Chapter 8: A Heart Worth Protecting
1192 Words
Amber stared at the blank television screen.
"No..." she whispered, shaking her head. "No, it can't end like this."
She rushed to the recorder, pressing every button she could find.
Play.
Rewind.
Fast-forward.
Nothing.
The tape had been damaged.
The last few seconds—where her father was about to reveal her mother's killer—were gone.
Amber's hands trembled.
"So close..."
She had been so close to the truth.
A tear escaped the corner of her eye.
"I was so close..."
Adrian silently walked over to her.
He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Amber."
His deep voice was calm, but there was concern in it.
She didn't answer.
Her father had left her one final message, and someone had made sure she would never hear it.
Her chest tightened.
"I failed him."
"You didn't."
"I did!"
Amber turned to him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"If I had come sooner... if I had known..."
"You couldn't have known."
His voice remained steady.
"You were never meant to."
Amber lowered her head.
For the first time since her rebirth, she felt helpless.
She had promised herself she would never cry again.
Yet here she was.
Crying over another loss.
Without warning, Adrian stepped closer.
Very gently, he wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"Don't cry."
Amber froze.
His touch was warm.
Gentle.
Nothing like Ethan's.
She slowly looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The hidden room disappeared around them.
It was just the two of them.
"You don't have to carry everything alone," Adrian said softly.
Amber felt her heartbeat quicken.
No one had ever said those words to her before.
Not even Ethan.
Especially not Ethan.
She quickly stepped back, breaking the moment.
"I'm okay."
Adrian looked at her for a few seconds.
Then he sighed.
"No."
"You don't have to pretend with me."
Amber looked away.
That frightened her.
Because he was right.
A loud crash echoed upstairs.
Both of them instantly became alert.
"The intruder," Amber whispered.
Adrian nodded.
"They're still here."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flashlight.
"Stay close."
Amber nodded.
This time, she didn't argue.
Together they climbed the narrow staircase.
Every step echoed through the passage.
The mansion was eerily silent.
When they reached the living room...
Chaos greeted them.
Furniture had been overturned.
Drawers had been emptied.
Paintings lay shattered across the floor.
Someone had searched every inch of the house.
"They were looking for something," Amber said.
Adrian crouched beside a broken cabinet.
"No."
He picked up a torn document.
"They already knew what they wanted."
Amber frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They weren't searching."
He looked toward the broken window.
"They were sending a message."
A cold breeze swept through the room.
Amber suddenly noticed something nailed to the front door.
A black envelope.
Her name was written on it in elegant handwriting.
Amber Sterling.
Her pulse quickened.
She slowly opened it.
Inside was a single playing card.
The Queen of Hearts.
On the back were five handwritten words.
You're running out of time.
Amber swallowed hard.
Whoever this person was...
He wasn't hiding anymore.
He was challenging her.
The drive back to the city was quiet.
The sun had already set.
Rain tapped gently against the windshield.
Amber stared out the window.
She couldn't stop thinking about her father.
Or the mysterious mastermind.
Or Adrian's comforting touch.
She shook her head.
No.
This wasn't the time for feelings.
She had revenge to complete.
Suddenly—
SCREECH!
A truck sped through a red light.
"Amber!"
Adrian jerked the steering wheel.
BANG!
The car spun violently across the road.
Glass shattered.
The airbags exploded.
Amber screamed as the world turned upside down.
Everything went black.
Voices.
Distant.
Panicked.
"She's waking up."
Amber slowly opened her eyes.
Bright white lights greeted her.
She blinked several times.
A hospital.
Her head throbbed painfully.
The door suddenly burst open.
A handsome man wearing a white doctor's coat hurried inside.
His warm brown eyes were filled with relief.
"You're awake."
Amber frowned.
"I..."
"My name is Dr. Lucas Hayes."
He smiled warmly.
"I'm afraid you've had quite a night."
Amber tried to sit up.
A sharp pain shot through her shoulder.
She winced.
"Easy."
Lucas gently supported her.
"Your shoulder is injured."
Amber noticed how careful he was.
Kind.
Patient.
Nothing like the rushed doctors she'd met before.
"Where's Adrian?" she asked immediately.
Lucas smiled knowingly.
"I had a feeling that would be your first question."
Amber looked at him.
"Is he okay?"
"He's perfectly fine."
Relief washed over her.
"He refused treatment until he knew you were safe."
Amber blinked.
"What?"
Lucas chuckled.
"I've never seen someone argue with an entire emergency department before."
Amber couldn't help smiling.
That sounded like Adrian.
Just then...
The door opened again.
Adrian walked in.
His usually perfect suit was torn.
A bandage covered his forehead.
The moment his eyes met Amber's...
The tension in his face disappeared.
"You scared me."
Amber stared at him.
"What?"
He walked to her bedside.
His voice was unusually quiet.
"When you didn't wake up..."
He stopped speaking.
Amber noticed something.
His hands.
They were trembling.
Very slightly.
But they were trembling.
The powerful Adrian Knight...
Had been worried about her.
Before she could speak, Lucas looked between them.
Then smiled.
"I'll give you two some privacy."
As he reached the door, he glanced back.
"Miss Sterling..."
Amber looked at him.
"I'm glad you're safe."
His smile was warm.
Sincere.
Then he left.
Silence filled the room.
Adrian sat beside Amber.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Finally...
"You should've been looking after yourself," Amber said.
He looked at her.
"I was."
She raised an eyebrow.
"By refusing treatment?"
"You were unconscious."
"So?"
"So nothing else mattered."
Amber's heart skipped a beat.
She quickly looked away.
Why was he saying things like that?
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
"I made your father a promise."
"What promise?"
"That I'd protect you."
Amber smiled sadly.
"You don't owe him that anymore."
Adrian's eyes locked onto hers.
"It isn't about the promise anymore."
Amber's breath caught.
"What do you mean?"
For a long moment...
He simply looked at her.
As if debating whether to say something.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
The moment was interrupted.
A nurse entered the room carrying a bouquet of white lilies.
"These were delivered for Miss Sterling."
Amber frowned.
"I wasn't expecting flowers."
The nurse handed her a small card.
Amber opened it.
Her smile vanished.
The card contained only one sentence.
'I missed you once. I won't miss the second time.'
No signature.
No name.
Only the drawing of a black chess king.
Adrian immediately stood.
His expression became dangerously cold.
He took the card from Amber.
"This isn't over."
Amber looked at the flowers again.
Hidden beneath them...
Was a tiny bottle containing a clear liquid.
Poison.
Exactly like the one that had killed her in her previous life.
Someone had managed to reach her hospital room.
And they wanted her to know...
The hunt had only just begun.
To Be Continued.
- Writer
