Vanessa's POV
I stepped out of the cab, still frustrated.
Frustration was still clinging under my skin like a second feeling. Ace's behavior, his cold, distant and dismissive behavior. It all played on a loop In my mind, over and over. The way he looked at Leah. The way he didn't look at me.
I didn't even notice where Leah went. I couldn't recall if she came down before or after me. We had both been silent through the entire ride, and honestly? I didn't care.
I walked straight into the house, my heels sounding against the floor with each step.
My parents were in the living room when I entered.
My mother was the first to notice me. Her face lit up. "How was the spa?" she asked, her voice light and curious.
I forced a smile on my face, covering th tension behind it. "It was good," I replied smoothly. "For the most part, it was."
I told her about the experience, how Ace and I enjoyed the treatment, how everything had gone smoothly….until the end. How he suddenly got a call and had to leave.
Both of them listened quietly and nodded when try needed to.
Then my dad spoke first. "I'm sure he had something important to take care of."
"Yes," my mom added quickly. "It's alright, sweetheart. He's a busy man and business doesn't always wait."
I smiled again.
As they continued giving their comforting excuses, trying to justify Ace's sudden exit, trying to brush it off like it was nothing, I nodded, pretending to accept it.
But my mind had already thought back to the car.
To that moment.
The way he had looked at Leah when he spoke.
How he explained his reason to leave to her, not me.
How he told her about the meeting.
How he defended her when I was clearly upset.
Like she was the one that mattered not me.
The memory made me twist deep inside me. My smile waved, my jaw clenched, and for a moment, I knew my face was showing everything.
I couldn't hide it anymore. It sickened me.
Not just what happened, but how it made me feel. Irrelevant and Invisible.
In my own relationship.
Like I was just there holding a place. A person to just put a ring on. A body beside him for show.
I was supposed to be the one seen, the one chosen and not the shadow of someone else.
Not hers.
Not Leah's.
And I hated that feeling more than anything.
Feeling the touch of my mother's hand on my shoulder, I forced a small nod, barely able to hold onto the composure I had left.
Then I turned and left them.
No more smiles. No more words.
I made my way to my room, closing the door behind me with a little more force than necessary. My fingers reached for the zipper of my dress, I slid it down slowly as the dress slipped off my body and fell on the floor. My underwear followed, all of them landing in a soft heap.
But my mind still trailed back to the incident. To the car, to Leah, to Ace.
I stepped into the shower, letting the warm water hit my skin, bathing me in a heat I hoped would take away the frustration.
But It didn't.
No matter how hot the water was, it couldn't wash away the feeling. I sighed loudly and rested my head on the cool tile and closed my eyes.
Later, my mother came in with dinner, something light. A small bowl of creamy mashed potatoes with grilled vegetables and a slice of toast on the side. A food she made when she wanted to comfort any of us. I picked it up and ate in silence.
When I finished, I took the empty plate to the kitchen and set it down, and then I returned to my room without saying a word.
I climbed into my bed, and pulled the sheets up to my chest and my eyes focused on the ceiling.
Maybe…just maybe….sleep would take it all away.
Just as sleep began to finally take me, my phone buzzed.
My eyes fluttered open.
My hand reached for it fast without thinking, my heart was beating a little faster.
Maybe it's Ace.
Maybe he's calling to say he's sorry. Maybe he realized how he treated me.
I unlocked the screen quickly, but froze the moment I saw the notification.
Unknown Number.
I frowned. No name. No photo. Just a single message.
I hesitated, my thumb over the message and then I tapped it open.
"I know your secret."
My breath hitched.
My heart beat harder against my chest, and I sat up in bed, the sheets falling away from my body.
I looked at the screen, reading the words over and over.
Was this a prank?
Someone messing with me?
Was someone…watching me?
A chill ran through my body as I placed my hand over my chest, trying to calm the tension within me.
Before I could even begin to process the first message, my screen went up again with another text.
"I have all your secrets."
The air left my lungs.
I sat frozen on the bed, the phone trembling in my hand, my heart pounded so loud within my chest. Sweat sipped out all over my skin, the panic rising in my body every passing second.
Which secret? Which one exactly?
The videos? The money trails? Ansel? The men? All of it?
My mind went here and there. Thousands of thoughts came but none of them were comforting. My past had always been locked behind my charm, and my perfect make up, but now, someone seemed to know.
I had to calm down, I needed to breathe, Vanessa. Think.
I tapped on the number. No name. No ID.
I pressed Call. It rang. Then, It picked up.
I held my breath and calmed my breath, putting the phone closer to my ear, every muscle in my body felt tense.
Silence at first, then a deep voice, an unfamiliar male voice, spoke through.
"I know your secret."
The same words as before….but this time said aloud for me to hear.
Each word felt like a knife to my chest.
Then came the laugh, a low one, mocking, and sounding cold. The kind of sound that was done alone to scare someone.
It crawled into my spine, it sent goosebumps into my skin.
I couldn't move. I couldn't speak.
All I could do was listen.
But before I could ask anything. Who are you? What do you want?
The call ended. Just like that.
I stared at the screen, my heart still pounding, my fingers feeling numb and I was completely lost for words.
My skin had gone visibly pale, my breath now uneven.
Was it Ansel?
It had to be.
Who else knew enough to mess with me like this?
Who else had been close enough to piece everything together?
Fury slowly came from fear. Rising slowly.
If it was him. If this was some twisted joke, some pathetic attempt. I would make sure he regretted it. Deeply.
I was just about to tap his name on my phone when my phone notification popped up with a sound. Another notification came across my screen and my stomach dropped.
A video.
No caption. No sender ID. Just a file.
My hand shakes as I tap it open, a sick feeling already twisting in my gut.
And then it played.
Me.
Moaning. Loudly, slowly moving under a man whose face I couldn't even bring myself to look at. The lighting, the angle, it was all too familiar. One of the private videos. One I thought I had hidden away, far from the recent ones.
I looked like something out of a rented porn film, my back arched, my eyes rolled backwards, my mouth parted in those lewd expressions I knew my victim liked. The same face he asked me to make.
I had done all of it. Willingly and rehearsed.
But this time..i couldn't watch.
For the first time, I didn't want to see myself, not like that.
Not knowing someone else had this.
Not knowing someone was watching.
Not knowing someone had this kind of power over me.
The video was real.
The threat was real.
Whoever this was, they weren't bluffing.