Chapter 2 - The Man Behind the Locked Door
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not after Dominic ordered his men to bring Caleb Mercer to him.
Not after the man I had never met looked at my fiancé’s name like it was a warning.
I sat in that private room, holding a glass of untouched whiskey, trying to understand what was happening.
Five minutes earlier, I was a woman with a broken heart.
Now I was sitting across from a man who apparently knew something about the person I loved.
The strangest part?
He wasn’t looking at me like I was a victim.
He was looking at me like I was a piece of a puzzle.
Finally, I couldn’t take the silence anymore.
“Who are you?”
The man looked up.
“Dominic.”
“That’s all?”
“For tonight.”
I almost laughed.
“For tonight?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not exactly comforting.”
A small movement crossed his face.
Almost a smile.
Almost.
“You walked into a room you weren’t supposed to find, witnessed something you weren’t supposed to see, and discovered your fiancé’s name means something here.”
He leaned back.
“I think comfort stopped being an option a while ago.”
I hated that he was right.
I looked toward the locked door.
“Am I in danger?”
Dominic didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me more than if he had said yes.
Finally, he said:
“Not from me.”
I studied his face.
“Why should I believe you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
That surprised me.
Most dangerous men tried to convince people they were good.
Dominic didn’t.
He simply accepted what he was.
A dangerous man.
A knock interrupted us.
One of his guards entered.
“Boss.”
Dominic looked up.
“Speak.”
“We found Caleb Mercer.”
My heart stopped.
“He’s here?”
“No.”
The guard hesitated.
“He left the club twenty minutes ago.”
Dominic’s expression darkened.
“Before we found him?”
“Yes.”
A silence filled the room.
Then Dominic looked at me.
“Did he know you saw him?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Did Chloe?”
“No.”
Dominic stood.
“Then we have a problem.”
I stood too.
“What problem?”
He looked at me.
“Your fiancé disappeared the moment he realized someone important might find out what he was doing.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Dominic didn’t answer.
Instead, he walked toward the table.
He opened a folder.
Inside were photographs.
At first, I didn’t understand what I was seeing.
Then I saw Caleb’s face.
My stomach dropped.
“No.”
Dominic watched my reaction.
“You recognize him.”
“Where did you get those?”
“From an investigation.”
“Against Caleb?”
“Yes.”
I stared at the photographs.
Caleb standing beside businessmen.
Caleb entering buildings I had never heard of.
Caleb shaking hands with men who looked nothing like the people he claimed were his business partners.
I looked at Dominic.
“Why were you investigating him?”
“That’s the question you should be asking yourself.”
My voice became sharper.
“Stop talking in riddles.”
For the first time, Dominic’s expression softened.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“Then prepare yourself.”
He placed the folder down.
“Because the man you were about to marry has been lying to you since the beginning.”
My chest tightened.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know him.”
Dominic’s eyes locked onto mine.
“I know men like him.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he doesn’t choose women because he loves them.”
The words hurt.
But I refused to believe them.
“You’re wrong.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did he cheat on you tonight?”
I had no answer.
Dominic stepped closer.
“Harper, people show you who they are when they think nobody is watching.”
My eyes burned.
“I loved him.”
“I know.”
The way he said it surprised me.
Not cold.
Not mocking.
Almost like he understood.
Then he asked:
“How long have you known Chloe?”
“Since college.”
“And Caleb?”
“Three years.”
“Did they ever meet before you introduced them?”
I froze.
“What?”
Dominic waited.
I thought back.
The first time Caleb met Chloe.
The timing.
The strange way they immediately got along.
The way Chloe always defended him.
“No…”
My voice became smaller.
“They hadn’t.”
Dominic nodded slowly.
“That’s what I thought.”
A terrible feeling moved through me.
“What are you saying?”
Before he could answer, the door opened.
A guard stepped inside.
“Dominic.”
Everyone turned.
“We found something.”
The guard held a phone.
“Caleb’s phone records.”
Dominic took it.
His eyes moved across the screen.
Then his face changed.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Confirmation.
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“What did you find?”
Dominic looked at me.
Then he said:
“Your fiancé wasn’t meeting Chloe by accident.”
My heart sank.
“What?”
“He arranged it.”
The room became silent.
“He wanted you to see them.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Why would he do that?”
Dominic looked at the folder.
Then back at me.
“Because he needed you angry enough to disappear.”
I felt cold.
“Disappear?”
Dominic’s voice lowered.
“Harper, Caleb Mercer wasn’t trying to break your heart.”
He paused.
“He was trying to remove you from his life.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
Dominic looked toward the locked door.
“Because you know something.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“You do.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
He walked closer.
“You know Caleb’s habits. His schedule. His friends. His secrets.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
“Then why did he spend three years making sure you trusted him?”
I couldn’t answer.
Because suddenly…
I wasn’t sure I ever knew Caleb at all.
Dominic handed me the phone.
“Look at the last message he sent.”
My fingers trembled as I opened it.
One sentence.
From Caleb.
To someone saved as "C."
She saw everything. Handle it tonight.
My blood turned cold.
I looked up.
“Who is C?”
Dominic didn’t hesitate.
“Chloe.”
And for the first time that night…
I understood.
I wasn’t the woman Caleb betrayed.
I was the woman Caleb was afraid of.
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Tôi tiếp tục từ Chapter 3 đến Chapter 7. Tôi sẽ giữ đúng mạch truyện: Harper phát hiện âm mưu của Caleb, Dominic bảo vệ cô, bí mật về Caleb được hé lộ, phản bội trong thế giới ngầm, và kết thúc có hậu.
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