The 365 days wife

Damien's Fury

The morning after Ava's daring exploration of Damien's office, the air between them was thick with tension. Ava had barely slept, her mind replaying the events of the previous night over and over, the haunting feeling of Damien's eyes on her still fresh in her mind.

She had been searching for answers, desperate to understand the threat that loomed over her. But now, she had learned the hard way that there were boundaries she was not meant to cross.

Damien's anger was palpable when he saw her the next morning. His eyes, dark and stormy, locked onto hers with an intensity that made her stomach twist. The cold fury emanating from him was enough to freeze the very air between them.

"Did you really think you could get away with it?" Damien's voice was low, controlled, but the venom in his words was unmistakable.

Ava's breath caught in her throat. "I—I needed to know the truth, Damien."

"You think I'll just let you go rummaging through my things like you own the place?" Damien's voice raised slightly, his anger slipping through his otherwise composed exterior. "You had no right."

Ava's heart pounded in her chest as she stood before him, but she couldn't back down. Not now. "You're keeping secrets from me, Damien. I have every right to know what's going on."

Damien's jaw clenched, his fists balling at his sides. "You don't get to question me. Not when you're the one who's in danger." His words were harsh, cutting deep.

Ava took a step back, the sting of his words cutting through her. She had hoped for understanding, but instead, all she felt was the weight of his anger. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, but she didn't dare wipe them away. She simply stood there, her heart breaking as she faced the man who had become her world.

Without another word, Damien turned on his heel, storming out of the room, leaving Ava standing there, trembling and broken.

---

Theodore's Visit

The following day, Ava tried to keep her distance, but there was no escaping the tension that had settled over the mansion. She spent most of her time in her room, trying to distract herself from the storm of emotions swirling within her.

It was in this state of unrest that she first heard the voice. It was old and wise, laced with years of experience and untold stories.

"You have the look of a woman who has seen too much, but not enough."

Ava blinked in surprise as she turned to find an elderly man standing in the doorway of her room. His presence was commanding yet gentle, as if he had lived through lifetimes of wisdom.

"Who—" Ava began, but the man raised a hand to silence her.

"Ah, but I see the curiosity in your eyes. That's good. Curiosity is a sharp tool," the man said, stepping into the room. "But too much curiosity can also be a dangerous thing."

Ava's eyes widened. "Who are you?"

The man smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Theodore Cole, at your service. Damien's grandfather."

Ava blinked again, taking in the old man's appearance. He was well-dressed, with a sharpness to his demeanor that reminded her of Damien. But there was something different about him—something that seemed to carry a quiet authority.

"I didn't expect... I mean, I wasn't told about your visit," Ava said, feeling out of place.

Theodore chuckled softly, his voice a soothing balm to her nerves. "Ah, well, I like to visit in the quiet of the morning, when the world is still figuring out what it is."

He paused, looking around the room, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. "You're in quite a bind, aren't you, my dear? Caught between the past and the present, unsure of who you are or where you stand."

Ava swallowed, unsure how to respond to this cryptic man who spoke as if he had seen the world through a different lens.

"I—" Ava started, but Theodore interrupted her.

"Don't speak yet," he said gently, "You're still figuring it out. You think you're alone, but you're not. You're surrounded by shadows. But the question is, my dear, who is casting them?"

Ava frowned, completely lost. "I don't understand."

"Ah," Theodore said with a nod, "You will. You see, life is a puzzle, and sometimes, the pieces fit in ways we don't expect. But you have to trust the process."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze growing more intense. "But be warned, dear Ava. The truth is never as simple as it seems. It's a tangled web, and once you start pulling at the threads, you might not like what you find."

Ava's heart raced. "What are you talking about?"

Theodore's eyes darkened slightly, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "Damien's past, my dear. It's not a story he's willing to tell. But one day, you'll hear it. And when you do, you'll understand why he hides it so fiercely."

Before Ava could respond, the door opened behind them, and Damien walked in, his presence heavy with authority.

"Grandfather, that's enough," Damien's voice was sharp, the command clear in his tone.

Theodore turned to him, his smile never fading. "Ah, Damien, always the protector. But sometimes, the truth is a necessary evil."

Damien's eyes narrowed as he stepped further into the room, his gaze cold. "You've said enough, Theodore."

Ava felt the tension crackle in the air between the two men. Theodore, however, seemed unfazed by Damien's anger, and his smile only widened.

"Very well," Theodore said, standing up straighter. "But remember, my boy, you can't keep the truth buried forever."

With a final glance at Ava, Theodore turned and left the room, leaving behind an air of unease.

Damien stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on Ava with a cold intensity. "Don't listen to him," he said quietly. "He likes to speak in riddles."

Ava didn't answer, but the weight of Theodore's words lingered in her mind.

Damien stepped toward her, his expression shifting slightly. "You have no idea what you're getting into, Ava. Don't make things worse than they already are."

Ava felt her heart constrict in her chest as she looked at him, but no words came. She had too many questions, but none of them seemed to matter anymore. The pieces were starting to fit together, but the truth was still out of reach.

And with Damien's warning, she knew one thing for sure—she was walking a dangerous path.

The Hidden Door

That night, after the tense encounter with Theodore, Ava found herself restless, wandering through the vast mansion. Something about the old man's cryptic words unsettled her, leaving her with more questions than answers.

As she moved through the dimly lit corridors, she suddenly noticed something strange—a door slightly ajar. She had never seen it before, yet it looked like it had been there for years, hidden in plain sight. The wood was chipped, and cobwebs stretched across its frame like an abandoned relic of the past.

Ava hesitated, her pulse quickening. What was behind that door?

Just as she reached for the handle, a sharp voice cut through the silence.

"Step away from there."

Ava whipped around, her breath catching as she saw the head housekeeper, a stern-faced woman who rarely spoke unless necessary. The woman's eyes were hard, her stance firm, as if she had been waiting for Ava to make this mistake.

Before Ava could utter a word, the housekeeper pulled a heavy padlock from her apron pocket and secured the door shut with a loud, deliberate click.

Ava's brows furrowed. Why was the room locked so urgently?

She glanced past the woman's shoulder, catching a glimpse inside before the door fully closed. Dust. Cobwebs. An abandoned space, untouched for years. But something about it felt... important. Like it held secrets no one wanted her to uncover.

Her lips parted to ask, but before she could, Damien's cold voice rang out from behind her.

"I see curiosity is a dangerous flaw of yours, Ava."

Ava flinched at the iciness in his tone. She turned to face him, heart pounding. His expression was unreadable, but his piercing gaze sent a wave of unease through her.

The housekeeper stepped back as Damien took slow, measured steps toward Ava.

"Do you enjoy making trouble?" His voice was calm, but there was an underlying sharpness that made her throat tighten.

Ava clenched her fists, summoning the courage to speak. "I just— I didn't know this room existed."

Damien let out a dry chuckle, but there was no humor in it. "And now that you do, forget about it."

He turned to the housekeeper and dismissed her with a single nod. The woman bowed slightly before disappearing down the hall, leaving them alone.

As soon as she was gone, Damien took a step closer, his height and presence overwhelming. "You're getting too comfortable in this house, Ava. I think you've forgotten the terms of our contract."

Ava stiffened.

"This is just a contract marriage," he reminded her, his voice sharp and cutting. "Stop acting like a real wife."

The words stung. More than they should have.

Damien didn't give her a chance to respond. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the key from the lock, slipping it into his pocket as if sealing away something forbidden.

Then, without another glance, he turned and strode away—disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.

Ava stood there, heart hammering, her eyes flickering back to the locked door.

What was inside that room?

And why was Damien so desperate to keep it hidden?