My steps faltered as I heard the words inside, and I pressed myself against the wall to remain unseen.
“To think you’ve been dating Damian’s sister all this time,” a voice chuckled mockingly. “I’m sure he’d be furious if he were still around. I can’t believe you even married her.”
“Damian really loved his little sister,” another voice chimed in. “Such a shame he got caught in that tragic accident.”
A brief silence followed, only to be broken by a whisper, “Some people say Damian’s still alive. Is that true or not?”
The air around me seemed to freeze. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, each beat echoing louder than the last.
My brother, Damian Vaughn, could he still be alive?
I stood frozen, my breath shallow as the voices inside continued their conversation, oblivious to the storm they had just ignited within me.
My mind reeled with the possibility, the faint, flickering hope that refused to be extinguished.
One of the reasons I endured the pain Percy inflicted upon me was entirely out of gratitude to the Klein family. They had raised me after the tragedy that befell my family seventeen years ago.
I lost my parents and my brother at a fragile age, too young to fully comprehend the extent of the loss. The Klein family, close friends of my parents, had taken me in and given me a home. They told me to move on, to let go of the past and embrace the future.
And I did. Or at least, I tried.
But at that moment, their words from long ago resurfaced in my mind. They had always avoided discussing the details of the tragedy, urging me to focus on my new life instead.
I had obeyed, burying my questions and memories.
Yet the names of my parents and Damian, their faces, their voices, all remained vivid in my mind, etched into my heart.
The next conversation inside the room shattered me further.
“I don’t think he’s dead yet,” someone said cautiously. “We all know only Isla’s parents were found, right?”
“Exactly,” another voice replied. “Our family knows the full story of the Vaughn tragedy, only Isla doesn’t know.”
“Well, she’s desperate for love after what happened to her family,” Percy said, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. “All those stories about her family, she believed them so easily since she was only five at the time.”
I staggered back, my legs threatening to give out beneath me.
The truth struck me like a thunderbolt.
All the time, there had been something bigger Percy was hiding from me—something far more significant than his affair with Selene.
My thoughts spiraled, and a memory floated to the surface. A name that I had pushed aside for months resurfaced.
It was Damien Blackwell.
He was the CEO of Black Company, a client who often commissioned my freelance graphic design services.
Because Percy forbade me from working outside, I relied on freelance projects to keep myself busy, utilizing my passion for drawing.
The first time I saw Damien’s name, my heart had skipped a beat. The similarity to Damian was uncanny, but I dismissed it as an impossible coincidence.
At that moment, with Percy’s conversation echoing in my ears, I felt an urgent need to find out more.
Without hesitation, I pushed open the door to the private room.
The lively chatter and laughter inside came to an abrupt halt. Percy’s arm, which had been draped around Selene, was hastily withdrawn.
Selene, ever the opportunist, gave me a sly, smug smile, as if she knew exactly what I had overheard.
I ignored the tension in the room and walked straight to the chair where I had left my purse.
“I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading home,” I announced, my voice calm but firm.
Percy stood, his face plastered with a fake expression of concern. “Want me to drop you off?” he asked, as though he cared.
“I’ll take a taxi or call the driver. Don’t worry. Enjoy the rest of your party,” I replied curtly.
Percy hesitated for a moment but did not push further.
He sat back down, his friends exchanging awkward glances as I turned and left the suffocating room.
The drive back to the manor felt endless. My thoughts churned, each revelation crashing into me like a tidal wave.
The moment I stepped through the front door, I hurried to my study, pulling out my laptop. My hands trembled as I typed, searching desperately for any information on Damien Blackwell.
Could it be him? Could he really be Damian?
I was not sure what I was hoping to find, but I knew one thing for certain, I could not rest until I uncovered the truth.
I searched tirelessly, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I looked up everything I could.
As a freelance designer, I had collaborated with Black Company for months, but something about Damien’s direct involvement indeed always struck me as odd.
CEOs rarely reached out personally, especially for minor projects, yet Damien had done so from the very beginning.
