The Man Who Came Back
923 Words
“Amara!”
My husband's voice echoed through the mansion.
I couldn't breathe.
For three years, that voice had been the sound I woke up to.
The voice that whispered goodnight.
The voice that promised me forever.
And now it was coming from the front door.
I turned toward it.
Lucian grabbed my wrist.
“Don't.”
“Let go of me.”
“Amara, think.”
“My husband is alive!”
“You heard what my mother said.”
“I don't care!”
I pulled free and ran down the stairs.
The front doors were wide open.
Rain poured into the entrance hall.
But there was no one there.
My heart pounded.
“Adrian?”
Nothing.
I stepped outside.
“Adrian!”
A black car sped away from the driveway.
I ran after it.
“Stop!”
It disappeared beyond the gates.
I stood in the rain, shaking.
Someone came up behind me.
Lucian.
He didn't say anything.
He simply placed his coat around my shoulders.
I pushed it off.
“Why did you stop me?”
“Because whoever came here wanted you to follow.”
“You don't know that.”
“I know exactly that.”
I turned toward him.
“My mother-in-law said Adrian has been dead for six months.”
Lucian's jaw tightened.
“She's lying.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I saw him.”
My eyes widened.
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
My stomach twisted.
“Where?”
He looked away.
“In a hospital.”
I stared at him.
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because Adrian made me promise.”
“What promise?”
“That I would protect you if he disappeared.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Protect me from what?”
Lucian looked directly into my eyes.
“From the man pretending to be your husband.”
A chill ran through me.
“What does that mean?”
Before he could answer, Vanessa came rushing outside.
“We have to go.”
Lucian turned.
“Why?”
“Someone found us.”
“What?”
Vanessa pointed toward the gates.
Three black cars had stopped outside.
Men in dark clothes stepped out.
Lucian immediately pulled me behind him.
“Get inside.”
Gunshots cracked through the night.
I screamed.
Lucian dragged me into the mansion.
Vanessa slammed the doors shut.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“People who don't want you to find Adrian,” Lucian said.
“But if Adrian is alive—”
“He may not be.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
Lucian looked toward the windows.
“The voice you heard could have belonged to anyone.”
“No.”
My heart refused to accept it.
“It was him.”
“You haven't seen his face.”
“But I know his voice!”
Lucian stepped closer.
“That's exactly what they want.”
Silence.
Then Vanessa whispered,
“There's something you need to see.”
She took my hand.
We hurried back to the study.
She went straight to the hidden compartment and removed the old phone.
“There is another file.”
I looked at her.
“The video was deleted.”
“Not completely.”
She connected the phone to a small device.
A new file appeared.
ADRIAN_FINAL_MESSAGE.
My hands trembled.
I pressed play.
Adrian appeared on the screen.
But this time, he wasn't sitting at his desk.
He was in a dark room.
His face was bruised.
His voice was barely a whisper.
“Amara…”
I covered my mouth.
“If you're seeing this, it means they've already found you.”
He looked behind him.
“Listen carefully.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“I need you to understand something.”
He swallowed.
“The man you called your husband for three years…”
He paused.
“…was my brother.”
Lucian went completely still.
I slowly turned toward him.
“No.”
Adrian continued.
“I didn't tell you because I knew you would never believe me.”
My eyes moved back to the screen.
“I was kidn*pped six months before my supposed death.”
My heart stopped.
“The man who took my place was Lucian.”
I stared at Lucian.
He didn't move.
Adrian's voice continued.
“He looks like me. He knows everything about me.”
Tears streamed down my face.
“He married you because they needed access to my inheritance.”
My body went numb.
Lucian finally spoke.
“Amara…”
I stepped away from him.
“Don't.”
His face changed.
“Listen to the rest.”
Adrian looked directly into the camera.
“But there is one thing they don't know.”
He leaned closer.
“I didn't marry you for money.”
My heart broke.
“I married you because I loved you.”
The video suddenly glitched.
Then Adrian whispered one final sentence.
“Lucian isn't the one you should fear.”
The screen went black.
I looked at Lucian.
He was pale.
Then a message appeared on the phone.
RUN BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
A second message followed.
THE REAL ADRIAN IS INSIDE THE HOUSE.
I slowly looked around the study.
My breathing became shallow.
Someone was inside.
Someone who had been listening.
Someone who knew everything.
Then I heard a floorboard creak behind me.
I turned.
The study door was slowly closing.
And through the narrow gap…
I saw a man's face.
Adrian.
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