His Bride, Her Revenge-Chapter 56: A Cold War

The old Raye estate stood before Cambria like a monument to everything that had once been everything she had once believed in. The tall, ivy-covered walls seemed to whisper the history of the Raye family, a legacy built on secrets, power, and betrayal. The mansion loomed in the distance, its dark windows reflecting the cold moonlight that bathed the land in an eerie glow. The estate, once a place of warmth and hope, now felt like a prison.

Cambria stood at the entrance, her breath visible in the cold air, her heart pounding in her chest. She had come here to face the truth. Maddox had called her here to reveal something that, according to him, would change everything. But with every step she took toward the mansion, every inch of the gravel driveway that crunched beneath her boots, the walls seemed to close in on her.

As she reached the front door, it opened before she could knock. Maddox stood there, his face hard, eyes tired, but still filled with the same intensity she remembered. He had always been the kind of man who wore his emotions like a mask, but now, as she stood before him, she could see the pain etched in his features.

"Cambria," he said softly, stepping aside to allow her entry. "I wasn’t sure you’d come."

"I almost didn’t," she replied, her voice steady but filled with the tension of everything unsaid between them. "But you promised me the truth. And I’m here for it. No more lies, no more games. Just the truth."

Maddox closed the door behind her, locking it with a quiet click. He didn’t immediately speak, his gaze flickering toward the grand staircase before he turned to face her. His usual confidence was gone, replaced with a vulnerability she hadn’t seen in him before.

"Please, sit down," he said, gesturing to a nearby sitting room. "This won’t take long."

Cambria remained standing, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. "I’m not here to sit, Maddox. I’m here to hear what you have to say. And then I’m leaving."

Maddox’s expression faltered, but he nodded and motioned for her to follow him toward a large leather chair by the fire. Cambria didn’t sit, though; instead, she moved to the window, looking out at the dark expanse of the estate grounds. It had once been a beautiful place and an escape from the chaos of the world. Now, it felt hollow, like everything in her life.

She turned back to him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "So, tell me. What is it you need to tell me that you couldn’t wait any longer? I’ve already heard enough lies. I don’t need more."

Maddox exhaled sharply, his eyes weary. "It’s not just about me, Cambria. It never was. What I’ve been hiding is bigger than either of us. I never meant for it to come to this, but I didn’t have a choice."

Cambria’s heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean, you didn’t have a choice?"

Maddox rubbed the back of his neck, visibly struggling to find the right words. "Cambria, when we first got married, I was forced into it. My father used everything I loved against me. He threatened you, threatened everything we had together. I thought I could protect you, but the moment I made that deal with Evelyn, I was already trapped."

Cambria’s pulse raced, but she kept her composure. "What do you think about Evelyn? What are you talking about?"

Maddox stepped toward her, his voice low and urgent. "I was never truly in control, Cambria. You have to understand that. My father set this entire thing up. He used me as a puppet in his scheme, and Evelyn Evelyn was his weapon. She manipulated me, just like she manipulated you. But there’s more. The entire board, everything I thought I was building, everything I thought I was protecting was part of a bigger scheme. It was all orchestrated by my father and the people he controlled."

Cambria’s heart slammed in her chest as the pieces began to fall into place. Everything. The lies, the betrayals, and the feeling of being manipulated were all connected. "You’re saying you never wanted to betray me? That everything you did, every choice you made, was because your father "

"Exactly," Maddox cut in, his voice thick with emotion. "I never wanted to hurt you. I swear to you, Cambria. I was trying to protect you from the very people who used us both. But it got out of hand. I thought I could fix it, though I couldn’t stop it. But Evelyn..." He trailed off, his voice breaking.

"You think I can just forgive you, Maddox?" Cambria’s voice cracked as the weight of his confession hit her all at once. "You think you can walk in here and tell me it was all your father’s fault? That you didn’t want any of this? I loved you, Maddox. I trusted you."

"I know, and I’m sorry," he said desperately. "I’m sorry for everything. I never wanted to destroy what we had, but I was stuck. I had no choice but to play their game. You have to believe me, Cambria. If I had told you the truth, you would have been dragged into it. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt."

Cambria’s eyes burned with tears, but she refused to let them fall. "You couldn’t bear to see me hurt?" She let out a bitter laugh. "You hurt me more than anyone ever could, Maddox. You betrayed me. You lied to me for years. And now you’re asking me to forgive you?"

Maddox’s eyes searched hers, desperate for understanding. "I never meant to hurt you. I would’ve done anything to protect you. But now, I don’t know what to do. The people who’ve been pulling the strings are coming for us. We’re running out of time."

Cambria’s breath caught in her throat as the implications of his words sank in. Coming for them? She had already been through so much with her uncle, Evelyn, the media, and now, Maddox was telling her that the very people who had orchestrated everything were still out there, waiting to tear her down.

"What do you mean, ’coming for us’?" Cambria asked, her voice dangerously calm.

Maddox stepped closer, his face inches from hers. "They’ve already started. The board is loyal to my father, to the people pulling the strings. If we don’t stop them now, they’ll take everything from us. They’ll ruin you, ruin everything we’ve worked for."

Her mind raced as the weight of his words sank in. This isn’t just about Evelyn. It’s bigger than that. The pieces, the lies, the games, they were all part of a bigger scheme she had yet to fully understand. But Maddox had given her the truth. Or at least part of it. And now, she had to decide where she went from here.

Cambria’s heart ached as she realized just how far the betrayal went, just how deep the lies ran. But even in the face of everything, she felt the flicker of something old, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

"I don’t know if I can trust you again, Maddox," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don’t know if I can forgive you for what you’ve done. But I’ll help you stop them. For everything we’ve lost."

Maddox’s face softened, a mix of relief and regret filling his eyes. "Cambria, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of this. But I’ll do whatever it takes to make it right. I’ll fight for you. For us."

Cambria’s mind spun with the weight of the decision she had just made. She couldn’t forget the past, couldn’t erase the hurt. But she couldn’t walk away from everything, not when the stakes were this high. There was more to this story, more to be uncovered. And she needed answers.

"I’ll fight with you," she said quietly. "But don’t think for a second that this changes what you’ve done. I’m doing this for the empire, for the future, not for you."

Maddox nodded, his eyes filled with determination. "Whatever it takes."

And in that moment, as they stood there together in the heart of the estate that had once been a place of dreams, Cambria knew that this battle was far from over. But now, they were facing it together.

The real war was just beginning.