CHAPTER 3 — THE WOMAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD

Arabella's POV

“She's supposed to be dead.”

Paulit-ulit na umalingawngaw sa isip ko ang mga salitang iyon.

I stared at Damien, trying to understand what he had just said. Pero kahit ilang beses kong ulitin sa isip ko ang mga salita niya, wala pa rin akong makuhang matinong paliwanag.

“What do you mean she's supposed to be dead?”

Damien didn't answer immediately.

His eyes moved toward the hallway before returning to me. Para bang may inaasahan siyang biglang lalabas mula sa dilim.

“Let me see your phone.”

I instinctively stepped back.

“Why?”

“Arabella, I'm not going to ask you again.”

“And I'm not going to hand you my phone just because you ordered me to!”

His jaw clenched.

For a moment, I thought he would lose his temper. Instead, he exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair.

“Did you receive a message from an unknown number?”

My silence was enough.

“Show me.”

I hesitated before reaching for my phone. Binuksan ko ang messages at ipinakita sa kanya ang screen.

He read the first message.

Then the second.

At sa bawat salitang binabasa niya, mas lalong dumidilim ang ekspresyon ng mukha niya.

“Who is she?” I demanded. “And why does she want me to leave you?”

Damien returned my phone without answering.

“Pack your things.”

Napakurap ako.

“What?”

“You heard me. You're leaving this house tomorrow morning.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Are you serious? Ikaw ang nagpilit sa akin na pakasalan ka, and now you're telling me to leave?”

“I'm trying to protect you.”

“From what? Your own secrets?”

His eyes flashed.

“You have no idea what you're dealing with.”

“Then tell me!”

My voice cracked, surprising even me.

“I'm your wife, Damien. Maybe not the kind of wife you wanted, but I'm still your wife. You can't keep making decisions for me without telling me anything!”

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

Something important.

But he swallowed the words.

“You're safer when you know nothing.”

I laughed bitterly.

“That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.”

“Arabella—”

“No. You listen to me this time.” I pointed a finger at his chest. “I agreed to this marriage because I wanted to save my family. I never agreed to become your prisoner.”

His gaze dropped to my hand before returning to my face.

“I'm not keeping you prisoner.”

“Then stop treating me like one!”

Silence filled the hallway.

I could hear my own heartbeat, loud and unsteady.

Finally, Damien stepped back.

“Lock your door tonight. Don't open it for anyone except me or the head housekeeper.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

I rolled my eyes.

“And there goes the arrogant billionaire again.”

He ignored my remark and turned to leave.

But before he could take another step, I spoke.

“Damien?”

He stopped.

“Did you love her?”

His shoulders stiffened.

I didn't need to ask who he thought I was referring to.

“The woman you were supposed to marry,” I continued quietly. “Did you love her?”

For several seconds, he remained silent.

Then he looked over his shoulder.

“That's a question you should never ask me again.”

He walked away.

And for the first time since our marriage began, I realized that Damien Kingsley wasn't just hiding a secret.

He was running from something.

Something that had followed him into our marriage.

And somehow, I had become part of it.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door.

“Ma'am Arabella?”

It was Mrs. Eleanor, the head housekeeper.

“Come in.”

She entered carrying a tray of breakfast. May kasamang maliit na envelope sa tabi ng tasa ng kape.

“Mr. Kingsley asked me to give this to you.”

I sat up.

“Where is he?”

“He left early this morning, ma'am. He has an important meeting.”

Of course.

The man could threaten to send me away in the middle of the night and then leave without even saying goodbye.

I took the envelope and opened it.

Inside was a black credit card and a short note.

Use this for anything you need. A car will be available whenever you want to go out. Do not leave the property without security.

I stared at the last sentence.

“Unbelievable.”

Mrs. Eleanor gave me a polite smile.

“Is there anything else you need, ma'am?”

“Yes. An explanation from my husband.”

She looked down.

I noticed the small change in her expression.

“Mrs. Eleanor?”

“Yes, ma'am?”

“Do you know the woman Damien was supposed to marry?”

Her fingers tightened around the empty tray.

It was a small movement, but I saw it.

“You do know something.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am. It's not my place to discuss Mr. Kingsley's private affairs.”

“Please.” I stood from the bed. “I'm not asking you to betray him. I just need to understand why someone is threatening me.”

Her face softened.

“Sometimes, ma'am, the past is better left alone.”

I shook my head.

“That's what everyone keeps telling me. But I'm the one who has to live with the consequences.”

For a moment, Mrs. Eleanor looked at me with something resembling pity.

Then she approached and lowered her voice.

“Her name was Victoria.”

I held my breath.

“Victoria who?”

“Victoria Ashford. She was engaged to Mr. Kingsley three years ago.”

“What happened to her?”

Mrs. Eleanor glanced toward the open doorway.

“Three years ago, there was an accident. Her car was found near the cliffs outside the city. They never recovered her body.”

My stomach twisted.

“So everyone assumed she was dead?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“And Damien?”

