FROM SHADOWS TO LOVE

hide in. Every room she entered, every step she took in the sprawling mansion, was a reminder

pt when he needed something-when he wanted her to fetch a file, take a phone call, or sit quietly at his side as he conducted business. There was no tenderness,

first love, Isabella Marchetti, to dinner that

aying the dutiful wife without actually being a wife. But when she walked into the dining room that night, she was met with an unexpected

it the part of the woman who had once captured Damien's heart. Her beauty was striking, almost otherworldly-golden locks cascading down her ba

est. She was nothing in this world, just a shadow in the presence of two people w

't even bother to stand when she entered, and that small detail made Evelyn 's stomach churn with a sense of worthlessness. Sh

y, his voice like ice. "This

the ground beneath her had vanished. His first love. The woman he ha

ngly-made Evelyn 's skin crawl. It was as if she were looking at a lesser

aid, her voice smooth and melodic. "It m

as sympathy or mockery, but the tone in which they were delivered made her sh

d not let the momen

completely. "My dear wife is nothing but a burden, Isabella. She's a pathetic, useless thing. She doesn't know

y, but the venom in his voice was unmistakable. His words were daggers, cutting through whatever sma

" she said, her voice laced with a subtle cruelty. "You deserve better, Damien.

e thing they had to tolerate. She wasn't even allowed to sit at the table, to be a part of the conver

ghtly in her lap. She didn't dare speak unless spoken to. She had le

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l words that stung. It was the look in Damien's eyes-the complete and utter disdain he had for her, the contempt that he had shown so op

d another dark s

he was met by one of the maids, a young woman named Clara. Clara had been nothing b

at you, the poor little wife. Doesn't it feel so wonderful, being married to someone wh

th the staff. They were not her friends, not her allies. They were just people who

ra wasn

ntinued, her words cutting deeper than Evelyn would have liked. "No better than the fine art hanging on

ad down, not daring to say a word. Clara took

ou'll ever be good enough for him? Newsflash, you nev

nted to cry, to scream, to tell Clara that she was wrong-that she wasn't weak, that she wasn

le on her lips, Evelyn stood there, trem

that she was nothing but a disposable object in a world of power and control. But she had

eople. The workers here knew her as nothing more than the CEO's secretary, a nameless figure who was there to take dictation and keep

ned to endure them. But today, something was different. The air in the office

of conversation swirling around her. As usual, she tried to stay out of the way, to

Evelyn kept her head down, pretending not to hear them. She thought maybe they had forgotten she was there, but then o

ire sneered, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Doesn't i

even dare to meet their eyes. She just kept sorting through the files, her hands trem

ther voice added, this one belonging to Jenna, a young woman with a sharp tongue

tened, but she remained silent. She knew if she said anything, if s

the laughter, the cruelty-they all began to blur together. The noise faded away, repl

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ash

er of her room, trying to hold back her tears as

her. "You'll never be anything. No one will ever want you. Not w

ing Evelyn 's arms as she shook her. "You'll never be good enough.

she wasn't nothing. But the words never came. The silence of the house s

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when she had been smaller, weaker, and just as powerless as she felt now. The laughter grew lou

she had been all those years ago, the scared child, the one who had been called worthless and weak-she

ey whispered, as though they

g, falling into the old, familiar darkness. But th

oug

y shut down the cruel laughter. For a moment, everything fr

o pierce through her, cutting through the chaos around them. His sharp jawline and confident posture spoke of power, of someone who had no time for nonsense

voice low but firm, addressing the grou

shifted uncomfortably, realizing that the situation had escalated in a way they

of their stares, but now they were no longer directed at her with contempt. They were looking at

softening as they landed on Evelyn , who was sti

ice now softer, as if to reassur

body tense, as the trauma of the flashbacks gripped her. She wanted to speak

don't care what your issues are with her, but if I ever see any of you tr

d to speak. The man's presence was commanding,

e group, the man turned back to E

don't know what they were saying, but I don't think it matt

f this sudden act of kindness. She had never been treated li

reassuring nod. "No pressure," he added, his voice ge

barely a whisper. "Th-thank you," she stamme

kers, who were now scattered and subdued. Then, he turned to le

he first flicker of something sh

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heart still racing, but something inside her had shifted. For the first time in what

on the scene. Damien's face remained unreadable, as always, but there was a brief fl

tter. Because at that moment, for the first time, she wasn't

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