Secrets of the Past

Ariel's POV

I hesitate at all. I launch myself at him, knocking the object from his hold under the direction of my impulses. Now the room is totally disorganized, but all I can concentrate on is the threat Henry presents to Emma, our kids, not only to me.

Under a table, the little handgun skitters across the polished floor and stops. Though that doesn't stop him, Henry's face twists with wrath as he understands he has lost the upper hand. Again, a wild, frantic guy, he lunges at me. I'm ready for this time. Driven by years of rivalry and ingrained hate, we struggle—raw and violent.

Emma is heading toward the pistol out of the corner of my eye; her face is a mask of will. Though she is shaking, she is concentrated and I know she is attempting to shield us all. Henry also observes and, realizing he is losing control of the circumstances, his rage turns to panic.

"Stay back, Emma," advised Though it's too late, I yell. I'm faster; Henry rips free from my hold and runs madly towards her. Just as Emma reaches for the rifle with weak hands, I ground him. She gestures toward Henry, and the room appears to hold its breath.

Stop! Emma's voice is louder than I have ever heard it to be. Her command freezes everyone in place, even Henry. She is not the terrified, needy lady from six years ago. She no longer is the same. She is more powerful right now.

Henry sneers, his customary charm totally gone, replaced with something nasty and evil. His voice tinged with scorn, "You won't shoot me, Emma," he adds. You do not have it in you.

Emma's hand wanders, but she steadies herself and locks her eye on me. I see everything in that instant—the anxiety, the will, the love she has battled so valiantly to defend. She will also do all it takes to keep our kids safe, I know.

Her voice is calm and steely, "I will if I have to," she says. "You won't endanger my family."

Looking between us, Henry realizes he is lost. The struggle saps him, and he falls to the ground beaten. It ends. The dream he built is at last ending.

As security bursts in and pulls Henry away in handcuffs, the room is shockingly quiet. I visit Emma and take the gun from her then drag her into my arms. She shakes but does not cry. Right now she is too strong for that. For the first time in years, I feel like everything could just be fine as we stand together, unified against the turmoil all around us.

Though the audience starts to thin out and whispers of astonishment and incredulity flood the air, I have no opinion about any of it. Emma, the lads, and the life we can at last start constructing together are all that really important.

I mumble into her hair, gripping her tightly and apologize. "For all.

Emma raises her softened gaze to me. "We'll figure it out," she replies, and her voice carries hope for the first time. "Together.."

We stand in the middle of it all surrounded by the wreckage of our past as the evening drags on and the ballroom empties. But now, with the truth out in the open and the future truly ours to mold, it doesn't feel like devastation at all. It feels as though something real—something fresh—is beginning.

Looking at Emma, I also know that whatever happens next will be faced by us as a family.

I have always detested the gloom. Not the physical type that accompanies the darkness, but rather the shadows living inside people that slink into their hearts and brains. The most lethal shadows are those ones.

Late is it, and the mansion is shockingly quiet. As I head to Alan's study, my footsteps resound across the vacant hallways. He has been shutting himself away with his secrets, avoiding me. And I am in need of responses. He agreed to this marriage for what reason? From what is he hiding?

The study door is just slightly open, a sliver of light peeking through the shadows. My heart hammering in my chest, I gently open it. With his back to me, Alan is seated at his desk staring at a little, fading picture in his hands.

I murmur, not wanting to frighten Alan.

He doesn't spin around. "Ariel," he murmurs, sounding low and strained. You ought not to be here.

Feeling the tension in the room, I get closer. We should chat.

At last he looks at me, his dark and unfathomable eyes "There is nothing to talk about."

Yes, there is, I say firmly. You are hiding something from me, I know. Alan, why did you wed me? Why will you not let me in?

His jaw closes and he gets up suddenly to go across to the window. "It's useless, Ariel." A few things are better left in the past.

"The past is never really in the past," I explain with a shaky voice. "It always finds a way back-off.

He chuckles harshly; the sound causes chills down my spine. "You are ignorant, Ariel." You wouldn't understand the things I have done or the things I have been done to.

I stretch out, my hand shaking as I lay it on his arm. " Try me," I say softly.

I suppose he could open up for a minute, but then his eyes harden and he distances himself from me. "It's too late," he adds austerely. "There isn't going back."

The door crashes suddenly behind me, and I leap, whirl around to find out who it is. Marie is standing there, grinning sarcastically and with terrible eyes.

Her voice dripping with contempt, "Looks like I interrupted something," she remarks.

Marie, what do you want for? My voice shakes as I ask.

She approaches more closely, her smile growing. "I come to let you know of your place, Ariel. In this game you are only a pawn. And believe me, the game is still young.

I try to keep my cool by swallowing hard. "I don't fear you, Marie."

Her smile stumbles for a second, then she chuckles. "Oh, you should be. You are clueless about what is ahead.

She turns on her heel and leaves the room slamming the door behind her before I can reply. The sound sends a shudder down my spine throughout the vacant hallways.

Turning back to Alan, he is already headed toward the door. "Where are you planning to go?" My voice just above a whisper, I ask.

"To take care of something," he says straight ahead without turning back.

"Alan, wait—

But he left behind me alone in the darkness already. These days, the shadows seem deeper and more repressive. Something horrible is about to happen, and I cannot get rid of that impression.

My mind leaps with questions as I return to my room. Allan is hiding what? Marie is quite committed to making my life unpleasant. Why is that? And "the game has only just begun" means what?