The rooftop still whispered with the remnants of their kiss.
Arabella stood in the soft night air, her chest rising and falling as Nathaniel rested his forehead against hers. Everything in that moment felt still—like the chaos of the world had finally paused for them.
But the quiet didn't last long.
"There's still a lot between us we haven't said," she whispered, her fingers curling slightly in the fabric of his blazer. "We can't pretend everything's okay just because we kissed."
Nathaniel's eyes opened slowly, guilt flickering beneath his intense gaze. "I know. That kiss... it wasn't a solution. It was a promise. A beginning."
Arabella gently pulled away, needing space to breathe. "A beginning only matters if we don't repeat the same mistakes. There are still things I don't understand, Nathaniel. Things you haven't told me."
He nodded solemnly. "Then it's time I stop hiding."
They returned to the penthouse. The city glittered beneath them as Arabella curled up in one corner of the leather couch while Nathaniel poured two glasses of wine. When he handed one to her, his hand trembled slightly. She noticed.
"Nathaniel," she said softly, "What are you not telling me?"
He sat down beside her, shoulders taut. "There's something you need to know about my father."
Arabella's pulse quickened. She remembered the quiet fury Nathaniel always carried when his father's name came up. The broken trust. The cold shadows that lingered in his tone.
"My father was the one who arranged my engagement to Helena years ago," he began. "Before I took over the company. He believed I was too distracted by... emotion. He wanted someone like Helena by my side—calculating, focused, and easy to control. I didn't realize then how much of my life he was manipulating."
Arabella's brows drew together. "So the merger with the Montgomerys wasn't your idea?"
"No. But I accepted it. I thought it was necessary. I thought emotions were liabilities... especially love."
He turned to her, eyes burning with regret. "Then you came into my life. And I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't know how to love you without feeling like I was betraying the very rules I'd been taught to live by."
Arabella's throat tightened. "So you married me, kept me hidden, and made sure I couldn't become a 'weakness.' Is that it?"
He looked down, ashamed. "Yes."
The truth, plain and raw, hung between them.
Arabella stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. "You broke me, Nathaniel. When you pushed me away. When you treated me like I was nothing but a secret to be ashamed of."
"I know," he said, standing slowly. "And I would give anything to take it back."
She turned toward him, pain brimming in her voice. "You can't take it back. But you can stop hiding. Not just from the world—but from yourself."
A long silence passed.
Then, with a shaky breath, Nathaniel stepped forward. "There's more."
Arabella blinked. "More?"
He hesitated. "Helena… she wasn't just working alone. Someone else was feeding her information about us. About you."
Arabella's blood ran cold. "Who?"
He pulled out his phone and opened a private message. "The same person who once helped you escape. Liam."
Her breath caught.
Nathaniel continued. "I didn't want to believe it. But the flash drive—his access logs—it proves he gave Helena sensitive documents about your time in hiding. And about the contract."
Arabella's heart pounded. "Liam… betrayed me?"
"I don't know why," Nathaniel said. "But I intend to find out."
Arabella sank back down, numb. "I trusted him. He helped me when I had no one."
Nathaniel knelt in front of her. "And I made you feel like you still had no one. I know I can't undo that. But I will fight every day to earn your trust. Not just as a husband… but as a man who sees you now. All of you."
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "Then show me, Nathaniel. Don't promise. Prove it."
He nodded.
They sat in silence, the storm inside both of them raging with memories, pain, and something else—hope.
---
The next morning, Arabella stood alone at the glass window overlooking the skyline. The city was already alive, pulsing with ambition and greed and second chances.
Nathaniel had gone to prepare for another board strategy session, and Arabella was left with her thoughts—and a question that wouldn't stop haunting her:
Why would Liam betray her now?
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She answered cautiously. "Hello?"
A distorted voice replied, "You're in danger. Don't trust Nathaniel. Meet me tonight at the corner of Park and 6th. Alone. 10 p.m."
The line went dead.
Arabella stared at the phone, her chest tightening with dread. Something told her this wasn't a prank.
She saved the number and walked toward the study, locking the door behind her.
If Nathaniel knew, he'd stop her from going.
And she needed answers.
Even if it meant walking straight into the shadows again.
The evening air was cold against Arabella's skin as she stepped out of a black car onto the dimly lit corner of Park and 6th. She wore a simple dark coat, her hair tied back, a cap shading her features. The city bustled just a few blocks away, but here—beneath the old streetlamp and graffiti-stained walls—everything felt distant, like a scene from a forgotten memory.
She glanced at her watch.
9:59 p.m.
Her breath fogged in the cool air as footsteps echoed from the alley beside her.
Arabella's heart thudded.
A man stepped out of the shadows, face obscured by a hood. His stance was cautious, but not threatening.
"You came alone," he said. The voice—no longer distorted—was unmistakable.
"Liam," she breathed. "It was you."
He pulled off the hood slowly, eyes troubled. "I never wanted to involve you. But you were already in the middle of it."
Arabella crossed her arms, her voice sharp. "Then explain. Because from where I'm standing, you sold me out to Helena."
Liam shook his head. "No. I was blackmailed."
She stiffened.
"They threatened to expose everything about you—your identity, your marriage, your past. They had access to your adoption records, the fake identities, even your safehouse locations. If I didn't cooperate… they'd leak it to the public. To the media."
Arabella's jaw clenched. "You should have told me."
"I couldn't risk it," he snapped, guilt flashing in his eyes. "They were watching everything. Even now, they could be tracking us."
"Who's behind it?" she demanded.
Liam hesitated, then whispered, "It's not just Helena. It's someone inside Nathaniel's company. Someone high up. They've been using her—and me—as pawns. They want Nathaniel out."
Arabella's mind raced. "Why?"
"Because Nathaniel changed the company's direction after you came into his life. He pulled out of a corrupt weapons deal, exposed laundering activity in Europe. That didn't sit well with the old board members who benefited from the shadows."
Arabella's voice lowered. "And they think I'm his weakness."
"They know you are," Liam said. "And they're going to use you to break him."
The streetlights flickered above them, sending slivers of golden light across Liam's face. "You're running out of time, Arabella. The moment Nathaniel finds out you came here, they'll twist it against you. You have to decide: do you still trust him?"
She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know anymore."
Liam pressed a USB drive into her hand. "Everything I've gathered is on there. Use it wisely. And Arabella—watch your back. The people you fear most aren't always the ones in front of you."
He disappeared into the shadows, leaving her alone.
---
Later that night, Arabella returned to the penthouse, her thoughts a whirlwind of doubts and fears.
Nathaniel was waiting in the living room, his sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, eyes dark with concern.
"Where have you been?" he asked quietly.
She froze in the doorway. "Just out… I needed air."
"You didn't answer your phone."
Arabella stepped inside slowly, forcing calm into her voice. "I needed to think. About everything. About us."
Nathaniel approached her carefully, as if sensing something had changed. "Did something happen?"
She hesitated. The USB drive weighed heavily in her coat pocket.
"Not yet," she said finally. "But something is coming, Nathaniel. I can feel it."
His brows furrowed. "Then we'll face it together."
But even as he said the words, Arabella turned away.
Because some truths couldn't be faced together—not yet.
Not until she knew whether Nathaniel was truly innocent.
Or just another master behind the mask.