Mrs. Eleanor hesitated.

“He was supposed to marry her two weeks after the accident.”

I sat down slowly.

Two weeks.

The same man who had offered me a one-year contract marriage had once been preparing for a real wedding.

“Did he love her?” I whispered.

Mrs. Eleanor didn't answer.

She didn't have to.

The sadness in her eyes told me enough.

By noon, I couldn't stand staying inside the mansion any longer.

I decided to visit my parents.

Of course, the moment I stepped outside, two security guards approached me.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Kingsley. Where would you like to go?”

“I'm visiting my family.”

“Mr. Kingsley instructed us not to let you leave without informing him.”

I stared at them.

“I'm sorry, did I marry a billionaire or a prison warden?”

Neither man smiled.

“Ma'am, we're only following orders.”

I pulled out my phone and called Damien.

He answered after the third ring.

“What?”

“I'm going to visit my parents.”

“Send me the address.”

“I already know where my parents live, Damien.”

“Arabella.”

“And I already know how to use a car. I'm not asking for permission.”

A pause.

Then he sighed.

“Fine. Take the security team. Call me when you arrive.”

I almost dropped my phone.

“Did you just agree without arguing?”

“Don't make me change my mind.”

I smiled despite myself.

“Thank you, husband.”

“Don't call me that.”

“Why? Is it embarrassing?”

“Arabella.”

I ended the call before he could continue.

For the first time that morning, I felt a little victorious.

But my happiness didn't last long.

When I arrived at my parents' house, my mother immediately rushed toward me.

“Arabella!”

She hugged me tightly, and I closed my eyes as I breathed in the familiar scent of her perfume.

For a few precious seconds, I wasn't Damien Kingsley's contractual wife.

I was simply their daughter.

“Kamusta ka na, anak?” she asked, holding my face. “Are you eating properly? Are they treating you well?”

I forced a smile.

“I'm fine, Mama. Don't worry about me.”

My father approached us, looking both relieved and guilty.

“I'm sorry, anak.”

I frowned.

“Papa, why are you apologizing?”

He looked down.

“If I hadn't made those bad investments, you wouldn't have needed to marry him.”

I took his hands.

“Don't say that. I made the decision myself.”

But deep inside, I knew it wasn't entirely true.

I had chosen between my freedom and my family's future.

And I would make the same choice again.

After lunch, I went to my old bedroom to retrieve a few personal belongings.

While searching through my drawer, I found an old photograph tucked inside a book.

It was a picture of me and my father at a charity gala three years ago.

I smiled faintly.

Then I noticed something in the background.

A woman standing beside a tall man in a black suit.

I brought the photograph closer to my face.

The woman had long auburn hair and a beautiful smile.

And the man beside her—

My breath caught.

I knew that face.

The sharp jaw. The dark eyes. The familiar posture.

Damien Kingsley.

He looked younger in the photograph, but there was no mistaking him.

I turned the photograph over.

Written on the back in my father's handwriting were the words:

Blackwood Charity Gala — Three years ago.

Blackwood?

That wasn't the name of the event I remembered.

I stared at the photograph again, then at the woman beside Damien.

Victoria Ashford.

The woman who had disappeared three years ago.

But why was she standing beside my father?

And why had my father never mentioned knowing her?

I rushed downstairs, clutching the photograph.

“Papa!”

My father looked up from the living room.

“What's wrong?”

I held out the picture.

“Who is this woman?”

The moment he saw it, the color drained from his face.

He stood so quickly that his chair scraped against the floor.

“Where did you get that?”

“From my old room. Papa, why are you acting like this?”

He snatched the photograph from my hand.

“Forget you ever saw this.”

My heart began to race.

“Why? What does Victoria have to do with our family?”

He stared at me, his lips trembling slightly.

Then he said something that shattered every assumption I had made about my marriage.

“Arabella, you need to leave Damien Kingsley.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

“Why?”

My father gripped my shoulders.

“Because that man didn't marry you to save our family.”

He swallowed hard.

“He married you because he believes your family is responsible for Victoria's death.”

I couldn't breathe.

The room seemed to tilt around me.

“No,” I whispered. “That doesn't make sense.”

My father closed his eyes.

“I'm sorry, anak.”

I stepped away from him.

All this time, I thought I had entered a marriage of convenience.

A simple contract between two people who needed something from each other.

But what if Damien had never intended to make this marriage simple?

What if I wasn't just his contractual wife?

What if I was the daughter of the family he wanted revenge against?

My phone suddenly vibrated.

An incoming message from Damien.

DAMIEN: Where are you?

I stared at the screen, my hands trembling.

Another message arrived.

DAMIEN: Don't leave your parents' house. I'm coming to get you.

Then a third message appeared.

DAMIEN: And Arabella? Whatever your father tells you, don't believe him.

I slowly raised my eyes toward my father.

He looked terrified.

And suddenly, I didn't know which man was lying to me.

My husband.

Or my own father.

End of Chapter 3.