I don’t like the way he said it.
He pushed you.
The words haven’t stopped echoing in my head.
Marcus pushed me?
No.
Marcus was safe.
Marcus was steady.
Marcus was the man I was supposed to marry.
I look at Adrian.
He’s watching me unravel.
Not with satisfaction.
Not with victory.
But with something far more dangerous.
Patience.
“Show me,” I say.
His expression doesn’t change.
“Show you what?”
“Proof.”
Silence stretches.
“You said he betrayed me.”
“Yes.”
“Then prove it.”
He studies me carefully.
Measuring whether I’m strong enough for whatever comes next.
“You won’t like it.”
“That’s not your decision.”
A pause.
Then—
“Come with me.”
---
He leads me back into the study.
The room feels different now.
Not just a place of contracts and strategy.
But a vault.
O
