Chapter Fifteen: Hidden Truths

AVA

The address Marcus had given me led to a small coffee shop in Queens, far from Liam's world of Manhattan penthouses and power lunches. I found Marcus sitting in a corner booth, wearing jeans and a regular jacket instead of his usual black suit. He looked like a completely different person.

"Thank you for coming," he said as I slid into the seat across from him.

"This feels like something out of a spy movie."

"In some ways, it is. Liam has cameras and recording devices throughout the penthouse. He monitors everything."

"Everything?"

"Every room except the bathrooms and his private study. He knows when you're awake, when you eat, when you cry."

I felt sick. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since you moved in. He told me it was for security purposes, to protect his family."

"But it's really about control."

"Yes."

The waitress came over, and Marcus ordered two coffees. After she left, he leaned forward.

"Mrs. Blackwood, there are things you need to know about your husband. Things that might help you understand why he's treating you this way."

"I'm listening."

"Liam wasn't always like this. When I first started working for him eight years ago, he was different. Still demanding, still focused on business, but not... not like he is now."

"What changed?"

Marcus was quiet for a long moment, staring into his coffee cup. "His first wife died."

"I know about that. He told me she died in a car accident."

"Did he tell you she was pregnant?"

"No." I felt my stomach drop. "He didn't mention that."

"Seven months pregnant with their first child. A daughter."

"Oh my God."

"Isabella was trying to leave him that night. They'd had a huge fight about his controlling behavior, about how he was already planning every detail of their unborn daughter's life."

"She was leaving?"

"She'd packed a bag and was driving to her sister's house. It was raining, she was upset, driving too fast. She lost control of the car on a curve."

I couldn't speak. The tragedy of it was overwhelming.

"Liam found her suitcase the next morning. She'd left a note explaining that she couldn't live with someone who treated her like a possession instead of a partner."

"That's horrible."

"It destroyed him. But not in the way you might think. Most people, when they lose someone they love, they learn to let go a little. Liam did the opposite."

"He became more controlling."

"He became obsessed with the idea that if he'd controlled the situation better, Isabella and the baby would still be alive. If he'd tracked her phone, if he'd had security follow her, if he'd never let her leave the house alone."

"So he blames himself."

"He blames everyone. Isabella for leaving, himself for letting her, the world for being unpredictable. But mostly, he's terrified it will happen again."

The waitress brought our coffees. I wrapped my hands around the warm cup, trying to process everything Marcus was telling me.

"Is that why he married me? To make sure it doesn't happen again?"

"Partly. When he found out about Eli, he saw it as a second chance. A chance to do it right this time."

"By controlling every aspect of our lives."

"In his mind, he's protecting you. Protecting Eli. He thinks if he can manage every variable, predict every outcome, nothing bad will happen."

"But he's making bad things happen. He's pushing me away just like he pushed Isabella away."

"I know. And I think, deep down, he knows it too. But he can't stop himself."

"What about Elena? Where does she fit into all this?"

Marcus's expression darkened. "Elena is part of the control system. She reports everything to Liam. Every conversation, every interaction with Eli, every time you seem upset or frustrated."

"She's spying on me?"

"That's exactly what she's doing. Her real job isn't taking care of Eli. It's making sure you don't become too attached, too comfortable, too confident in your role as his mother."

"Why would Liam want that?"

"Because if you're confident and comfortable, you might start making demands. You might start fighting back. You might try to leave."

"Like Isabella did."

"Like Isabella did."

I felt tears building behind my eyes. "So I'm trapped. No matter what I do, I'm trapped."

"Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?"

Marcus reached into his jacket and pulled out a small device. "I've been documenting things. Recording conversations, taking pictures, gathering evidence."

"Evidence of what?"

"Evidence that Liam is psychologically abusing you. Evidence that he's using coercion and control to keep you in this marriage against your will."

"Why would you do that? You work for him."

"I work for him, but I have a conscience. What he's doing to you, what he's planning to do to Eli, it's wrong."

"What's he planning to do to Eli?"

"The same thing that was done to him. Turn him into another version of himself. Cold, calculating, unable to form genuine relationships."

"His parents did that to him?"

"His father was exactly like Liam is now. Controlling, manipulative, convinced that love was weakness. Liam swore he'd never be like that, but trauma has a way of repeating itself."

"So this is all about fear."

"Fear and grief and guilt all twisted together into something destructive."

I took a sip of my coffee, trying to absorb everything. "Marcus, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are you helping me? Really?"

Marcus was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft.

"My daughter, Sarah, died because I couldn't protect her from cancer. There was nothing I could do about that. But this situation... I can do something about this. I can't save my own child, but maybe I can help save yours."

"What if Liam finds out you're helping me?"

"He won't. I've been very careful."

"What about the bugs in the penthouse? Won't he know we met?"

"I told him you went shopping. Your credit card shows purchases at three different stores."

"You bought things with my credit card?"

"I have a friend who works retail. She processed some fake transactions to create an alibi."

"You've thought of everything."

"I've been planning this for months."

"Planning what exactly?"

"Your escape, if you want it. A way for you to leave with Eli and start over somewhere Liam can't find you."

"Is that even possible? He has so much money, so many resources."

"It's possible. Difficult, but possible."

"What would I have to do?"

"First, we need more evidence of his abuse. The bruises on your wrist are a start, but we need more."

"I don't want to provoke him. What if he hurts me worse?"

"I'll be watching. I won't let it go too far."

"And then what?"

"Then we contact someone I know. Someone who specializes in helping women escape abusive relationships with powerful men."

"Someone like a lawyer?"

"Something like that."

I felt a spark of hope for the first time in weeks. "Do you really think this could work?"

"I think you deserve a chance to find out."

Marcus reached into his other jacket pocket and pulled out a tablet. "But first, there's something else you need to see."

"What is it?"

"Remember the threatening note you received? The one that made Liam increase security?"

"Of course."

"It wasn't from a stranger."

He tapped the tablet screen, and security footage began playing. It showed the lobby of our building, and I watched as someone approached the front desk and handed the doorman an envelope.

The person was wearing a hat and sunglasses, but when they turned toward the camera for just a moment, I could see their face clearly.

It was Victoria.

"She sent the note?" I whispered.

"She sent the note."

"But why would she threaten me and then act friendly?"

Marcus paused the footage on Victoria's face. "Because the note wasn't really a threat, Mrs. Blackwood. It was a strategy."

"What kind of strategy?"

"The kind that gives Liam an excuse to lock you down even tighter. The kind that makes you too scared to leave the penthouse without security. The kind that justifies monitoring your every move."

I stared at Victoria's image on the screen, my mind reeling. "She's working with him."

"She's working with him."

"To keep me trapped."

"To keep you exactly where they want you.”