CHAPTER 26: THE CONTRACT IS OVER

The suitcase looked smaller than the life I was leaving behind.

I stood beside it, staring at the open wardrobe. Most of the clothes inside had been bought after I arrived at the mansion. Expensive dresses, shoes I had never imagined owning, and gifts I had accepted without knowing what they meant.

I left almost all of them behind.

I packed my own clothes, my sketchbooks, a few photographs, and the small wooden box containing my mother's old necklace.

I wanted to leave with things that belonged to me.

A soft knock came at the door.

“Amelia?”

Alexander.

I closed the suitcase.

“Come in.”

He opened the door but didn't enter immediately.

“Your car is ready.”

“Thank you.”

He looked at the suitcase.

“That's everything?”

“Yes.”

His eyes moved around the room, taking in the empty spaces.

“You don't have to leave today.”

I gave him a tired smile.

“We've already had this conversation.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you asking again?”

He stepped inside.

“Because knowing something doesn't make it easier to accept.”

For a moment, I couldn't look at him.

I remembered my first day in this room. I had stood near the window, wondering how a place so beautiful could feel so unfamiliar. I remembered the first breakfast, the arguments, the locked room, and the night I found him crying over Evelyn's photograph.

I remembered his hand closing around mine when the box of tiles fell. The blood on his palm. Our first kiss.

And the morning afterward, when he had pretended it meant nothing.

So much had happened inside these walls.

Some memories made me smile.

Others made my chest ache.

“I thought this house might become a place where I could finally breathe,” I said quietly.

Alexander watched me.

“I wanted that for you.”

“But you wanted it on your terms.”

He lowered his eyes.

“Yes.”

I picked up my handbag.

“Let's go downstairs.”

The main hall looked exactly as it had when I first arrived.

The chandelier shone above the marble floor. The staircase curved elegantly toward the upper rooms. Beyond the windows, the gardens were perfectly maintained.

Mrs. Collins stood near the entrance.

Her expression changed when she saw my suitcase.

“Miss Carter.”

I smiled faintly.

“I'm leaving, Mrs. Collins.”

She looked genuinely sad.

“I hope things turn out well for you.”

“Thank you. And thank you for everything.”

She hesitated before taking my hand.

“You brought a little warmth into this house.”

I swallowed.

“I think this house needed more than warmth.”

Her eyes moved briefly toward Alexander, who was standing a few steps behind me.

She said nothing.

I walked toward the front door, but Alexander spoke before I reached it.

“Wait.”

I turned.

He held a document in his hand.

“I spoke to Jonathan this morning. He's prepared the termination agreement.”

He placed it on the small table near the entrance.

I looked at the papers.

“What does it say?”

“The six-month arrangement is terminated by mutual consent. Your confidentiality obligations regarding personal matters remain limited to information that could create a genuine security risk. You retain ownership of any physical evidence you possess. Your personal money remains yours, and there are no penalties for leaving.”

I read the first page.

It was clear and straightforward. Jonathan had included a statement confirming that neither party could demand the return of benefits already provided under the agreement.

I looked up.

“You've agreed to all this?”

“Yes.”

“No conditions about where I live? Who I see? What I do?”

“No.”

I studied him carefully.

“Then why does it feel like there's another page hidden somewhere?”

A faint, sad smile crossed his face.

“Because I've given you too many reasons not to trust me.”

I signed the document.

Alexander signed beneath my name.

Just like that, the contract was over.

He placed his copy on the table.

“You're free to go.”

The words should have felt like relief.

Instead, they hurt.

Outside, the morning air was cool. A black car waited near the steps, with two security guards standing beside it.

Alexander followed me.

“I've arranged temporary accommodation in a secure apartment. You can stay there while you decide what comes next.”

I stopped.

“Alexander.”

“It's not another contract.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I need to make my own arrangements.”

“Then let me at least pay for security.”

“No.”

