Secrets of the Past
Alina’s grip tightened on my wrist, the warmth of her touch failing to ease the chill creeping up my spine. “Mom, you need to know why I really married him.”
As she pulled something from beneath her bouquet, my heart pounded in my chest. Alina’s eyes flickered with a blend of urgency and fear. “This name… Marcus. He’s important to Victor. To us.”
“Marcus?” The name echoed in my mind, a shadow from my past that I had buried deep. “What do you mean?”
“He was Victor’s best friend, Mom. He vanished right after Victor left me.”
I staggered back, the walls of my carefully constructed life quaking. Memories flooded in—laughter, summer nights, and the way Victor had looked me in the eyes, promising forever. But forever had vanished, just like Marcus. “How do you even know this?”
“I’ve been digging, Mom. A few old letters… they mentioned Marcus.” Alina took a breath, gathering her courage. “Victor never talked about him. I found pictures, old ones. It’s like he didn’t want anyone to know Marcus existed.”
My throat tightened. “But why? Why would he hide that from you?”
“I don’t know. But I think Marcus is part of the reason Victor left you.” Alina’s voice trembled. “And if he really is alive, then there’s so much we need to understand.”
Unraveling Threads
“Alive?” The word felt foreign, dangerous. I shook my head, unwilling to consider the implications. “What happened to him?”
“He had an accident,” she said, her eyes wide with realization. “It left him with amnesia. Victor’s been looking for him all these years, trying to piece things together.”
The weight of her words crashed over me like a wave. Victor’s betrayal was one thing, but a hidden friend living in the shadows? It twisted my heart. I stared into Alina’s searching gaze, desperate for clarity. “So he never stopped caring?”
“I don’t know what he did, but he’s been searching,” Alina insisted, her voice rising. “Maybe he thought it was best to protect us from…” She hesitated, trying to find the right words. “From a family secret?”
Before I could respond, a frantic voice echoed from the reception area. “Someone find Victor! He’s missing!”
My stomach dropped as panic surged. “What do you mean, missing?” I demanded, heart racing as Alina’s face went pale.
“He just… vanished,” the guest panted, eyes wild. “No one can find him!”
“He can’t just disappear!” I shouted, adrenaline flooding my veins. My past collided with the present, twisting into chaos. “We have to look for him!”
