Chapter 4

ELIRA’S POV

"You’re the key to everything Kael is trying to protect."

I couldn’t sleep that night. Paulit-ulit kong iniisip ang sinabi ni Draven sa aming pag uusap.

Key to what? ano ba talaga ang di ko alam? marami bang sekreto na itinatago ng asawa ko.

And why does it feel like everyone knows something about me… pero ako walang kaalam- alam sa sarili ko. The mansion was quiet. Too quiet. Parang kahit mga pader may tinatago na lungkot sa gandang gusali ng mansyon na ito.

I grabbed my phone and checked the message again.

No sender. No reply. Just silence.

Then I remembered something.

May lumang chest sa attic. My mom told me about it once before she disappeared.

She said:

"If anything ever happens, check your grandfather’s old trunk. Some truths are hidden in dust, anak."

I crept up the stairs, using the small flashlight on my phone. It was cold. May amoy ng lumang kahoy at papel.

Then I saw it.

A black wooden chest, may ukit ng initials: V.E.V.

Virel... Elira... V.?

That’s my mother’s last name. Before she married Dad.0

My hands shook as I slowly opened it.

Inside:

• Old documents

• Yellowed letters

• A photo… of my mother.

Standing beside Kael’s father.

What?

“To whoever finds this… I never meant to bring danger to my daughter’s life. Kael’s father and I were once bound by a secret no one could understand — and Elira was never supposed to be involved. But if you’re reading this, then it means the past has caught up with the present. Protect her. She is the only one who can stop this.”

— V.E.V.

I dropped the letter. My heart was pounding.

My mom knew Kael’s family?

This isn’t just about business.

This is about legacy.

About me.

I didn’t care if he was in a meeting. I marched down the stairs, documents in hand.

Kael was reading the morning paper like nothing was wrong.

“You lied to me.”

He looked up, calm as ever. “About what?”

“You knew my mom. You knew this whole time that I was connected to your family.”

His expression didn’t change, but his eyes gave him away.

He stood up. “This isn’t the time—”

“Then when, Kael? After your secrets destroy me?”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“No. You were trying to control me.”

The silence between us cracked like glass.

Finally, he spoke. Slowly. Coldly. Painfully.

“I married you because I owe your mother a debt I can never repay. But don’t confuse duty with love.”

That hurt more than I thought it would.

I stepped back.

“Too late,” I said softly. “I already did.”

SCENE: OUTSIDE THE MANSION

I left without looking back.

But just as I reached the gates, I saw someone waiting.

Solene.

Smiling.

“Welcome to the truth, Mrs. Thorne,” she said. “Now do you finally understand? He was never yours.”