I Married a Man Who Couldn’t Feel… Until I Left

Chapter 4 - Liana

I woke up before my alarm, and for a few seconds I just lay there staring at the ceiling, my eyes dry, my body still, like I had already used up all my reactions the night before and there was nothing left to give.

I slowly pushed the blanket off my body, sitting up without rushing, without dragging it out either, just… moving.

My head didn’t hurt, my chest wasn’t tight, I wasn’t crying.

That was the strange part.

After everything that happened, after walking in on him like that, after hearing those words, I felt… clear.

I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, my bare feet touching the cold floor, and that small chill ran up my body like a reminder that this was real, not some bad dream I could shake off.

“Alright,” I muttered under my breath, dragging a hand through my hair as I walked toward the bathroom, my voice low and steady like I was talking to someone who needed to listen.

“If this is how it is… then fine.”

I didn’t rush while getting ready. I took my time brushing my teeth, washing my face, tying my hair back, each movement careful, controlled, like I was putting myself together piece by piece.

By the time I stepped back into the bedroom, the light coming through the window was soft but bright enough to show everything clearly, and my eyes went straight to the chair where I had dropped my bag the night before.

I walked over, unzipped it, and reached inside.

My fingers brushed against the ring first.

I paused just for a second.

Then I pushed it aside and pulled out the file instead.

The weight of it in my hand felt familiar, grounding, like something that had been waiting for me long before last night ever happened.

I grabbed my coat, slipped on my heels, and walked out without looking back.

The moment I stepped into the Voss building, the air changed.

People noticed me immediately, and they tried not to make it obvious, but I saw it in the way their conversations paused for half a second too long, in the way their eyes followed me before snapping away like they didn’t want to be caught looking.

“She’s here…”

“I thought she—”

“Wasn’t she—”

The whispers weren’t loud, but they were there, crawling around the space like something alive, and I kept walking like I didn’t hear any of it, my heels clicking steadily against the polished floor.

I didn’t stop at reception or for permission.

I walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button, my reflection staring back at me from the metal doors.

For a second, I looked at myself properly.

This version felt different.

The elevator opened with a soft ding, and I stepped in, my grip tightening slightly around the file as the doors closed.

“Let’s see,” I murmured quietly, my eyes fixed ahead.

His office door was closed.

Of course it was.

I didn’t knock, i pushed it open and walked in.

Adrian looked up immediately he was already seated behind his desk, dressed like nothing had happened, like last night was just another normal evening that didn’t exist anymore, but there was something off in the way his eyes settled on me.

“You walked in without permission,” he said, his voice calm as always, but his fingers paused slightly on the document in front of him.

I walked further in, letting the door close behind me with a soft click, and placed the file on his desk without sitting down.

“I didn’t come here to ask,” I replied, my voice steady as I slid the folder toward him, my fingers lingering on it for just a second before letting go.

His gaze dropped to it.

Then back to me.

“Let’s stop pretending this was just a marriage,” I said, leaning forward slightly, my palms pressing lightly against the desk as I held his gaze.

He didn’t respond immediately.

That same silence from last night.

It was starting to piss me off.

He opened the file slowly, flipping it just enough to see the page I had marked, and I watched his eyes move across it.

No shock.

My fingers curled slightly against the desk.

“Did you know?” I asked, my voice lower now, tighter, my nails pressing into the surface without me realizing it.

He looked up at me then.

“Not the way you think,” he said, closing the file halfway, his tone even but something under it felt heavier than before.

I let out a short breath, shaking my head slightly.

“You keep saying things like that,” I muttered, straightening up as I crossed my arms, my eyes narrowing at him. “Like I’m supposed to just… accept it and move on.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions,” he replied, leaning back slightly in his chair, but his gaze didn’t leave mine.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, letting out a dry laugh as I tilted my head, my fingers tightening against my arm. “Should I wait until someone else ends up dead before I connect the dots properly?”

Before he could respond, the door opened behind me.

“You didn’t answer my call.”

I froze.

That voice.

I turned quickly, my heart jumping in a way I didn’t expect, and there he was, standing by the door like he had every right to be there.

Daniel.

He looked almost the same, maybe a little older, but the way he looked at me hadn’t changed at all.

“Daniel?” I said, my voice coming out softer than I intended, my hand dropping slightly from where it was crossed over my chest.

He stepped in, closing the door behind him, his eyes scanning my face quickly, like he was checking for something.

“What’s wrong you look like you didn’t sleep,” he said, his voice low but firm, his brows pulling together slightly as he moved closer.

“I’m fine,” I replied immediately, looking away from him for a second as I brushed my hair back, avoiding his eyes.

“You don’t look fine,” he said again, stopping a few steps away, his tone not harsh, just… certain.

Behind me, I could feel Adrian watching.

“You said you’d call me,” Daniel added, his voice softer now, his hand slipping into his pocket like he was holding himself back from reaching out.

“I said I’d be okay,” I corrected, glancing at him briefly before looking away again.

“That’s not the same thing,” he replied quietly.

“Enough.”

Adrian’s voice cut through the space, calm but firm, and I turned back toward him, my chest tightening slightly.

He was already standing now.

“When you’re done,” he said, looking directly at me, ignoring Daniel completely like he wasn’t even there, “we need to talk.”

“We are talking,” I shot back immediately, my frustration rising again as I stepped closer to his desk.

Before anything else could happen, another a knock came at the door.

Adrian’s expression shifted almost instantly.

“Come in,” he said.

A man stepped inside, his posture stiff, his voice low as he walked quickly toward Adrian.

“Sir, there’s an issue,” he said, glancing briefly at me and Daniel before leaning closer to Adrian, whispering something I couldn’t fully hear.

But I didn’t need to.

I saw it the change.

Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly.

His eyes darkened.

And when he looked back at me, something was different.

“You need to leave this,” he said, his voice lower now, more serious than I had ever heard it.

I frowned, taking a step forward instead of back.

“Leave what?” I asked, my fingers curling slightly at my sides. “What is this about?”

He held my gaze. “This is not about your father anymore,” he said.

My heart skipped.

“What does that even mean?” I pressed, my voice sharper now as I moved closer to him. “Then what is it about?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Just watched me.

Just in that moment my phone rang.

The sound cut through the tension, and I flinched slightly before pulling it out of my bag, frowning at the unknown number on the screen.

I hesitated.

“Pick it,” Daniel said quietly beside me, his voice low but tense.

I swallowed and answered.

“Hello?”

No response.

Then a flat voice.

“If you want to know what really happened to your father…” the voice said slowly, like they wanted me to hear every word clearly, “stop digging.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“Who is this?” I demanded, my voice shaking slightly despite how hard I tried to steady it.

“Or you’ll end up like him.”

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly, my hand trembling just a little now, my chest rising unevenly as I stared at the screen.

Daniel stepped closer immediately.

“Liana,” he said, his voice tight with concern as his hand hovered near my arm.

But I wasn’t looking at him, i was looking at Adrian.

Because he wasn’t surprised nor wasn’t confused.

He was just standing there… li

ke he had been waiting for this.

My eyes narrowed slowly, something cold settling deep in my chest as everything clicked into place in a way I didn’t want to understand.

“You knew?”