Chapter 8 Secrets in crimson

Victoria's POV

The note trembled in my hands like it held the weight of my entire fate.

"You don't belong here. Leave now... before he makes you disappear too."

I read it once. Twice. A third time. My eyes burned, but not from tears. From rage. From the acidic truth behind those words. Someone wanted me gone. Erased. And they weren't hiding it anymore.

Scott stormed into the corridor, flanked by two of his security men. His jaw was clenched, his movements too tight to be calm. I didn't wait for him to speak.

"They were here again," I said, holding the note out like it was a bloody knife. "Whoever it is... they keep getting closer."

He took it, scanned it. His nostrils flared. "I'm doubling the security. Whoever this bastard is, I swear they'll regret breathing near you."

But that wasn't what I needed to hear.

"You still haven't told me the truth, Scott," I said, heart pounding. "Who is doing this? And why are they talking like you're the danger?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling like he was trying to keep his soul from ripping out.

"Because I used to be someone else," he finally said, voice low. "Someone who made enemies. Dangerous ones. And they think you're my weakness."

My throat tightened. "Are they right?"

His eyes locked on mine. "You're not a weakness, Victoria. You're the only thing keeping me human."

The words shouldn't have made me melt. But they did. Because I wanted to believe him. God, I needed to believe him.

He reached for me, brushing a thumb across my cheek. "Let me protect you. Just... trust me a little longer. Tonight, I'll show you everything. No more secrets."

I wanted to pull away. Demand the truth now. But something in his touch... the way his voice trembled, how raw his gaze was... it anchored me.

So I nodded.

But that didn't stop the storm inside me.

Later that evening, I stood by the mirror, staring at myself like I was waiting to recognize the girl in the reflection.

The gown Scott sent up was crimson silk. Soft. Seductive. Dangerous. Like blood and fire had been stitched into its threads.

I wore it anyway. Because tonight wasn't about safety. It was about war.

When I stepped into the ballroom, everything slowed. Scott stood near the grand staircase, his black tux crisp and immaculate, but it was his eyes that struck me breathless.

He looked at me like he'd just found a reason to breathe, and I hated how much I wanted that look to be real.

He met me halfway, threading his fingers through mine. "You're stealing all the air in this room."

"Good," I said. "Maybe the ghosts will finally suffocate." He laughed quietly, his hand squeezing mine. But underneath, I felt it.

The tension. The storm brewing in his chest.

We danced. Slow. Torturous. His fingers at my waist. His breath against my hair. It would've been perfect if the walls weren't watching. If the shadows weren't whispering.

Halfway through the song, he whispered, "Claire isn't just a guest. She has answers. And she agreed to speak with you. Alone." My spine stiffened. "Why alone?"

"Because she knows I won't tell you everything. But she will." My heart jumped. He kissed my hand, then disappeared into the crowd.

Claire found me on the balcony.

She moved like she was walking on secrets. Her lips painted a violent red. Her voice was a dagger dipped in honey.

"He told you to trust me, didn't he?"

"He said you had answers." She smirked. "He's finally grown up." "Cut the games, Claire. Who's behind the notes?"

She leaned on the railing, the city lights casting her in gold. "What if I told you that Scott isn't the boy you fell for... but the one who orchestrated the mess you're in now?"

I didn't flinch. "Then I'd say prove it."

She pulled out her phone and handed it to me. A video played. Grainy, but clear enough.

Scott. In a suit. Handing an envelope to a man in a leather jacket. Behind them... a wall covered in pictures of me.

Me.

Everywhere I'd been. Even before I met him. My throat closed. "What is this?"

"He had you followed. Watched. For months. You weren't an accident, Victoria. You were a project."

The world tilted. "Why?" I choked.

Claire stepped closer. "Because you're the daughter of someone powerful. Someone dangerous. And marrying you gives him access to more than just your heart. It gives him leverage."

My legs nearly gave out, Scott had lied. All of it He didn't save me from danger. He was the danger.

Claire's voice softened. "But he didn't expect to fall for you. That's the one part that wasn't a lie. He's broken now, Victoria. And he's more dangerous because of it."

Tears blurred my vision. "Why are you telling me this?"

She sighed. "Because I used to be you. And I almost didn't survive it."

I turned away, chest heaving. The wind slapped my face like a cruel reminder. And when I looked down-another note lay on the balcony floor.

I picked it up with trembling fingers.

"He's lying. But so is she. Don't trust anyone until you remember who you are."

The blood drained from my face.

I stumbled back inside, searching the crowd for Scott. For answers. For truth.

But what I saw instead made my heart stop. Scott. By the stairs Claire Leaning in, and their lips...touching.

Not soft. Not innocent. Like two people who had done this too many times before.

The world cracked.

I turned and ran, heels be damned, pushing through guests and hallways until I reached my room. I locked the door, backed away like it would protect me.

My knees hit the ground. I sobbed like I hadn't in years. Until a voice whispered from the shadows:

Says, "It's time you remembered everything." I spun, and standing there...half-hidden in the corner...was a boy.

No. A man, and somehow... I knew him. His eyes met mine, full of pain and fire.

"You knew me before him, Victoria. You just forgot." I stared, heart breaking.

"Who are you?" He stepped into the light.

"I'm the one who was supposed to marry you. Before Scott stole you from everything you were."