My steps faltered as I heard the words inside, and I pressed myself against the wall to remain unseen.

“To think you’ve been dating Damian’s sister all this time,” a voice chuckled mockingly. “I’m sure he’d be furious if he were still around. I can’t believe you even married her.”

“Damian really loved his little sister,” another voice chimed in. “Such a shame he got caught in that tragic accident.”

A brief silence followed, only to be broken by a whisper, “Some people say Damian’s still alive. Is that true or not?”

The air around me seemed to freeze. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, each beat echoing louder than the last.

My brother, Damian Vaughn, could he still be alive?

I stood frozen, my breath shallow as the voices inside continued their conversation, oblivious to the storm they had just ignited within me.

My mind reeled with the possibility, the faint, flickering hope that refused to be extinguished.

One of the reasons I endured the pain Percy inflicted upon me was entirely out of gratitude to the Klein family. They had raised me after the tragedy that befell my family seventeen years ago.

I lost my parents and my brother at a fragile age, too young to fully comprehend the extent of the loss. The Klein family, close friends of my parents, had taken me in and given me a home. They told me to move on, to let go of the past and embrace the future.

And I did. Or at least, I tried.

But at that moment, their words from long ago resurfaced in my mind. They had always avoided discussing the details of the tragedy, urging me to focus on my new life instead.

I had obeyed, burying my questions and memories.

Yet the names of my parents and Damian, their faces, their voices, all remained vivid in my mind, etched into my heart.

The next conversation inside the room shattered me further.

“I don’t think he’s dead yet,” someone said cautiously. “We all know only Isla’s parents were found, right?”

“Exactly,” another voice replied. “Our family knows the full story of the Vaughn tragedy, only Isla doesn’t know.”

“Well, she’s desperate for love after what happened to her family,” Percy said, his voice dripping with cruel amusement. “All those stories about her family, she believed them so easily since she was only five at the time.”

I staggered back, my legs threatening to give out beneath me.

The truth struck me like a thunderbolt.

All the time, there had been something bigger Percy was hiding from me—something far more significant than his affair with Selene.

My thoughts spiraled, and a memory floated to the surface. A name that I had pushed aside for months resurfaced.

It was Damien Blackwell.

He was the CEO of Black Company, a client who often commissioned my freelance graphic design services.

Because Percy forbade me from working outside, I relied on freelance projects to keep myself busy, utilizing my passion for drawing.

The first time I saw Damien’s name, my heart had skipped a beat. The similarity to Damian was uncanny, but I dismissed it as an impossible coincidence.

At that moment, with Percy’s conversation echoing in my ears, I felt an urgent need to find out more.

Without hesitation, I pushed open the door to the private room.

The lively chatter and laughter inside came to an abrupt halt. Percy’s arm, which had been draped around Selene, was hastily withdrawn.

Selene, ever the opportunist, gave me a sly, smug smile, as if she knew exactly what I had overheard.

I ignored the tension in the room and walked straight to the chair where I had left my purse.

“I’m not feeling well, so I’m heading home,” I announced, my voice calm but firm.

Percy stood, his face plastered with a fake expression of concern. “Want me to drop you off?” he asked, as though he cared.

“I’ll take a taxi or call the driver. Don’t worry. Enjoy the rest of your party,” I replied curtly.

Percy hesitated for a moment but did not push further.

He sat back down, his friends exchanging awkward glances as I turned and left the suffocating room.

The drive back to the manor felt endless. My thoughts churned, each revelation crashing into me like a tidal wave.

The moment I stepped through the front door, I hurried to my study, pulling out my laptop. My hands trembled as I typed, searching desperately for any information on Damien Blackwell.

Could it be him? Could he really be Damian?

I was not sure what I was hoping to find, but I knew one thing for certain, I could not rest until I uncovered the truth.

I searched tirelessly, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I looked up everything I could.

As a freelance designer, I had collaborated with Black Company for months, but something about Damien’s direct involvement indeed always struck me as odd.

CEOs rarely reached out personally, especially for minor projects, yet Damien had done so from the very beginning.

Finally, I gathered the courage to email him directly. My hands trembled as I typed out the message. I hesitated, unsure of how to frame my question.

But before I could decide, the door opened behind me, and I quickly clicked send, the email reading only, [Are you Damian Vaughn?]

I closed the tab, replacing it with the project I had been working on just as Percy walked in.

