Chapter 13: “Secrets Buried in Silence”

Tayla’s POV

For a moment, I couldn’t move.

I simply stared.

The drawer sat open before me.

My heart pounded so hard that it hurt.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected to find.

Cash.

A second phone.

Evidence of an affair.

Something.

Anything.

But what I saw was completely different.

Inside the drawer were dozens of files.

Neatly organized.

Carefully labeled.

Along with several photographs.

And one thick envelope.

My fingers trembled as I reached for it.

The paper felt heavy.

Almost threatening.

Slowly, I opened it.

The first photograph slid out.

My breath caught.

Luca.

The picture showed Luca standing outside a warehouse.

Nothing unusual.

Until I noticed the men surrounding him.

Men carrying guns.

Men who looked dangerous.

Men who definitely weren’t businessmen.

A chill ran through me.

I grabbed another photograph.

Then another.

Then another.

Each one made my stomach twist tighter.

Luca meeting strangers.

Luca entering unfamiliar buildings late at night.

Luca exchanging envelopes.

Luca arguing with men who looked like criminals.

My pulse raced.

What was this?

Why was Damian collecting pictures of his own brother?

And why had he hidden them?

I quickly opened one of the files.

Inside were reports.

Financial records.

Investigation notes.

Phone logs.

My eyes moved across the pages.

The words barely made sense.

But one thing became clear.

Damian had been investigating Luca.

For a long time.

Months.

Maybe years.

I sank into the chair.

Unable to process what I was seeing.

Because none of this matched the story I had been telling myself.

None of it matched the story Luca had been telling me.

The office suddenly felt too small.

Too quiet.

Too cold.

Then my phone rang.

I nearly jumped.

Luca.

His name flashed across the screen.

My stomach immediately tightened.

For several seconds, I simply stared.

Then I answered.

“Hello?”

His voice sounded warm.

Comforting.

Familiar.

“How are you doing?”

I looked down at the photographs spread across the desk.

At the evidence hidden inside Damian’s drawer.

At the questions multiplying inside my head.

And for the first time…

I didn’t know how to answer.

“I’m okay.”

The lie came automatically.

A brief silence followed.

Then Luca spoke again.

“Noah and I are getting ice cream.”

I glanced toward the photographs.

My chest tightened.

“That’s nice.”

Another pause.

Longer this time.

“You sound strange.”

I forced a laugh.

“I’m just tired.”

His voice softened.

“You need to rest.”

The concern sounded genuine.

Maybe it was genuine.

And somehow that confused me even more.

Because how could the caring man who had been helping me for weeks be the same man Damian had secretly investigated?

Nothing made sense.

After ending the call, I continued searching through the drawer.

I needed answers.

Real answers.

Not rumors.

Not assumptions.

Answers.

At the bottom of the drawer sat another envelope.

Smaller.

Older.

Its edges were worn.

Like Damian had opened it many times.

Slowly, I pulled it out.

Inside was a letter.

My breath caught when I recognized the handwriting.

Damian’s.

The date at the top was from nearly eight months ago.

My hands shook as I began reading.

If you’re reading this, then something has gone wrong.

My heart immediately skipped a beat.

I continued.

There are things I wanted to tell you, Elena.

Things I should have told you.

But the more I learned, the more dangerous it became.

If Luca discovers what I know, none of us will be safe.

My stomach dropped.

I read the sentence again.

Then again.

Then again.

Because surely I had misunderstood.

Luca?

Dangerous?

No.

Impossible.

The Luca I knew wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Would he?

I kept reading.

If anything happens to me, protect Noah.

Trust your instincts.

Not appearances.

Not stories.

And not people who suddenly become heroes when disaster strikes.

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

The letter slipped slightly in my trembling hands.

Because suddenly…

The words felt less like a warning.

And more like a prediction.

Across the city…

Luca sat inside a luxury restaurant.

Noah happily colored on a children’s menu beside him.

The boy looked up.

“Can I get dessert?”

Luca smiled.

“Before lunch?”

Noah grinned.

“Maybe.”

The answer made Luca laugh.

For a brief moment, the sound was genuine.

Because despite everything…

He did care about Noah.

In his own way.

But Noah wasn’t his objective.

Tayla was.

Always Tayla.

A phone vibrated in his pocket.

His expression immediately darkened.

He glanced at the screen.

One of his men.

He answered.

“What?”

The response came quickly.

Urgently.

Luca’s smile disappeared.

“What do you mean she opened the office?”

His entire body stiffened.

The restaurant seemed to vanish around him.

Only the conversation mattered.

Only the threat mattered.

His grip tightened around the phone.

“Did she find the drawer?”

Silence.

Then—

A curse escaped his lips.

Across from him, Noah looked up.

Confused.

Luca immediately forced a smile.

Everything was fine.

Nothing was wrong.

At least that’s what he wanted the child to believe.

But inside…

Panic was beginning to grow.

Because if Tayla found the wrong file…

Everything could unravel.

That evening, Tayla sat alone in Damian’s office.

The letter remained open in front of her.

The photographs surrounded her.

Questions filled her mind.

For the first time since Damian’s arrest…

She wasn’t only doubting her husband.

She was doubting Luca too.

And that terrified her.

Because if Luca wasn’t telling the truth…

Then who was?

A soft sound suddenly echoed through the apartment.

The front door opening.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Luca.

He wasn’t supposed to be back yet.

Footsteps moved through the penthouse.

Slow.

Steady.

Getting closer.

Tayla quickly shoved the letter back into the drawer.

Her pulse raced.

The office door opened.

And Luca stepped inside.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

Neither moved.

Then Luca’s eyes drifted toward the desk.

Toward the slightly open drawer.

Toward the papers she hadn’t fully put away.

Something dark flashed across his face.

Gone almost instantly.

But Tayla saw it.

For the first time…

She saw fear.

Real fear.

And suddenly she realized something terrifying.

Whatever Damian had been hiding…

Luca didn’t want her to know.

The question was—

Why?