chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Secret Damian Kept

Elena stared at the photograph as though the world around her had disappeared.

Her mother was smiling.

She was standing beside Damian, who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, his expression serious even at that age.

But that wasn't what frightened Elena.

It was the date written on the back.

The photograph had been taken only months before her mother disappeared.

“You knew her.”

Damian didn't deny it.

“Yes.”

Elena slowly lowered the photograph.

“How?”

“She used to visit my father.”

“Why?”

“I never knew the reason.”

“You were there.”

“I was a teenager.”

“You must remember something.”

Damian looked away.

“I remember enough.”

Elena stepped closer.

“Then tell me.”

He remained silent.

She felt frustration rising inside her.

“You keep telling me that you're protecting me, but every secret you keep makes me trust you less.”

Damian's eyes returned to hers.

“I know.”

“Then why are you still hiding things?”

“Because some truths don't disappear when you expose them. They become weapons.”

Elena's voice softened.

“Against me?”

“Against everyone.”

She looked at the photograph again.

“What happened to my mother?”

Damian's jaw tightened.

“My father believed she knew something that could destroy several powerful families.”

“And my father?”

“He helped her.”

Elena's eyes widened.

“So they weren't enemies.”

“No.”

“Then why did my father disappear?”

“I don't know.”

“You're lying again.”

Damian moved closer.

“Elena, listen to me. There is one thing I never told you because I wasn't sure whether it was true.”

She waited.

“My father believed your mother was alive.”

Her breath caught.

“What?”

“He spent years looking for her.”

“Did he find her?”

“I don't know.”

Elena shook her head, trying to process everything.

“My entire life, I thought she abandoned me.”

“She didn't.”

The certainty in Damian's voice made her look at him.

“How can you know?”

“Because my father kept searching for her until the day he died.”

Elena's eyes filled with tears.

She quickly turned away, refusing to let Damian see how deeply the words affected her.

But he noticed anyway.

He stepped closer without touching her.

“She didn't abandon you.”

Elena wiped her eyes.

“You don't know that.”

“I know more than you think.”

She looked at him.

“Then tell me everything.”

Damian hesitated.

“There was a night when your father brought you to this house.”

Elena froze.

“Me?”

“You were a child.”

“Why?”

“Because he believed someone was coming for you.”

Her heartbeat quickened.

“What happened?”

“My father ordered his men to hide you.”

Elena stared at him.

“You saw me?”

“Yes.”

“How old was I?”

“Three.”

She could barely speak.

“Why don't I remember?”

“You were terrified.”

Damian looked toward the old photograph.

“My father told me never to tell anyone that you had been here.”

“Not even me?”

“Especially not you.”

Elena took a slow breath.

“Why?”

“Because if the people searching for your mother ever discovered that you were connected to the Moretti family, they would come for you.”

A strange silence settled between them.

Then Elena noticed something in Damian's expression.

“You've been protecting me for years.”

His eyes met hers.

“I've been trying to.”

“Before we ever met?”

“Yes.”

Her voice became barely a whisper.

“Then why marry me?”

Damian looked at her for a long moment.

“Because I realized the people who were searching for your father had finally found you.”

Elena's heart beat faster.

“And because…”

He stopped.

“Because what?”

Damian stepped closer.

“Because I couldn't lose you after spending years making sure you survived.”

Elena stared at him.

Neither of them moved.

For the first time, the contract between them felt like the smallest part of what connected them.

Then Damian's phone rang again.

He answered.

His face changed.

“Elena, we have a problem.”

“What?”

He looked toward the window.

“Someone has entered the estate.”

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