Chapter 13: Echoes of the Boy He Was

The next morning sun poured over the Blackwood estate, sparkling against the tall windows like bits of gold. Mara woke up, her mind still foggy from a restless night. As she opened her eyes, her gaze drifted toward a locked part of the mansion. The area she had caught a glimpse of before, where chains clinked faintly behind a heavy wooden door. The sound had haunted her dreams.

Shaking off the lingering sleep, she got ready for breakfast and made her way down the staircase. At the long dining table, she found Damon seated in his usual dark suit, his expression as unreadable as a closed book.

“Good morning,” Mara said softly, forcing a smile.

Damon looked up from the tablet for a moment, and his stern expression softened slightly. “Morning, Mara. Sit.”

A maid hurriedly placed a plate in front of her. Mara picked at the food, her mind shifting restlessly. Damon seemed lost in his own thoughts, giving short answers to her attempts at conversation. It felt as if he was deliberately putting some distance between them.

As she was halfway through breakfast, Damon’s phone buzzed. He read the message, and his jaw tightened before he stood up. “I’ll be gone most of today. Don’t leave the estate.”

“Why? What's going on?” Mara asked, tilting her head in confusion.

He hesitated, then shot her a sharp look. “Just… stay inside, Mara.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion, and in a flash, he was gone.

Mara sat there, frozen, her appetite vanished. The unease that had been building inside her grew stronger. She couldn’t shake off the memory of the chains and the whispers that felt out of place in such a grand house. And now, Damon’s sudden departure only added to her fears.

Later in the afternoon, she wandered through the house aimlessly until her steps led her back to that blocked-off hallway. Her heart raced. She remembered Damon’s warning, but an overwhelming curiosity pressed against her chest. Slowly, she moved closer.

The door stood at the far end, as ominous as ever, with the faint sound of chains rattling from behind it. She pressed her palm against the cool wood. For a moment, silence. Then—

Mara…

She jumped back, nearly stumbling. It wasn’t Damon’s voice. The sound was faint, distorted, almost like a whisper carried by the wind. Chills raced down her spine.

“What are you hiding, Damon?” she muttered under her breath, backing away.

Before she could gather her thoughts, she sensed a presence behind her. It was Luca, one of Damon’s loyal men, standing silently. His sharp gaze fixed on her, and his face was hard to read.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said calmly, but there was a warning in his voice.

Mara forced a nervous laugh. “I was just… lost.”

Luca gave her a long look, then gestured for her to return to the main hall. “Some doors are meant to stay closed, Madam. For your own good.”

Her pulse quickened, but she didn’t reply. As she left, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had stumbled onto something much bigger than she realized.

That night, Damon came home late. His shirt was slightly undone, and his eyes were dark with exhaustion. Mara had been waiting for him in the lounge, unable to hold back her questions any longer.

“You’re hiding something from me,” she said firmly.

Damon stopped in his tracks, his posture tense. Gradually, he turned to face her, his expression growing cold. “Mara, don’t dig into things you don’t fully understand.”

“But I really want to know. Damon, I saw that door. I heard—”

“Enough!” His voice thundered down the hall, sharp and firm. Mara flinched, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

The silence afterward was suffocating. Damon closed his eyes briefly, as though struggling to reel in his temper. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quieter, almost pained.

“I told you not to go near that wing. For your safety… and mine.”

Mara’s eyes widened at what he had just said. And mine.

The tension between them grew, thick with unspoken words and secrets.

Mara realized then that whatever lay behind that door was not only tied to Damon’s darkness. but also the shadow of the organization hunting him.

Now, she realized she had put herself right in the middle of it all.