“You said you weren’t feeling well, but here you are glued to your laptop. Are you busy with work again?” he asked, his tone suspicious.

I forced a calm smile. “Well, when I got home, my client suddenly wanted to see the progress, so I checked it first. After this, I’m heading straight to bed,” I replied evenly.

Percy studied me for a moment, then nodded. “I see. You came home early, so I got worried. In the end, we wrapped up the party because it felt uncomfortable without you there.”

“Anyway,” he paused as if wanting to press further, but instead, he simply said, “I’ll take a shower first. Don’t stay in front of your laptop for too long, it’s late.”

“Alright,” I agreed.

Percy kissed my forehead, then headed toward the bathroom. As soon as the door clicked shut, I exhaled deeply, relieved that he had not suspected anything.

Not long after, the doorbell rang.

I opened it to find Selene standing there, her expression sweet but undeniably calculated.

“I’m really sorry to bother you so late, Mrs. Klein,” she said, her tone dripping with false sincerity.

“When I came to your anniversary party earlier, I also intended to deliver an important document that Mr. Klein forgot, but apparently, he left it again, so I had to deliver it now since it’s needed for tomorrow’s meeting.”

Her presence filled me with disgust, but I maintained a neutral expression. “He’s in the shower. You can come in and wait.”

I stepped aside to let her enter.

“Thank you,” she said, holding up a bag. “I also brought him a night snack since I heard you don’t cook.”

The jab stung, but I refused to let her see it.

Since there was always a chef coming to cook, I never had the intention to learn to cook.

Besides, since I was little, I lost my mother, and Percy’s mother also said that women only need to take care of themselves, so I never thought of it.

So, I responded calmly, “Oh, then you’re quite thoughtful.”

Selene’s smile widened as she continued, “Since it’s already late, would it be alright if I left the snack and documents in Mr. Klein’s study?”

“Sure,” I said, my voice steady as I led her upstairs.

As we ascended, she struck again. “It seems you haven’t told Mr. Klein about the messages I sent you.”

“If I may ask, is there a special reason for that?”

I stopped briefly, meeting her gaze with a smirk. “Because it doesn’t matter,” I said coolly, though the words felt like acid in my throat.

Selene’s mask of innocence did not falter, but I could feel the smugness radiating off her. It burned.

Just as we reached the top of the stairs, Percy stepped out of the room, still in his bathrobe. His eyes widened as they landed on Selene.

“Selene? What are you doing here?” His voice was sharp, almost panicked.

Selene pouted, feigning innocence. Before she could respond, I stepped in.

“You didn’t take the document, so she came to deliver it,” I explained matter-of-factly.

Selene nodded eagerly. “Yes, it’s for tomorrow’s meeting. It’s very important.”

Percy hesitated briefly before turning to her, his tone clipped. “Oh, right. Take the document and come with me to the study.”

Selene gave him a short nod.

“Then I’ll take a shower first,” I said, walking toward the bedroom.

“Good idea,” Percy replied quickly. “Take a rest after your shower. Don’t wait up for me—I’ll walk Selene out myself after we’re done.”

Without another glance, I entered our room, closing the door firmly behind me.

But what Percy did not realize was that I had installed a camera in his study long ago.

It was not paranoia but self-preservation that led me to do it. For months, I had suspected his late nights weren’t spent on business calls or meetings.

The rumors, the subtle signs, and his increasing absences painted a picture I could no longer ignore. And Percy’s study was the perfect hideout for his infidelities.

So, in secret, I installed a small camera, one hidden so well that even someone as meticulous as Percy would not find it.

I had rarely dared to check the feed, afraid of what I might see. But tonight was different. With Selene’s arrival, my suspicions burned hotter than ever.

Once Percy and Selene had gone to the study, I turned on my computer and accessed the live feed from the camera.

What I saw made my stomach churn.

Percy’s voice was raised, his anger palpable as he pointed at Selene. “Didn’t I tell you not to come to my house?”

Selene, undeterred, took a step closer to him, her expression teasing and confident. Without a hint of shame, she reached for the belt of Percy’s bathrobe and gave it a playful tug.

“This is your anniversary, Mr. Klein,” she purred. “You should enjoy yourself. But let’s be honest, she didn’t give you that fluttering excitement tonight, did she?”

