Chapter 6: The Woman Behind the Plan
I didn't sleep after that.
I sat on the edge of the bed until sunrise.
The photo remained open on my phone.
Dominic.
Chloe.
An office.
Two weeks before the wedding.
My mind replayed every moment.
The way Dominic had insisted we invite Chloe to every celebration.
The way he defended his family.
The way he always seemed uncomfortable whenever I asked questions.
I had mistaken discomfort for stress.
Maybe it was guilt.
At seven in the morning, my father found me in the kitchen.
"You saw something.""
I handed him the phone.
He studied the picture.
His expression changed.
"Where did this come from?""
"Unknown number.""
He looked at me.
"Vivienne, whoever is sending these messages wants you to know the truth.""
"Or wants to destroy him.""
"Both can be true.""
That was the problem.
I no longer knew what was real.
A few hours later, my father's investigator arrived.
He placed a file on the table.
"We identified the office.""
My fingers tightened.
"Whose office?""
He looked at me.
"Dominic's.""
My heart sank.
"Why would Chloe be there?""
The investigator opened the file.
"Because she wasn't there to meet Dominic.""
He turned the page.
"She was there to meet a lawyer.""
My father frowned.
"A lawyer?""
The investigator nodded.
"The same lawyer who prepared the contract with Vivienne's forged signature.""
Everything went quiet.
So Chloe wasn't just a cruel sister-in-law.
She was part of the plan.
But why?
The investigator continued.
"There's more.""
He placed another document down.
"Before Dominic met you, he was already engaged.""
I stared at him.
"What?""
My father looked at the paper.
The name made my stomach twist.
Chloe Bennett.
My husband's sister.
No.
Not engaged.
Impossible.
The investigator shook his head.
"Not Chloe.""
He pointed to another name.
"Lauren Bennett.""
Eleanor's niece.
My mind struggled to process it.
Dominic had a past.
A secret.
A woman connected to his family.
A woman his mother wanted him to marry.
My father looked at me carefully.
"Vivienne.""
I whispered:
"He didn't choose me.""
Nobody answered.
Because they didn't need to.
The evidence was there.
Dominic had married me after his family rejected another arrangement.
And suddenly, I understood something terrifying.
Maybe I wasn't the woman they hated.
Maybe I was the woman they used.
The front door opened.
Dominic walked in.
He looked exhausted.
But this time, I didn't feel sympathy.
He saw the files.
His face changed.
"You found out.""
I stood.
"Tell me the truth.""
He closed his eyes.
"I wanted to.""
"No.""
My voice shook.
"You wanted me not to know.""
He looked at me.
"I loved you.""
"Then why was I a backup plan?""
His face broke.
"I never saw you that way.""
"Then explain.""
He couldn't.
Finally, he said:
"My mother wanted me to marry Lauren because of the family business.""
"And?""
"And when I refused, she threatened to cut me off.""
I stared at him.
"So you married me.""
"No.""
He stepped closer.
"I married you because I loved you.""
"After they rejected you?""
Silence.
That was the answer.
I turned away.
Dominic whispered:
"There was one thing they never knew.""
I stopped.
"What?""
His voice lowered.
"Your father wasn't the only person with power.""
I looked back.
"What does that mean?""
Dominic reached into his coat.
He placed an envelope on the table.
"I found this yesterday.""
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Old.
Faded.
A picture of my mother.
But she wasn't alone.
Standing beside her was Eleanor.
My breath caught.
I looked at Dominic.
"What is this?""
His voice was barely audible.
"Your families knew each other before we met.""
I stared at the photograph.
My mother.
Eleanor.
Together.
A secret from before I was born.
Then I noticed the date written on the back.
Thirty years earlier.
And beneath it, one sentence.
"The agreement begins when their daughter is old enough.""
My hands started shaking.
Because suddenly, this wasn't just about a wedding.
It wasn't just about money.
It wasn't even just about Dominic.
May you like
It was about something planned long before I ever met him.
And someone had been waiting thirty years for me to discover it.
