"What does that mean?" I demanded.

"Tell me!"

Lisa's shoulders stiffened.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" I repeated.

"That's all you ever say. Nothing. You're hiding something."

Lisa stood, her eyes flashing.

"Maybe I am," she snapped.

"Maybe I have every reason to hate you."

"Hate me?" I took a step closer.

"You're my wife. I deserve to know."

Lisa's laughter was cold.

"You deserve nothing."

The venom in her words stung.

"How can you say that?" I asked.

"What have I done to deserve this?"

Lisa's expression twisted.

"You don't know?" she taunted.

"Figure it out."

With that, she stormed out of the room.

Leaving me seething.

And more determined than ever.

I stormed out from the bedroom, anger coursing through my veins.

I caught up to Lisa in the garden, the moonlight casting eerie shadows on her face.

My mind racing, I grasped her arm, spinning her around.

"Lisa, wait," I said, my voice firm, urgency etched on my face.

She spun around, her eyes flashing like diamonds in the night.

"What do you want, Damian?" she spat, her voice laced with venom.

"The truth," I replied, my jaw clenched.

"Who's James Parker?" I asked, my eyes boring into hers.

Lisa's expression faltered, her mask slipping.

For a moment, I saw fear.

"Where did you hear that name?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"How does that matter right now?" I admitted, my grip on her arm tightening.

Lisa's eyes dropped, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks.

"He's...my ex," she muttered, the words torn from her lips.

"Your ex?" I repeated, incredulous.

"What does he have to do with us?" I demanded, my voice rising.

Lisa shook her head, her raven hair swirling around her.

"Nothing," she said immediately.

I stepped closer, my face inches from hers.

"Don't lie to me, Lisa," I warned, my breath dancing across her skin.

"Is he the reason you're acting this way?" I pressed.

Lisa's gaze met mine, a spark of defiance.

"No," she said.

"But he's not just anyone, is he?" I pressed.

Lisa's shoulders stiffened, her jaw clenched.

"We broke up," she said.

"That's all."

I sensed there was more.

Much more.

But Lisa's walls were up.

Again.

"I don't believe you," I said.

Lisa's eyes flashed.

"Believe what you want," she spat.

And with that, she wrenched free.

Leaving me grasping air…

I need to put a stop to all this..Her behaviour was killing me inside..

*****************

Lisa's POV

The moonlit garden, once a serene escape, now felt like a suffocating trap.

Shadows danced across the walls, like dark spectres mocking my fragile existence.

I couldn't believe Damian knew about James.

How did he uncover the secrets I'd desperately buried?

What did James want?

That was a long time ago...

I thought I'd escaped him, left the toxic relationship's crippling fear and possessive grip behind.

Memories flooded my mind, a bittersweet mix of sweet beginnings and bitter endings.

The gradual possessiveness, the crippling fear, the desperate escape.

I recalled the fateful night James bashed a stranger's car for casually talking to me.

The fury in his eyes, the sound of crunching metal, the acrid smell of shattered glass...

I knew then I had to escape.

That was a year ago.

Why was James sending Damian messages now?

Had he discovered our marriage?

A twisted sense of relief washed over me, like a cool breeze on a sweltering summer night.

Maybe these threats would be the catalyst to end this sham marriage.

Damian would leave, and I'd be free.

Our marriage had been a convenience, a merger of families, a financial arrangement.

But passion and love had long since fizzled out.

My family's financial struggles had kept us tied, but now...

Could James's threats be the escape clause I needed?

A reason to dissolve this loveless bond?

To break free from this gilded cage?

I didn't care if Damian left.

In fact, I welcomed it.

Freedom from his expectations.

From his family's influence.

From the suffocating duties.

My mind whirled, weighing the possibilities.

"What if James's threats escalate?" I was worried.

But Damian's departure would be a blessing.

No more pretending.

No more suffocating.

I'd finally breathe.

The uncertainty swirled, a maddening vortex.

James's threats might be the key to freedom.

Or a recipe for disaster.

But one thing was certain:

I'd no longer be trapped.

As I lay in bed, surrounded by the opulent furnishings of our mansion, memories of Damian's past wrongdoings flooded my mind like a dark, relentless tide.

The soft moonlight streaming through the windows highlighted the lavish decor, but my thoughts were far from peaceful.

The way he'd left Sophie on the altar, shattered and humiliated, still haunted me.

The recollection of her tears, her anguish, and her shattered dreams lingered, a painful reminder of Damian's cruelty.

And now, he was my husband.

But did he even remember me?

Or was I just another conquest in his game of love and deception?

His eyes, once cold and calculating, now seemed warm and caring.

But was it genuine?

Or just another facade?

Was he playing mind games with me?

Using my vulnerability against me?

I recalled the wedding day, five years ago, Sophie was left standing alone, waiting for him.

The anguish, the shame, and the embarrassment still lingered.

He'd arrived late, nonchalant, with a smirk on his face.

"I'm not ready," he'd said, his voice dripping with indifference.

And now, he claimed to love me?

The thought made my skin crawl.

James's threats loomed, a dark spectre haunting my every waking moment.

His menacing messages had stirred up old fears, and Damian's sudden interest in my past only added to my unease.

And Sophie... her constant calls, ignored.

I knew she'd probably seen my wedding photos online.

The thought of facing her, explaining my decisions, felt overwhelming.

Why had I married Damian?

Family?

Convenience?

Or had I simply settled for a loveless marriage?

My mind recoiled at the thought.

Damian's transformation only made me warier.

What game was he playing now?

The shadows in my room seemed to grow, darkness closing in like a suffocating shroud.

Tomorrow, I'd face Damian.

Tomorrow, I'd confront the chaos.

Tonight, I'd succumb to exhaustion, haunted by the ghosts of his past.

As I drifted off to sleep, the silence was oppressive, heavy with unspoken truths.

Would Damian's mask slip tomorrow?

Or would I continue to live in this gilded cage?.