Percy stared at her, his disbelief and hesitation clear. “Selene, we always do this at your villa. That’s why I bought it for you—to keep things discreet.” His voice was tight, almost pleading, as though trying to reason with her.

“I know,” she said, her tone light and mocking. “But from what I’ve heard, you’ve brought plenty of women into this study before. Why can’t I do the same?”

She tilted her head, her grin widening. “What’s the matter? Do you like your one-night stands more than me?”

Hearing that, my hand shot into my mouth, suppressing the scream that threatened to escape, not believing that I had been deceived over and over again.

“It’s not like that, they are just giving me pleasure, but you, you are special,” Percy answered, almost pleading.

Her smirk deepened, her voice dripping with insinuation. “Then, when I bring you a midnight snack at a time like this, you wouldn’t refuse, would you?”

Selene paused, feigning thoughtfulness. Then, with deliberate slowness, she removed her jacket, revealing a provocative lingerie outfit underneath.

Percy’s silence was deafening.

Selene stepped closer; her voice soft but laced with temptation. “Besides, isn’t it more exciting to do it here?”

I felt my heart sink as I watched Percy’s resolve crumble. The camera feed showed him standing there, unmoving, as Selene closed the distance between them.

Then, without another word, Percy leaned into her, their lips crashing together in a passionate kiss.

Within seconds, he was lifting her onto his desk, their bodies pressed together as if they could not care less about being caught.

Tears blurred my vision, but instead of closing the feed, I found myself clicking through other saved footage.

My heart tightened as I scrolled through timestamps, each one marking a different night, a different betrayal.

One by one, I watched. Percy with other women, some nameless faces and others familiar—always in his study, always with the same smug confidence that I would never find out.

My chest tightened unbearably, but I forced myself to continue. I needed that proof.

Something irrefutable to take to court, something that would ensure I could cut ties with him completely.

But the more I watched, the more unbearable it became.

The desk that I had once admired as a symbol of his success had been defiled countless times. And our home had been turned into a playground for his selfish desires.

The pain overwhelmed me. I slammed the laptop shut, my chest heaving as sobs wracked my body.

That night, I made my decision.

I would go directly to the court the next morning. There was no longer anything to salvage, no reason to hesitate.

Percy Klein did not deserve my patience or my loyalty any longer.

**

When I finally got the divorce paper, I went to his study.

The moment I came in, I could still smell Selene’s fragrance last night. It cut deeper in my heart, but I should face it.

Everything in the desk was still in place, even if last night they made it messy.

I took a deep breath and opened the drawer. I gathered all the letters I had ever written to him and stuffed them into a bag.

The love and devotion I had poured into those pages over the years felt meaningless, discarded like my trust in him.

So, I decided to burn it all later.

“Only one letter that will come to you this year, Percy,” I muttered.

It was not a declaration of love or a poetic expression of pain. It was a simple letter containing the divorce papers I had drawn up.

On the envelope, I wrote a short note, [Make sure you read this. Happy Anniversary.]

The morning before I went to the court, I saw an unopened email notification on my laptop. My chest tightened as I clicked on it, a sense of dread and hope twisting together.

The sender was Damien Blackwell.

His reply was brief but carried the weight of a storm.

[Damien: I am, but who told you that? Besides, would you believe me, Isla?]

I clasped my hand over my mouth, a wave of disbelief washing over me. So, he was truly alive.

But doubt quickly crept in. What if that was a scam? Someone trying to exploit me, the girl who lost her family and clung desperately to scraps of hope?

I hesitated before replying, my fingers trembling over the keyboard.

[Isla: Prove it to me then.]

The next hour was a blur of exchanged emails. Damien answered my cautious questions with precision and familiarity that chipped away at my skepticism.

Finally, he sent me his number, saying it would be easier to explain over the phone.

Though I had not fully let go of my doubt, something inside me—my intuition, my heart—already believed he was Damian, my brother.

When I finally mustered the courage to call him, the sound of his voice on the other end nearly shattered me.

“Isla?” His voice was deep, steady, and achingly familiar despite the years that had passed.

“Damian?” I whispered, my voice trembling. The name felt foreign yet so right on my tongue, stirring memories I had buried long ago. “Is… is it really you?”

“It’s me, Isla,” he said softly, his voice carrying a warmth that wrapped around me. “I know it sounds strange, but I’ll do anything to prove to you that I’m the Damian you knew seventeen years ago.”

