Chapter 2: Whispers in the Dark

The rehearsal dinner was, of course, perfect.

It was a sea of crystal, candlelight, and white roses, held in the grand ballroom of the Vale estate. Two hundred of New York's most powerful figures laughed, drank vintage champagne, and toasted the couple of the decade.

Aurora sat at the head table, a fixed, serene smile on her lips. She wore a slip of a dress in silver silk, a stark, modern contrast to the lace monster waiting for her upstairs.

The knot of glass in her stomach, however, hadn't dissolved. It was still there, a cold, sharp weight beneath the silk.

Liam, beside her, was the perfect groom. He was charming, attentive, and devastatingly handsome in his custom tux. But his attention was fractured.

His phone, placed just to the left of his wine glass, buzzed silently every few minutes. His thumb would steal away, tracing a reply under the damask tablecloth.

"The merger," he'd murmured to her, his lips brushing her ear.

"Of course," she'd smiled, her heart sinking.

It was always the merger. Always business.

After the toasts, suffocating on the thick scent of roses and the pressure of two hundred pairs of eyes, Aurora slipped away. She needed air. Just one minute of air before she had to go back to playing the part of the blissful bride.

She pushed through a set of double doors into a dimly lit service corridor, heading for a small side terrace. The sudden quiet was a relief, broken only by the distant clatter of the kitchen and the hum of the estate's air conditioning.

She leaned against the cool plaster wall, closing her eyes.

It's just nerves. Tomorrow, it will all be over. Tomorrow, it will be real.

Then, from an alcove just ahead, where the catering staff had set up a staging table, she heard voices. They were low, unguarded, and not meant for her.

"…another late one tonight, I bet," said a female voice.

"Shh, they'll hear you," a second, younger voice replied.

"They can't hear anything over that string quartet," the first voice scoffed. "Besides, everyone knows. He was here until 3 AM again last night."

A pause. The sound of glasses being set on a tray.

"With her?" the younger voice whispered, full of scandal.

"Always with her. 'Late-night meetings,' they call it. Poor Miss Vale. She's wandering around with stars in her eyes. Hasn't got a clue."

Aurora’s blood didn't just run cold. It stopped.

Her hand flew to her pearls, her fingers digging into the smooth, warm orbs.

"He's not even trying to hide it," the first voice continued, oblivious. "That crimson red dress Vanessa was wearing yesterday? The one she left in his car? That wasn't exactly 'executive assistant' attire."

Vanessa.

The name, spoken in the dark, hit Aurora with the force of a physical blow.

Vanessa Leigh. Liam's ruthlessly efficient, impossibly chic assistant. The woman who organized his life. The woman whose gaze always lingered on Liam for a beat too long.

The red dress.

Aurora’s mind flashed, sharp and painful, to a scene from three days prior. She'd climbed into Liam's car, and a scrap of crimson fabric was caught in the passenger seat hinge. She'd pulled it, thinking it was trash, only to find a delicate lace strap.

When she'd held it up, Liam hadn't even looked at her. He'd plucked it from her fingers, his expression one of pure annoyance.

"A gift for a client," he'd snapped. "It's handled. Don't worry about it."

He'd made her feel small. Intrusive.

Now, the whispers in the dark gave his annoyance a new, sickening name.

The women moved on, their voices fading, the clatter of their tray disappearing.

Aurora was left alone in the hallway, her breath trapped in her lungs. The corset of her silver dress, which had felt merely snug, now felt like a cage, crushing her.

It's gossip. It's nothing. It's cruel, jealous gossip from the staff.

But it wasn't. It was the truth. It was the key that unlocked the cold dread in her stomach. The distant eyes. The sterile kisses. The endless, all-consuming "merger."

She didn't run. She didn't cry.

She was a Vale. She was built of ice and steel, just like her father.

She turned, her movements stiff, and walked back into the ballroom. The warmth and light hit her, and for a second, she was blind.

She saw Liam, standing near the orchestra, laughing with her father. He looked like a king.

Her king. Her liar.

She walked straight to him. The room seemed to part for her, a silver wraith moving through the crowd.

Her father saw her first and smiled, raising his glass. "There she is! The woman of the hour."

Liam turned. His smile was in place, the perfect mask. But when he saw her face, the smile faltered, his eyes narrowing. He knew, instantly, that something was wrong.

She didn't speak until she was close enough to touch him.

"Can I speak to you?" Her voice was a whisper, but it cut through the noise of the party.

His expression hardened. "Now, Aurora? We're in the middle of our toasts."

"Now, Liam."

There was a note in her voice she'd never used with him before. It was not a request.

He studied her for a moment, his jaw tight. Then he gave a curt nod, offered an apology to her father, and gripped her elbow. His fingers were like steel bands, digging into her arm.

He didn't lead her to the terrace. He pulled her back into the same service corridor she had just left. It was dark, empty, and smelled faintly of bleach.

The moment the door swung shut, he released her.

"What is this?" he demanded, his voice low and cold. "You're making a scene."

"Am I?" The hysteria she'd been suppressing bubbled up, tasting like acid. "I'm not the one in a crimson dress, Liam."

Silence.

It was the most terrifying sound she'd ever heard. He didn't deny it. He didn't ask what she meant. He just watched her.

"Who is she?" Aurora whispered, the words tearing from her. "I heard them. The staff. They're all talking about you. About her. Vanessa."

She searched his face, praying for denial. For outrage. For anything but this cold, calculating calm.

He simply stared at her. Then he did something that broke her heart more than an admission would have.

He sighed.

It was a sigh of pure, unadulterated annoyance. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if she were the problem. As if her pain was an inconvenience on his schedule.

"Aurora," he said, his voice laced with a weary disappointment she knew was manufactured. "We are getting married in less than twenty-four hours. This is the single biggest week of my career. And you are in a hallway, listening to staff gossip?"

"They said you were with her until 3 AM," Aurora pushed, her hands clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palms. "They said she left her dress in your car. I saw that dress, Liam. You told me it was for a client."

"It was," he said, his voice rising, sharp and cruel. "A client gift I had Vanessa pick up. Do you have any idea the pressure I'm under? The Vale-Cross merger hinges on this deal. Your father's entire legacy hinges on it."

He stepped closer, invading her space, forcing her to tilt her head back. He was tall, powerful, and in the dim light, he was terrifying.

"I am out there, every single night, bleeding for this family. For our future. And you are in here, accusing me of sleeping with my assistant because a caterer is bored."

Tears sprang to her eyes, hot and shameful. He was doing it again. Making her small. Making her doubt her own instincts.

"I…" she faltered. "The way they were talking…"

His expression softened, the anger vanishing, replaced by a practiced tenderness. He reached out, his cold fingers brushing a tear from her cheek.

"Hey." His voice dropped, becoming the loving fiancé once more. "It's just business. It's just stress. There is no one else. There has never been anyone else."

He pulled her against his chest. His tux was stiff, and he smelled of sandalwood and expensive whiskey.

"It's you," he whispered into her hair. "It has only, ever, been you. Do you trust me?"

She was buried against his shoulder, her heart hammering against his ribs. He felt so solid. So real. The whispers felt like ghosts.

She wanted to believe him. She needed to.

"Yes," she whispered, the word a lie. "I trust you."

He held her for a moment longer, then kissed her forehead. It was a kiss of benediction. A kiss of dismissal.

"Good," he said, stepping back. "Now fix your face. Our guests are waiting."

He turned and walked back into the ballroom, leaving her alone in the shadows.

Aurora leaned against the wall, her body trembling. He had reassured her. He had called her fears nothing.

So why did the whispers in the dark suddenly feel so much louder than his words?