Chapter 10:The Secrets We Carry
The rain hit the windshield in rhythmic patterns as the black SUV sped down the isolated highway, far from the smoldering ruins of Dominic's manor. Inside, the silence was heavy, charged with unspoken words and trembling emotions. Ava sat beside Dominic, her fingers clenched around the flash drive like it was the only thing anchoring her to reality.
Dominic's hands gripped the steering wheel with a force that whitened his knuckles. His masked profile was unreadable, but his body radiated tension. In the back seat, Elias watched them through the rearview mirror, his usual cool demeanor replaced by a flicker of concern.
"Where are we going?" Ava finally asked, her voice breaking the silence.
Dominic didn't look at her. "Somewhere safe. A private estate on the outskirts of Montclair. We'll regroup and decrypt the drive there."
Ava nodded, though her heart twisted. "You're not going to ask me what I saw on it?"
"I already know," Dominic replied quietly. "Or at least… I have a good idea."
Ava turned to face him. "Then let me guess—more lies? More buried secrets? Maybe a list of people who've died because of that mask you wear?"
He flinched. Just barely. But she saw it.
"You don't know what you're saying," he said coldly.
"No, Dominic. I do. I saw files—coded archives, digital footprints leading to names, accounts, and… a video. One with your father. Alive. Twelve days ago."
The SUV swerved slightly. Dominic didn't respond.
Elias leaned forward. "Wait—what do you mean alive? His father died five years ago in the Valemortis coup."
Ava held up the flash drive. "Not according to this. It's timestamped. He's alive, Dominic. Which means everything you've told me—about your inheritance, the foundation of ValeTech, the vendetta—it's all based on a lie."
Dominic pulled off the road abruptly, the tires skidding against gravel. The SUV came to a stop beside a deserted rest stop overlooking a fog-drenched forest.
He stepped out, slamming the door behind him.
Ava followed. "Don't you dare walk away from this. I deserve answers!"
He turned on her, the mask glistening with rain. "And I deserve the right to protect what's mine!"
"Then take off the damn mask!" she shouted.
Lightning split the sky. For a long moment, the only sound was the wind.
Dominic reached up slowly, hesitating at the edge of the mask.
Then he dropped his hand.
"I can't," he said, voice thick with pain. "Not yet."
Ava's shoulders sagged. "Why? Because you don't trust me?"
He looked at her then, eyes burning behind the dark slits. "Because once you see the truth… you'll never look at me the same."
The moment hung between them, raw and aching.
"I already don't," Ava whispered.
They returned to the SUV without another word.
The estate in Montclair was less of a house and more of a fortress—high stone walls, biometric gates, motion sensors hidden beneath flowering ivy. Ava felt like she was entering a prison, not a sanctuary.
Inside, Dominic disappeared into a locked study with Elias, leaving her alone in the grand, echoing foyer.
Ava paced. Her thoughts swirled with pieces that didn't fit: Dominic's father alive. The Valemortis' real motive. The flash drive. The masked man she was married to.
Then she heard it—voices.
She crept toward the door, which was cracked just enough to hear.
"She knows too much," Elias said. "You should've left her behind."
"She's in this now," Dominic replied. "Because of me."
Elias scoffed. "You're getting attached. That's dangerous."
There was a pause.
"She's not like the others."
Ava backed away, heart pounding. Not like the others?
That night, Ava stood alone on the balcony, the mountain air biting her skin. She couldn't sleep. Not with everything unraveling.
Behind her, footsteps.
"You should be resting," Dominic said softly.
She didn't turn. "I can't."
He came to stand beside her. The moonlight cast silver over his mask.
"I meant what I said," he murmured. "You're not like the others."
"Who were they?" Ava asked. "The ones before me?"
He hesitated. "Collateral. Women who got too close… and paid for it."
Ava swallowed. "So what makes me different?"
"You're the only one I've ever regretted pulling into this world."
She looked up at him. "Then pull me out."
"I can't. Not anymore."
Their eyes met. And in that second, something shifted.
He reached out, fingers brushing her cheek. "You scare me, Ava."
"Why?" she breathed.
"Because when I'm with you… I want to be the man behind the mask."
Their lips met—soft, desperate, explosive. A kiss born of everything unsaid, everything forbidden.
But before it could deepen, an alarm shrieked through the estate.
Red lights flashed. Elias's voice came over the intercom. "We've been breached. They found us."
Dominic cursed, pulling Ava close. "Stay with me."
Gunfire echoed outside.
Ava clutched his hand. "What do we do?"
Dominic's voice turned steel. "We fight."