Chapter 5 - Unspoken VowsThe following morning broke clear and bright over Lake Michigan.
I woke up in the plush bed, feeling lighter than I had in years. For the first time in three years, I didn't wake up with a knot of terror in my stomach, wondering what mood my fiancé would be in.
After dressing in a soft beige sweater and trousers provided by the staff, I walked down to the sunlit glass conservatory overlooking the gardens.
Victor was sitting at a wrought-iron table, reading a stack of financial reports while drinking black coffee. He looked relaxed, wearing a dark gray sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing dark ink tattoos winding up his wrist.
When he saw me enter, he set his papers aside immediately.
"Good morning, Lena," he said, standing up to pull out a chair for me. "How are your ribs feeling?"
"Much better, thank you," I said softly, sitting down. "The doctor's medicine worked wonders."
A maid set a fresh pot of coffee and a tray of pastries between us before quietly bowing and leaving the room.
"I saw what happened at the gate last night," I said, holding my coffee mug with both hands for warmth. "Thank you... for protecting me. And for standing up to him."
"You don't need to thank me for doing what any man with a conscience should have done," Victor replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Victor," I leaned forward, looking into his eyes. "Last night, you said you had known who I was for four years. What did you mean by that?"
Victor paused, his fingers lightly tapping the rim of his porcelain cup. He looked out at the sunlit garden for a quiet moment before turning his gaze back to me.
"Four years ago, my younger brother, Lucas, was involved in a severe motorcycle accident on the North Side," Victor began, his voice dropping an octave. "He was bleeding out on the sidewalk before the paramedics could arrive. Dozens of people walked past, afraid to get involved in what looked like a messy street scene."
My heart gave a sudden, violent thump. "The accident on Clark Street..."
"Yes," Victor nodded, a faint, rare smile touching his lips. "A young woman wearing a art student's apron ran out of a nearby bakery. She used her own scarf as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, stayed with my brother in the rain for twenty minutes, and held his hand until the ambulance came. She saved his life."
I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. "That... that was your brother?"
"Lucas survived because of you, Lena," Victor said softly. "I tried to find you afterward to thank you, but by the time I traced your identity, you had met Derek Hail. I watched from a distance, hoping he would treat you like the treasure you are. But over the last year... I saw how you changed. How the light in your eyes faded. How you stopped painting."
May you like
Tears blurred my vision as his words washed over me. All those years, while I was trapped in an abusive nightmare, a dark guardian had been watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to step in.
"I promised myself," Victor continued, reaching across the table to gently lay his hand over mine, "that if I ever saw him lay a hand on you in public... I would take you away from him forever."
