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CHAPTER 15: The Missing Years

Author: Aurelia Dawn
last update publish date: 2026-05-14 21:52:42

Aria barely slept.

She lay awake long after Ethan disappeared into his office, staring at the ceiling while rain continued tapping against the windows like impatient fingers. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photograph again.

Isabella Hale’s face.

Her resemblance.

Victor’s reaction on the pier.

And Ethan’s final words before the silence swallowed the apartment.

Your records before age eight don’t fully connect.

At first, she’d wanted to dismiss it immediately. Rich people investigate
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  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 75: Echoes Beneath The Chapel

    For several long seconds after the voice faded into the darkness, no one spoke.The ancient chamber seemed to hold its breath with them. The only sound was the slow, rhythmic drip of water somewhere beyond the stone walls. It echoed through the underground passages, making it impossible to tell how large the network really was.Aria stood motionless beside Sophia, her heart still racing from the voice that had called her name.It hadn't sounded threatening.Nor had it sounded friendly.It was simply... familiar.That was what unsettled her most.She couldn't explain why, but the voice had stirred something deep inside her, like hearing the opening notes of a song she hadn't listened to in years. The memory was there, just beyond reach, refusing to reveal itself.Victor slowly lowered his weapon but didn't return it to its holster."Did anyone recognize it?" he asked quietly.No one answered.Daniel looked around the chamber before rubbing both hands over his face."I'm starting to thi

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 74: No More Time

    The first armed man barely made it through the doorway before Victor fired.The shot struck the concrete wall inches from the man's shoulder.Not a kill shot.A warning.The man instinctively ducked back into the corridor."Move!" Victor shouted.The quiet tension that had held the room together shattered instantly.Outside, orders rang through the tunnel."They're in there!""Cover the entrance!""Don't let them get away!"Boots pounded against the concrete floor.Metal scraped against stone as rifles were raised.Daniel instinctively stepped back."I officially hate underground places."Nobody laughed.Ethan had already crossed the room, helping Sophia to her feet. She winced as she stood, one hand pressed firmly against the wound beneath her ribs."You shouldn't be walking," Ethan said."I don't have a choice."Her breathing had become uneven, but there was determination in her eyes.Aria moved to Sophia's other side."I've got you."Sophia looked at her for a moment before giving

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 73: The Things We Choose To Be

    For several seconds after the stranger spoke, nobody moved.The words lingered in the air.Your mother trusted me.Aria couldn’t explain why that statement bothered her more than everything else she’d heard tonight.Not the hidden tunnels.Not the lies.Not the photographs.Not even the fact that this man was supposedly dead.No.It was the certainty in his voice.He hadn’t said it like a claim.He’d said it like a fact.Sophia’s reaction only made things worse.The woman looked genuinely shaken.As if she wanted to deny what he’d said but couldn’t bring herself to do it.The silence stretched.Then Sophia laughed.A short, bitter sound.“That’s convenient.”The stranger looked at her.“You know it’s true.”“No.”Her answer came immediately.Too quickly.Too emotionally.The stranger noticed.So did everyone else.Sophia looked away first.Victor stepped forward.“Enough.”His voice cut through the room.“We don’t have time for twenty-year-old arguments.”He wasn’t wrong.The footstep

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 72: The Ghost From The Past

    Nobody moved.The figure remained in the doorway.Half-hidden by shadow.Still.Silent.Watching.For a long moment, Aria couldn’t make out the person’s face clearly. The weak overhead light only illuminated part of the corridor.But Sophia could.The terror in her eyes left no room for doubt.She knew exactly who had arrived.And she was terrified.Victor took a step forward.His weapon remained raised.“Who are you?”The figure didn’t answer.The silence stretched.Then the person stepped into the light.Aria felt the air leave her lungs.Not because she recognized him.Because everybody else seemed to.Victor froze.Ethan’s entire body became rigid.Even Margaret’s voice burst through the radio.“No…”The single word sounded almost broken.The man standing in the doorway appeared to be in his early sixties.Tall.Lean.Silver beginning to creep through dark hair.His face showed signs of age, but there was something sharp about him.Controlled.Intelligent.Dangerously calm.Most u

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 71: The Woman Who Was Running Out Of Time

    The gunshot echoed through the tunnels.The sound bounced off the stone walls and traveled through the underground passageways like a living thing.For a second, nobody moved.Aria felt her heart slam painfully against her ribs.Then Victor was already moving.“Let’s go.”His voice cut through the shock.Everyone followed.The narrow tunnel suddenly felt smaller than before. The walls seemed to close in as they hurried forward.The stale underground air filled Aria’s lungs.Questions raced through her mind.Sophia.The letter.Elias.The person her mother had protected.Nothing made sense.Nothing fit together.And yet every answer seemed to be leading them toward the same place.Toward the same person.Her.The realization made her uneasy.Ahead of them, Victor rounded a corner.Then another.The tunnel branched twice before narrowing into a passage lit by old industrial lights.Most of them flickered.Some had burned out completely.The result was unsettling.Alternating stretches o

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 70: Sophia’s Letter

    For several seconds, nobody moved.The monitors hummed softly around them.A dozen screens displayed camera feeds from different parts of Gray Hollow. Others showed maps, documents, timelines, and names Aria couldn’t immediately make sense of.Yet all of it faded into the background.Her attention remained fixed on the note.Aria, if you’ve reached this room, then I’m finally out of time.Sophia.The signature felt strangely real.More real than the photographs.More real than the messages.This wasn’t a clue left in passing.It was a letter.A deliberate one.Written for her.Ethan stepped beside her.“You should read it.”Aria nodded.Carefully, she unfolded the pages beneath the note.The handwriting matched the messages.Neat.Controlled.Written by someone accustomed to choosing words carefully.She began reading.Aria,If you’re reading this, then I’ve failed to keep my promise.Your mother never wanted you involved in any of this.Not because she thought you were weak.Because

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 63: Fault Lines

    For a moment, nobody said anything.The message seemed to hang in the narrow corridor, heavier than the damp air around them.Aria read it again silently.If you still trust Ethan Blackwood, you’re already exactly where they wanted you to be.The words settled uncomfortably in her chest.Not becaus

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 62: The Voice In The Dark

    Nobody spoke.The words seemed to linger in the chamber long after the voice faded.Help me, Aria.A chill crept up her arms.The voice had been faint, almost swallowed by the stone walls, but she knew what she’d heard.It wasn’t her imagination.It wasn’t an echo.Someone had spoken.And somehow,

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 60: The Room She Left Behind

    For a few seconds, nobody said anything.The hidden room seemed to absorb the silence.Aria stood beside the desk, staring at the open notebook. The handwriting belonged to her mother. She knew it instantly. The neat slant of the letters. The occasional ink blot where she’d probably paused to think

  • The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride    CHAPTER 58: The Tunnel Beneath Gray Hallow

    Victor’s warning echoed through the archive.“They’re inside!”The room exploded into motion.Daniel grabbed his weapon and swore under his breath.Margaret immediately moved Isabella and Eva toward the secondary exit while Ethan stepped forward despite the pain tightening visibly across his face.

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