Chapter 4: The Unraveling Truth
The air was thick with tension, the night pressing in around Ava like a vice. The manor, which had once felt like a sanctuary, now seemed more like a cage, its vast, empty halls a constant reminder of the life she was entangled in—of the man she had married. Dominic Vale. A man cloaked in secrets, and now, more than ever, Ava was certain there was far more to the story of their marriage than she had ever imagined.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the words spoken by the stranger, the man who had appeared at the gate, were a warning. But why? What danger was Dominic hiding? And why did it seem like everyone around him—his allies, his enemies—knew something that she didn't?
After the strange encounter at the door, Ava had done what she always did: put on a mask. She swallowed the fear and doubt, allowing the image of the composed, graceful wife to fill her. But this time, the mask didn't feel like protection. It felt like a shackle. Her mind raced with questions that gnawed at her relentlessly.
Dominic had brushed off the stranger's words too easily. But was he telling the truth? Was there something lurking in the shadows that could destroy them both?
The next day, Ava found herself wandering the grounds of the estate, her eyes scanning the horizon, the cool wind ruffling her hair. She couldn't sit idle any longer. There was too much at stake now.
The thought of confronting Dominic again filled her with both dread and determination. She had to know what he was hiding. But how? The mask was still there, figuratively and literally. He wouldn't give her the answers she needed.
It wasn't until she reached the garden—the one area of the estate she could always count on for clarity—that she found herself face-to-face with something that would change everything.
Dominic stood at the far end of the garden, his back to her, as though he had been waiting for her. His presence was imposing, even from a distance. He exuded power, but it was a quiet, dangerous kind of power—like the calm before a storm.
He must have heard her footsteps, because he turned to face her just as she reached the center of the garden.
"Ava," he said, his tone devoid of any warmth. "I didn't expect you to come out here."
"I need answers," she replied, her voice steady but tinged with the frustration she had been carrying for days. "You can't keep avoiding me, Dominic. There's something you're not telling me. I know it."
Dominic's eyes darkened as he looked at her, his mask never faltering. He stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, and for a moment, Ava thought he might actually speak—might finally give her the truth she had been seeking.
But he didn't.
Instead, he took her arm, his grip tight but not painful, and led her further into the garden, away from the house. There was an urgency in his movements, and it sent a chill through her.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, trying to pull her arm from his grasp. "Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere you need to understand," he said, his voice low, filled with an edge she hadn't heard before. "You want the truth, Ava? Then you'll get it. But you won't like it."
Ava's heart hammered in her chest, but she refused to back down. She needed to know. She needed to understand who Dominic really was—and what had happened to his first wife.
They reached the farthest edge of the estate, near the dense woods that bordered the property. It was secluded, isolated, and for the first time since their marriage, Ava felt truly afraid. Not of Dominic, but of what was about to be revealed.
He stopped in front of an old stone structure, its dark stone walls overgrown with ivy, standing in stark contrast to the pristine beauty of the estate. It was like a forgotten relic, hidden from view—just like Dominic's past.
"This place," Dominic said, his voice unusually soft, "is where it all began. Where my life became… what it is now."
Ava took a step forward, her curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"
Dominic's jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on the structure. "I was born into a family of secrets, Ava. Power, wealth, corruption. And for years, I believed it was all I needed. I wore the mask, like everyone else, to hide from the truth. But the truth has a way of finding you. No matter how far you run from it."
Ava swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words settle over her like a blanket of cold reality. This wasn't about her. This was about him—and the life he had buried deep within the walls of this estate.
He turned to face her, his eyes dark and full of something she couldn't read. "You asked about my first wife. I told you she touched the mask. But that wasn't all. She uncovered something she shouldn't have. And in doing so, she sealed her fate."
Ava's breath caught in her throat. "What did she uncover?"
Dominic's eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and regret, and for the first time, the mask of control slipped just enough for Ava to see the vulnerability beneath. "The truth about who we really are. What our family has done. What it has become."
Before she could respond, he grabbed her arm again, pulling her toward the stone structure. "Come inside. You need to see this."
Ava resisted at first, but something in his gaze told her that she had no choice. She followed him inside, into the shadows of the crumbling building.
It was colder inside than she had expected, the air damp and heavy. The only light came from a single candle on the far side of the room, casting flickering shadows on the walls. And there, in the center of the room, was a large, ornate chest.
"This," Dominic said, his voice low, almost reverent, "is where everything ended for her. And where everything will begin for you."
Ava felt a shiver run down her spine. "What's inside?"
Dominic didn't answer immediately. Instead, he crossed the room and kneeled before the chest, lifting the heavy lid with practiced ease. He reached inside and pulled out something wrapped in black velvet.
When he unwrapped it, Ava gasped. It was the mask. The same one Dominic had worn at the gala—the same one that had haunted her dreams. It gleamed in the candlelight, its sharp edges reflecting a darkness that seemed to consume the room.
"Why are you showing me this?" Ava whispered, feeling the weight of the object in her hands as he passed it to her.
"Because, Ava," Dominic said, his voice hardening, "it's time for you to understand the cost of the life you've chosen. And the consequences of the path you're walking."
Ava's hands shook as she held the mask, and in that moment, she realized the terrible truth: there was no turning back now. Whatever secrets Dominic had kept hidden—whatever darkness lurked beneath his carefully crafted facade—she was about to be drawn into it. And there would be no escaping the consequences.