His expression tightened.

“Someone threatened your family. Someone accessed your personal records from inside this house. You can't pretend that danger disappears because you've ended our agreement.”

“I'm not pretending anything. I'll keep the security arrangements around my family, and I'll speak to the authorities if necessary. But I need to know I can make decisions without wondering what you expect in return.”

He looked away.

“What if something happens?”

“Then I'll deal with it.”

“You don't have to do everything alone.”

I felt my eyes sting.

“I know. But I need to remember that I can stand on my own.”

For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to say something else.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out a small card.

“My private number. If you're in danger, call me.”

I accepted it.

“Thank you.”

“Amelia…”

I waited.

“I don't know how to ask you to stay without making it sound like another order.”

My heart tightened.

“Then don't ask.”

He nodded slowly.

“I won't.”

I looked at him, trying to memorize his face without allowing myself to forget what had happened.

“I did care about you, Alexander.”

His eyes lifted.

“Did?”

I swallowed.

“I still do. That's what makes this difficult.”

He took a breath but didn't move closer.

“I care about you too.”

“I wish that had been enough.”

He looked down.

“So do I.”

I turned toward the car.

Mrs. Collins stood at the doorway. Victoria was nowhere to be seen.

I placed my suitcase in the boot and got inside.

Alexander remained on the steps.

He didn't wave.

He didn't try to stop the car.

He simply watched as I pulled away from the mansion.

Through the rear window, I saw him growing smaller until the gates closed between us.

The apartment was quiet when I arrived.

It wasn't as grand as the mansion. The furniture was simple, the rooms were smaller, and the kitchen had a window overlooking the street.

But it was mine to choose.

I placed my suitcase beside the sofa and stood in the middle of the room.

For the first time in months, no one was waiting to tell me where I could go or what I should do.

I called Daniel.

“I'm out,” I told him.

“Out of the mansion?”

“Yes.”

“Are you okay?”

I looked around the empty apartment.

“I think I will be.”

He was quiet for a moment.

“Does that mean things are over between you and him?”

I closed my eyes.

“I don't know, Daniel. But the contract is over.”

“Then maybe that's a good thing.”

I smiled faintly.

“Maybe.”

After the call, I unpacked my sketchbooks and placed them on the small desk near the window. I opened one to a blank page.

I wanted to return to the things I had put aside before my life became tangled with the Blackwoods.

Interior design.

My education.

My future.

I picked up a pencil.

Then my phone rang.

Unknown number.

My first instinct was to ignore it, but a message arrived before I could.

This is Jake. Answer me. Something has happened.

My stomach tightened.

I called him immediately.

“Jake? What's wrong?”

His voice sounded strained.

“Amelia, listen carefully. I found the original payment record connected to your father.”

I sat down.

“Where?”

“It was hidden inside a private archive. I finally got someone to copy it for me.”

“What does it say?”

“Your father's name isn't just listed as a witness. There's a second document attached to the payment. It identifies the person who authorized it.”

I gripped the phone.

“Who?”

Jake hesitated.

“That's the problem. The record has been altered. Someone removed the name, but I recovered part of the original file.”

“And?”

“I found something else. The file shows that the original evidence was transferred into Blackwood's private archive under your name.”

My blood ran cold.

“Under my name?”

“Yes. Amelia, I think someone is trying to erase the only record that can prove what happened fifteen years ago.”

I looked toward my suitcase.

The old handbag was still inside.

And hidden in its lining was the black flash drive I had taken from Richard Hale.

Before I could ask another question, Jake spoke again.

“There's one more thing. Someone knows I found it.”

The call suddenly crackled.

“Jake?”

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“Don't trust anyone with that evidence. Not even”

The line went dead.

I stared at my phone.

A new message appeared.

You left the mansion, Amelia. But you didn't leave the Blackwood secret.

And beneath it was a photograph of my apartment door.

Someone knew exactly where I was.