I could not find the words. My breath hitched as emotions tangled in my chest, hope, disbelief, and a longing I had not allowed myself to feel in years.

“Are… are you okay?” I finally asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m in a good state,” he replied, his tone confident. “Better than I’ve been in years. If you want to see me, I think I can make it happen now.”

His words struck something deep within me. The years apart had been cruel, but here he was, offering to bridge the gap, to be my anchor again.

“Really? Can we meet again?” My voice cracked, and I felt tears threatening to spill.

“Yeah,” he said after a pause, his voice steady. “Are you facing a problem right now?”

His question caught me off guard. How could he still read me so easily after all the time? The floodgates broke, and I spoke through my tears.

“I’m… please take me away from the Klein family,” I pleaded, my voice raw.

“Sure.” His reply was immediate, unwavering, like a promise etched in stone. “I’ll send someone to get you. Come to Italy.”

“Italy?” I asked, my voice laced with curiosity.

“You’ll understand everything when we meet,” he said simply. “Send me the location, and we’ll make it happen.”

As a result, after finalizing everything at court, I returned to the manor for the last time. I packed only the essentials, leaving behind the life I had built with Percy and the betrayal that came with it.

Before my fifteen past love letters that I burned completely burned, I had slipped out unnoticed from the home that had never truly been mine.

The taxi took me to the agreed meeting point, and as I stepped out, my eyes fell on a sleek black car that matched the description Damian had sent.

A man got out of the car, his tall frame imposing yet calm. His dark eyes met mine as he approached.

“Isla?” he asked, his voice deep with a slight roughness.

“Yes,” I answered cautiously.

“I’m Julian Cross,” he introduced himself, his tone professional but kind. “Damian sent me to pick you up.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, my voice barely audible.

Without hesitation, Julian took my luggage, stowed it in the car, and opened the passenger door for me. I slid into the seat, my heart pounding as the realization sank in—I was leaving.

As the car pulled away, the cityscape of Spain blurred past the window. For the first time in years, I felt a strange sense of relief.

**

In the evening, Percy returned home, expecting the usual routine—me sitting on the living room sofa, waiting to greet him with a polite smile.

But as he entered the grand, quiet manor, something felt off.

“Isla, I’m back!” Percy called, his voice echoing in the silence.

No response.

He frowned, glancing around. The stillness unnerved him. Normally, I would appear at the sound of his voice, yet that time, nothing.

“Isla?” he called again, louder this time, his tone edged with unease.

Percy began checking the usual places, from the kitchen, the garden house, the backyard. But I was not there.

As he stepped outside, his eyes caught the faint remnants of ash on the ground. Among the ashes were partially burned pieces of paper.

Curious and growing anxious, Percy bent down and picked up one of the unburned fragments. His breath hitched as he recognized the handwriting. My handwriting.

It was one of the love letters I had given him over the years—the ones he had never opened, the ones he thought were still safe in his drawer.

“What the hell,” he whispered, his grip tightening on the charred paper.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He straightened up abruptly, his heart pounding, and began shouting my name.

“Isla? Isla, where are you?!”

He stormed back into the house, his voice growing frantic.

The servant, just returning from shopping, barely had time to set down her bags before Percy grabbed her by the shoulders. His eyes were bloodshot, wild with panic.

“Where is my wife? Where did she go?!” he demanded, shaking her slightly.

“I…I don’t know, Mr. Klein,” the servant stammered, terrified. “Mrs. Klein was here this morning. She seemed fine.”

Percy released her with a growl of frustration, his breathing uneven. He ran up the staircase, stumbling in his haste, his panic rising with each passing second.

He burst into the bedroom, his eyes darting around, searching for any sign of me.

“Isla?”

But the room was empty. The closet doors hung open, revealing the gaping space where some of my clothes had been. One of my suitcases was missing.

His knees felt weak as he stepped closer, running his hands through his hair.

“She left…” he muttered, his voice barely audible.

The sight of the empty closet confirmed his worst fears, but a question gnawed at him. Why had I burned the love letters? What did it mean?

With dread pooling in his stomach, Percy stumbled into his study. His breath hitched in relief when he saw a letter on his desk, neatly placed, just like every year.

His fingers trembled as he picked it up, the familiar handwriting on the envelope sparking a fleeting, desperate hope.