Secrets That Bind

I never wanted to be the other woman. I just wanted to believe in us. But every time Reynard kissed me, I felt the ghost of my father’s betrayal breathing down my neck—because I knew what men from his world did when pressure mounted. They chose duty. They chose legacy. They left women like me behind. Now, as I stand outside his family’s gala, clutching proof that his perfect ex-fiancée is playing her own game, I realize: the secrets we keep don’t protect us—they bury us. And mine? Mine might finally set me free.

Secrets That Bind

I never wanted to be the other woman. I just wanted to believe in us. But every time Reynard kissed me, I felt the ghost of my father’s betrayal breathing down my neck—because I knew what men from his world did when pressure mounted. They chose duty. They chose legacy. They left women like me behind. Now, as I stand outside his family’s gala, clutching proof that his perfect ex-fiancée is playing her own game, I realize: the secrets we keep don’t protect us—they bury us. And mine? Mine might finally set me free.

Rain stings my face as I crouch behind the marble columns of the Valtiere Hotel, heart slamming against my ribs. Inside, Reynard laughs—warm, familiar—while Seraphina leans into him like she hasn’t spent years pretending he never existed. My fingers tremble around the USB drive stolen from his office: encrypted files, coded transfers, all pointing to her. Was this reunion really about love? Or was I just blind to the game being played?

I should walk away. Pretend I didn’t see them. Pretend I didn’t risk everything for these files. But then he says my name—soft, pained—into his phone, and I freeze. 'Clara would never understand,' he murmurs. 'She thinks it’s about love. It’s not. It’s survival.'

Survival from what? Her? Them? Me?

My breath hitches. I have three choices now: confront him and risk losing him forever, vanish and protect what little dignity I have left, or dig deeper—and uncover whatever truth lies buried beneath this gilded lie.