Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Damian

The second the call disconnected, I moved.

Fast. Faster than I had in years.

“Track the phone,” I said to Mason.

He was already on it, pulling out his laptop. “I’m on it.”

Harper stood frozen next to me. The fear on her face hit harder than I expected. Her mother was everything to her. And now Richard Blackwood had her somehow.

This whole thing felt wrong.

“Damian.”

I turned to her immediately.

“I’m going to find her.”

The words came out without hesitation. Without any doubt. I meant every single one.

Harper studied my face, looking for uncertainty. She didn’t find any.

“You can’t know that.”

“I do.”

“How?”

I stepped closer to her. “Because nobody touches my wife.”

The words slipped out naturally. Like they belonged there. Like they were the truth.

Harper’s breath caught. So did mine.

Neither of us spoke for a second. The room suddenly felt too small and too quiet.

Then Mason broke it.

“I found the location.”

The moment shattered. I looked away, shifting into work mode.

“Where?”

“An old Blackwood property outside Manhattan.”

My jaw tightened. Of course it was. Everything always connected back to my family.

Noah closed his file. “I’ll come with you.”

“No.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t trust you.”

He laughed. “Fair enough.”

Mason stood. “We need to go now.”

Harper grabbed her purse. “I’m coming too.”

No. The word almost came out of my mouth.

But I looked at her instead. She was determined. Stubborn. Terrified. There was no way she would stay behind. Not when her mother was involved.

“Fine.”

Harper blinked. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I thought you’d argue.”

“I’ve learned it’s pointless.”

A small smile appeared on her face. Despite everything. Despite the fear. Seeing it made something inside me ease.

Dangerous. Very dangerous. Because lately her happiness mattered too much.

The drive took forever.

Harper sat beside me in the back seat while Mason drove. We didn’t talk much. The tension was too heavy. Outside the windows, New York flew past. Inside the car, I kept thinking about Harper. About us. About the marriage.

Because somewhere along the way things had changed. At first, the wedding was a business arrangement. A solution. A strategy. Nothing else.

Now? I wasn’t sure where the act ended. Or if it had already.

Harper suddenly looked at me. “You keep staring.”

I didn’t deny it. “You keep noticing.”

“It’s hard not to.”

I almost smiled. The exchange felt normal. Comfortable. Like something a real married couple would say. Not two people in a fake relationship.

Harper looked back out the window. Then quietly asked, “Do you ever think about what happens after?”

The question surprised me. “After what?”

“The marriage.”

The words hit harder than they should have. Because lately I avoided thinking about that. I didn’t want to imagine Harper leaving. Didn’t want to imagine the house without her. Without her laugh. Without her arguing with me. Without her there.

I looked away. “Not really.”

She studied me. “You’re lying.”

“Maybe.”

The honesty surprised both of us.

Harper swallowed and nodded slowly. “Okay.”

The conversation ended. But the tension didn’t go away. Because neither of us wanted to say what we were really thinking.

A while later, we reached the property.

The house was old and abandoned. It sat behind big gates with tall trees all around it. The perfect place to hide secrets. The perfect place to hide people.

Harper got out of the car right away. I followed, staying close. Closer than I needed to. She noticed but didn’t say anything. That worried me more than if she had.

We walked toward the front door. It was unlocked.

My instincts immediately went on alert. I hated when that happened. Nothing good ever came from unlocked doors.

Inside, the house was quiet. Too quiet.

“Mom?” Harper called out.

No answer. Her voice just echoed down the hallway. Then nothing.

Mason headed for the stairs. I checked the first floor. Every room was empty. Every hallway was deserted. The whole place felt off.

Then I heard footsteps. Quick. Panicked. I turned around.

Harper came running from another hallway. Her face was pale. “Damian.”

“What happened?”

“I found something.”

My stomach twisted. “What?”

She handed me a photograph without speaking.

I looked down and froze.

The picture showed Evelyn. Richard. And a much younger version of my sister Victoria. All smiling. Like friends. Like family. Like they knew each other well.

Harper looked devastated. “My mother never mentioned her.”

I understood why. This picture changed everything. Again.

Before I could say anything, I heard another voice. Slow. Cold. Familiar.

“Looking for answers?”

Every muscle in my body went tight. I knew that voice. So did Harper.

We turned slowly.

Richard Blackwood stood at the top of the staircase. Calm. Composed. Dangerous. Like a king watching a war.

Harper stepped forward immediately. “Where’s my mother?”

Richard smiled. The sight made my skin crawl.

“Safe.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You should.”

My father came down the stairs one step at a time. Not rushing. Not worried. Like he controlled everything. Maybe he thought he did.

I moved next to Harper. Protectively. Instinctively. Richard noticed. His eyes went to our joined hands. Then something crossed his face. Disappointment. Almost regret.

“You’re getting attached.”

He was talking to me, not Harper.

I stared at him coldly. “Get to the point.”

His smile disappeared. Everything shifted.

“What if I told you this marriage was a mistake?”

Harper stiffened. I didn’t move.

“What if I told you both that the truth will destroy everything you’ve built?”

Nobody spoke.

Richard reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick envelope. It was old and worn. Yellow from age.

My pulse picked up instantly. Because I recognized it.

The missing letter. The one connected to Evelyn. The one everyone had been looking for.

Richard held it up. Harper’s eyes widened.

“Give me that.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Richard looked directly at her. Then at me. And finally said the one thing neither of us was prepared to hear.

“Because if you read this letter, you’ll discover why you and Damian should never have married in the first place.”

The envelope slipped from his fingers.

And landed at Harper’s feet.