Chapter 7 - THE LAST LIE SHE TOLD HIM
Nathan Whitmore had spent his entire life learning how to read people.
A businessman could hide a bad deal behind a smile.
A rival could hide hatred behind a handshake.
A liar could hide the truth behind a thousand perfect words.
But Nathan had never imagined the hardest person to read would be the woman sleeping beside him.
Victoria Caldwell.
The woman he was supposed to marry.
The woman who knew the secret behind his father’s death.
That night, Nathan waited.
He didn’t confront her immediately.
He didn’t scream.
He didn’t throw accusations.
Because anger made people careless.
Fear made them honest.
And Nathan needed the truth.
At midnight, Victoria entered the bedroom.
She stopped when she saw him sitting in the dark.
“You’re still awake?”
Nathan looked at her.
“Yes.”
She smiled nervously.
“Long day?”
“Very.”
She walked closer.
“What happened?”
Nathan looked at the diamond ring on her finger.
“Tell me about my father.”
The smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
But Nathan saw it.
“What?”
“My father.”
Victoria laughed softly.
“That’s a strange question.”
“Is it?”
She looked away.
“Nathan, your father died when you were young. Why are we talking about this?”
“Because you know something.”
Silence.
A long, heavy silence.
Victoria slowly sat down.
“What did you find?”
Nathan almost smiled.
There it was.
Not denial.
Not confusion.
Fear.
“You’re not asking if I found something.”
Victoria’s eyes moved toward him.
“You’re asking what I found.”
She said nothing.
And that silence was an answer.
Nathan placed the old letter on the table.
Victoria looked at it.
Her face changed.
“She wrote that?”
“Yes.”
Victoria stood quickly.
“Nathan, listen to me.”
“No.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“I listened to you for two years.”
Victoria froze.
“I believed every story.”
He stood.
“I believed you loved me.”
Her eyes softened.
“Nathan…”
“Was any of it real?”
Victoria opened her mouth.
But no words came.
That hurt more than a lie.
Because Nathan realized she needed time to create an answer.
A real person would have answered immediately.
Finally, Victoria whispered:
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
Nathan stared at her.
“That’s not an answer.”
“I was trapped.”
“By who?”
She looked away.
“Dominic.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“How long?”
Victoria closed her eyes.
“Before I met you.”
The room went silent.
Nathan felt something break inside.
“You were sent to me.”
Victoria didn’t deny it.
“I was supposed to get close to you.”
“To steal from me.”
“To get information.”
“To destroy me.”
Her tears started falling.
But Nathan didn’t move.
Because he didn’t know if they were real.
“Tell me the truth.”
Victoria looked at him.
“I was supposed to ruin your company.”
“And?”
She swallowed.
“But then I fell in love with you.”
Nathan laughed quietly.
A painful laugh.
“Do you even hear yourself?”
“Nathan—”
“You came into my life as a weapon.”
His voice became colder.
“And now you want me to believe the weapon grew a heart?”
Victoria cried.
“I tried to leave.”
“When?”
“Several times.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
She looked down.
“Because Dominic threatened my family.”
Nathan stopped.
“What family?”
Victoria hesitated.
And that hesitation told him there was another secret.
“What family, Victoria?”
Before she could answer…
the lights went out.
The entire house went dark.
A second later—
glass shattered downstairs.
Someone was inside.
Nathan immediately moved.
“Stay here.”
Victoria grabbed his arm.
“Nathan, no.”
He looked at her hand.
The same hand wearing his ring.
For a moment, he remembered the woman he thought she was.
Then he pulled away.
“Who is here?”
Victoria whispered:
“Dominic.”
Nathan walked downstairs.
Slowly.
Silently.
The security alarms were disabled.
The cameras were offline.
Someone knew exactly how to enter his home.
Then he saw them.
Three men.
Black suits.
Weapons.
And standing behind them…
Dominic Rainer.
Nathan stopped.
Dominic smiled.
“Family reunion.”
Nathan’s expression hardened.
“You broke into my house.”
Dominic looked around.
“Actually, Nathan…”
He smiled.
“I came to take back what was always mine.”
Nathan stepped forward.
“You don’t own anything here.”
Dominic laughed.
“Your father said the same thing.”
Nathan froze.
Then Dominic said the words that changed everything.
“Your father didn’t die because of me.”
May you like
He stepped closer.
“He died because he betrayed me first.”
