Chapter 22: The Price of Truth

The silence in the room was deafening, each breath I took felt like a betrayal. The weight of Dominic’s words—those accusations—hung over me like a heavy shroud. I wanted to scream, to yell, to accuse him of lying, but I couldn’t. Every part of me, every ounce of my being, was frozen in disbelief.

It was supposed to be a moment of reckoning, a moment where I confronted him about everything he had done to me, to my family. I had the proof, the damning evidence, that he was the one responsible for tearing my father apart. I was supposed to expose him, watch him crumble under the weight of his own deceit. But as his eyes locked with mine, something in his gaze faltered. It was an odd moment of vulnerability, one I hadn’t expected.

“Why, Elena?” Dominic’s voice was low, edged with something darker, more dangerous than I had ever heard before. “Why do you care so much about your father’s reputation? About your family’s name? Your father is a monster. He is the reason my mother is dead.”

His words were like poison, each syllable sinking into my skin. The bile in my throat rose, and I wanted to retort, to defend my family, but the truth gnawed at me, a constant whisper that I couldn’t ignore.

“My father didn’t kill your mother,” I spat, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief. “You’re just trying to justify your actions. You’ve orchestrated everything, Dominic. The scandal, the marriage… it’s all been about revenge, hasn’t it?”

He took a step toward me, his face hardening, his jaw clenched. “Revenge?” He shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “No, Elena. It’s not revenge. It’s about justice. Your father ruined my family, and I will never forgive him for that. Never.”

The words cut through me like a blade, each one slicing deeper into my soul. I wanted to walk away, to leave him and never look back. But I couldn’t. Not now. Not when the truth was right there in front of me, threatening to tear apart everything I thought I knew.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth earlier?” I whispered, the words escaping in a breathless rush. “Why didn’t you warn me? I thought I was the one who was supposed to uncover the secrets. But you knew, didn’t you? You knew everything.”

Dominic’s eyes darkened, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of something—something that could almost be regret. But it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. He closed the distance between us, standing so close that I could feel the heat of his body. “I didn’t want you to know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t want you to hate me. I thought if you knew the truth, you’d never forgive me.”

My heart hammered in my chest, a tidal wave of conflicting emotions threatening to pull me under. His words were like a sickening confession, but they also made sense in a twisted way. For all the lies and manipulation, there was a part of me that could understand his pain. Could he be telling the truth?

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” I muttered, stepping back, needing space between us. My mind raced, unable to process the enormity of the situation. “Everything’s been a lie, Dominic. Everything.”

He reached for my wrist, his grip firm but gentle. “Not everything,” he said softly. “Some things… some things are real. The way I feel about you, for instance.”

I froze, his words sinking into me like a slow poison. “You don’t get to say that,” I hissed, jerking my arm out of his grasp. “You don’t get to make this about us when you’ve torn apart everything I’ve ever known.”

Dominic’s expression hardened again, his eyes narrowing. “And yet, here we are. Tied together, whether you like it or not. You think I want this? You think I wanted any of this to happen?” He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable. “But we’re stuck with each other now, Elena. This marriage, this mess… it’s the only way out for both of us.”

The weight of his words settled over me like a suffocating fog. A marriage of convenience, born out of manipulation and lies. I couldn’t deny it, though—there was something between us. Something I couldn’t ignore.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could speak, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. The door to the office slammed open, and a familiar voice broke the tension.

“Dominic,” Liam Caldwell’s voice was sharp, full of warning. “What the hell is going on in here?”

I turned, startled, to find Liam standing in the doorway, his eyes flicking between Dominic and me. There was no mistaking the tension in the air, and I could feel the unease settle in my stomach. Had he overheard us?

Dominic’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with, Liam.”

Liam’s gaze remained unwavering. “I’m making it my concern,” he said, his voice low but insistent. He stepped further into the room, his presence imposing. “You’ve been playing games with Elena, Dominic. I’m done letting you manipulate her.”

My heart skipped a beat. What was Liam talking about? Why was he so sure about Dominic’s intentions? I didn’t know whether to feel relief or dread. Could it be possible that Liam was on my side? Was there a shred of goodness in this family, or had they all been tainted by the same darkness?

“You don’t understand, Liam,” Dominic growled, stepping toward his twin. “This is bigger than you think.”

“I don’t care how big it is,” Liam shot back, his voice rising. “Elena doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve to be your pawn in whatever twisted game you’re playing.”

I glanced between them, trying to make sense of the situation. Dominic’s face was hard as stone, but there was something behind his eyes that told me this confrontation wasn’t over. It was only just beginning.

“I’m not anyone’s pawn,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not Dominic’s. Not yours.”

Dominic’s eyes softened, just for a moment, before he hardened his gaze again. “Then you’re free to leave, Elena. But don’t come back crying when you realize you have nowhere else to go.”

Liam stepped forward, a protective stance that put him between us. “Enough, Dominic,” he said, his voice fierce. “You’ve done enough damage.”

I stood there, torn between the two men—the ones who were tied to my fate in ways I couldn’t even begin to unravel. But in that moment, as the tension hung thick in the air, I realized something that I hadn’t fully admitted to myself: I was trapped. And the only way out was to confront everything.

Everything that had happened. Everything that was yet to come.

And when the truth finally surfaced, I knew that no one would come out of this unscathed.

I turned, feeling the weight of the decisions ahead of me settle in my chest. I was done playing by their rules. It was time for me to take control.

But as I made my way to the door, I heard Dominic’s voice behind me, soft but piercing. “You’ll regret this, Elena.”

The words stopped me dead in my tracks.

And with that, I knew the game was far from over.