Finally, I gathered the courage to email him directly. My hands trembled as I typed out the message. I hesitated, unsure of how to frame my question.
But before I could decide, the door opened behind me, and I quickly clicked send, the email reading only, [Are you Damian Vaughn?]
I closed the tab, replacing it with the project I had been working on just as Percy walked in.
“You said you weren’t feeling well, but here you are glued to your laptop. Are you busy with work again?” he asked, his tone suspicious.
I forced a calm smile. “Well, when I got home, my client suddenly wanted to see the progress, so I checked it first. After this, I’m heading straight to bed,” I replied evenly.
Percy studied me for a moment, then nodded. “I see. You came home early, so I got worried. In the end, we wrapped up the party because it felt uncomfortable without you there.”
“Anyway,” he paused as if wanting to press further, but instead, he simply said, “I’ll take a shower first. Don’t stay in front of your laptop for too long, it’s late.”
“Alright,” I agreed.
Percy kissed my forehead, then headed toward the bathroom. As soon as the door clicked shut, I exhaled deeply, relieved that he had not suspected anything.
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
I opened it to find Selene standing there, her expression sweet but undeniably calculated.
“I’m really sorry to bother you so late, Mrs. Klein,” she said, her tone dripping with false sincerity.
“When I came to your anniversary party earlier, I also intended to deliver an important document that Mr. Klein forgot, but apparently, he left it again, so I had to deliver it now since it’s needed for tomorrow’s meeting.”
Her presence filled me with disgust, but I maintained a neutral expression. “He’s in the shower. You can come in and wait.”
I stepped aside to let her enter.
“Thank you,” she said, holding up a bag. “I also brought him a night snack since I heard you don’t cook.”
The jab stung, but I refused to let her see it.
Since there was always a chef coming to cook, I never had the intention to learn to cook.
Besides, since I was little, I lost my mother, and Percy’s mother also said that women only need to take care of themselves, so I never thought of it.
So, I responded calmly, “Oh, then you’re quite thoughtful.”
Selene’s smile widened as she continued, “Since it’s already late, would it be alright if I left the snack and documents in Mr. Klein’s study?”
“Sure,” I said, my voice steady as I led her upstairs.
As we ascended, she struck again. “It seems you haven’t told Mr. Klein about the messages I sent you.”
“If I may ask, is there a special reason for that?”
I stopped briefly, meeting her gaze with a smirk. “Because it doesn’t matter,” I said coolly, though the words felt like acid in my throat.
Selene’s mask of innocence did not falter, but I could feel the smugness radiating off her. It burned.
Just as we reached the top of the stairs, Percy stepped out of the room, still in his bathrobe. His eyes widened as they landed on Selene.
“Selene? What are you doing here?” His voice was sharp, almost panicked.
Selene pouted, feigning innocence. Before she could respond, I stepped in.
“You didn’t take the document, so she came to deliver it,” I explained matter-of-factly.
Selene nodded eagerly. “Yes, it’s for tomorrow’s meeting. It’s very important.”
Percy hesitated briefly before turning to her, his tone clipped. “Oh, right. Take the document and come with me to the study.”
Selene gave him a short nod.
“Then I’ll take a shower first,” I said, walking toward the bedroom.
“Good idea,” Percy replied quickly. “Take a rest after your shower. Don’t wait up for me—I’ll walk Selene out myself after we’re done.”
Without another glance, I entered our room, closing the door firmly behind me.
But what Percy did not realize was that I had installed a camera in his study long ago.
It was not paranoia but self-preservation that led me to do it. For months, I had suspected his late nights weren’t spent on business calls or meetings.
The rumors, the subtle signs, and his increasing absences painted a picture I could no longer ignore. And Percy’s study was the perfect hideout for his infidelities.
So, in secret, I installed a small camera, one hidden so well that even someone as meticulous as Percy would not find it.
I had rarely dared to check the feed, afraid of what I might see. But tonight was different. With Selene’s arrival, my suspicions burned hotter than ever.
Once Percy and Selene had gone to the study, I turned on my computer and accessed the live feed from the camera.
What I saw made my stomach churn.
