Chapter 4 Rainey

Dinner continued in a suffocating silence until the maids cleared our plates.

Silas then poured hot chamomile tea from a porcelain pot into our cups. The tea looked perfectly normal. Thin, herbal-scented steam rose into the air, promising relaxation.

But as soon as the cup was placed right in front of me, my muscles froze. A flash of the warning in the diary hit me.

On a page I had quickly skimmed, I knew the book told me to be careful of everything in this house. My instincts screamed that drinking something prepared by Julian's people—especially something meant to make me sleep or relax—would be a fatal mistake.

I didn't drink it.

Instead, I lifted the cup with my right hand, bringing it slowly to my lips as if getting ready to sip. Right before the liquid touched my mouth, I purposely jerked my left shoulder like I was having a severe cramp, letting the cup slip from my fingers.

Crash!!!

The porcelain cup shattered on the table, spilling hot tea all over the tablecloth and dripping onto the wooden floor.

I gasped immediately, holding my left shoulder while wincing in pain.

"I'm sorry. My shoulder... suddenly hurts so much."

Silas stood up right away, his face full of worry. He came closer to see if I was burned by the hot water.

"Are you okay? Did it burn your skin?"

However, my eyes locked onto Julian's reaction. The man didn't move from his chair at all. He just stared at me. His gaze was much sharper now, trying to strip away my excuses.

He understood that there was something intentional about my clumsiness, even if he had no proof to back it up.

"Clean up this mess," Julian quietly ordered the maid who rushed over. He kept staring at me for a few seconds longer than normal, a look that made my blood run cold.

"I will check your vital signs in your room, Mrs. Montgomery," Silas said quickly, breaking the heavy tension. "This is purely a medical precaution. Sudden muscle weakness and dizziness after a concussion should not be ignored."

I nodded in agreement. A private medical check meant I had a chance to talk to Silas alone, without Julian controlling every word in the room.

"Go back to your room and rest," Julian said as I stood up from my chair. His expression went back to being flat. "You are safe as long as you stay inside this estate. Never wander outside the areas I have set."

Thirty minutes later, Silas knocked on my door.

His check-up in the bedroom was very thorough, professional, and patient.

He checked my pupils with a small flashlight, making sure my light response was normal, checked my pulse, and changed the bandage on my shoulder with a very gentle touch.

Slowly, the defensive walls I had built so high around him started to fall.

"Is Julian always that harsh and controlling?" I asked quietly while he threw my old bandage in the trash. I didn't use an accusing tone, but a tone of pure confusion.

Silas stopped his movements for a second, then sighed.

"Julian is a very intense person. But he is very loyal to his people. The accident that happened to you has made him much more protective than usual."

"Were we... happy? Before the accident?"

Silas looked at me with deep empathy.

"Your relationship was complicated. Very complex, like two people with equally strong willpower. But, he cares about you deeply. That is a fact that cannot be doubted."

Silas's answer clashed directly with my gut instincts, but unlike Julian, Silas was willing to give me emotional context. He was willing to explain. Silas slowly turned into the first person in this fortress that I consciously considered an ally.

But before Silas stepped out of the room, his hand stopped on the doorknob. He turned around and looked at me with eyes that were hard to read.

"Memories shouldn't be forced, Rainey. Sometimes, remembering too many things too fast can be very dangerous for you. Rest tonight."

The door closed tight. I sat alone on the edge of the bed, thinking about his last sentence. That statement could just be pure medical advice from a doctor, but in the creepy silence of this night, the message felt a bit scary.

I was now facing three versions of reality brutally crashing into each other. Julian stated without a doubt that he was my husband. The physical proof in the closet and all over this house confirmed that I really lived here. But my own handwriting told me to believe that the man was lying.

Then there was Silas—the only person in this house who felt rational and human.

I realized how desperately I wanted to trust Silas, just because I really needed a safe shelter in the middle of this madness.

I wanted him to be on my side.

I looked over at the empty nightstand, my mind wandering back to the teacup I had purposely spilled in the dining room earlier.

The brown stain spreading on the white tablecloth. I didn't know if the tea was actually dangerous, or if my paranoia had completely taken over my common sense.

I stared at the armchair in the corner of the room, picturing the diary hidden inside it, and kept wondering what dark secrets my past self knew, which right now were still buried tightly out of my reach.