Chapter 3 — The Truth He Shouldn’t Have Said
765 Words
I didn’t expect to see him again.
Not after that night.
Not after everything that happened.
But somehow…
I wasn’t surprised either.
The café was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of place people came to think… or to avoid being seen.
I sat by the window, my fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee I hadn’t touched.
My mind wasn’t here.
It was still stuck on that night.
The blood.
The chaos.
My father on the ground.
And him.
Standing there like none of it shocked him.
“You picked a place with too many exits.”
His voice.
Low.
Familiar.
My heart reacted before my mind could.
I turned.
And there he was.
Adrian Cole
Like nothing had changed.
Like he didn’t disappear.
Like he didn’t leave me with questions I couldn’t answer.
“You followed me?” I asked, my voice calmer than I felt.
He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down.
“No, he said simply. “I knew you’d be here.”
That made my chest tighten slightly.
“And how would you know that?”
His eyes met mine.
“Because you don’t run from things you don’t understand.”
I hated that he was right.
Silence settled between us.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
But not empty.
“Where did you go?” I asked finally.
No softness.
No hesitation.
Just truth.
Or at least… I hoped so.
He leaned back slightly, studying me like he was deciding something.
Somewhere I needed to be.
That’s not an answer.
“It’s the only one I’m giving.”
My jaw tightened.
“You don’t just disappear after something like that and then come back like nothing happened.”
“I didn’t come back for nothing.”
That made me pause.
Something in his tone shifted.
Less guarded.
More serious.
“Then why are you here?” I asked.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto mine.
And for the first time since I met him…
there was no distance in his eyes.
“I’m here because you deserve to know the truth.”
My heart skipped.
Not in a good way.
In the kind of way that warns you something is about to change.
“What truth?
He exhaled slowly.
Like even he didn’t want to say it.
But he was going to anyway.
“Your father isn’t who you think he is.
I let out a small, dry laugh.
“That’s your big reveal?
“I’m not joking, Amara.”
Something about the way he said my name made me stop.
“My father is in the hospital,” I said, my voice lower now. “So if this is some kind of twisted.
“He destroyed my family.”
The words landed like a slap.
Silence.
I stared at him.
Waiting.
For him to take it back.
To explain.
To say anything that made it less insane.
But he didn’t.
“What?” I whispered
His jaw tightened slightly.
Like saying it out loud made it more real.
“My mother…” he paused, his eyes shifting for just a second before returning to me, “lost everything because of him.
My chest tightened.
“No.
It came out too quickly.
Too defensive.
Too certain.
“You don’t know him.”
His expression darkened slightly.
“I know exactly who he is.”
“Then you’re wrong.”
“You think he’s honest?” Adrian asked, his voice sharpening slightly. “You think everything you know about him is true?
“Yes.”
Even I didn’t sound convinced.
“He ruined her,” Adrian continued, quieter now. “Her life. Her reputation. Everything.”
Something about the way he said it
It wasn’t just anger.
It was pain.
Real pain.
And that’s what scared me.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“Because you’re involved now.
My breath caught.
“Involved in what?”
He leaned closer.
Close enough that I could feel the tension between us shift
“In something you don’t understand yet.”
I should have walked away.
I should have stood up, called him crazy, and left.
But I didn’t.
Because a small part of me…
the part I didn’t want to admit existed…
was starting to question things.
“My father wouldn’t do something like that,” I said, but this time… it sounded weaker.
Adrian didn’t argue.
He just watched me.
“Then ask him,” he said quietly.
That simple.
That terrifying.
And suddenly…
I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD