Chapterfive
1047 Words
Thud after thud, her heartbeat raced when the steps near Door 317 started closing in.
Closer.
Closer.
Fear rushed through her body.
Out of nowhere, her hand shot out, snatching the picture off the wall before retreating behind a dusty cupboard where shadows pooled. Then silence settled around her like dust.
A slow groan came from the hinges as it swung wider.
A shape slipped in before anything else.
Tall.
Familiar.
Elena stopped breathing for a moment.
Adrian.
Footsteps faded as he shut the door without a sound. Into the dim space he moved, careful not to disturb the silence.
A stillness sat on his face, yet a tightness showed deep within his gaze.
Furious, maybe. Could have been rage burning behind his eyes.
Or worried.
Breath held tight, Elena kept herself out of sight. Quiet mattered now.
His feet froze mid-step. The path ahead blurred into silence.
“You’re terrible at hiding,” he said calmly.
Elena froze.
Out from behind the cabinet came her foot first. Then another step followed, quiet, careful.
“How did you know I was here?”
That photo wasn’t there anymore, just empty space where it should’ve been, resting in her unsteady fingers. The look on his face shifted when he saw the gap she held like a secret.
“You took that from the wall.”
Her eyes dropped without thinking.
Fingers pressing into his chin, Adrian let out a soft breath. Frustration edged his movements as he scraped a hand across his face.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
Elena laughed bitterly.
“You keep saying that while hiding secrets from me.”
Adrian remained silent.
Her fury grew louder because of the quiet.
“My mother knew you.”
Still silence.
“She was scared before she died.”
A small tension crept into his jaw.
“And now I find pictures of you with my parents hidden inside some creepy room?”
Her words broke, just slightly, under the weight of feeling. A quiet tremor ran through her speech.
“What are you hiding from me?”
Only now did Adrian show he felt the weight of her suffering.
Yet it vanished fast.
“You need to stop searching.”
“No.”
The light left his eyes right then.
“You don’t understand how dangerous this is.”
“Then explain it to me!”
Her feet moved forward, sharp with anger. A tightness showed in her jaw as she closed the distance.
“My entire life feels like a lie and everybody keeps treating me like a child!”
Out of nowhere, Adrian took hold of her wrist just as she started to shift. The moment froze between them without warning.
Something about the touch startled each one. It hit them at once.
Elena’s breath caught.
Fingers held tight, yet without causing hurt.
Pay attention now, his voice barely above a whisper.
“If certain people realize you’re investigating your mother’s death, they will come after you.”
Frost edged into Elena's fury.
“What people?”
Adrian hesitated.
That pause said it all.
Finding them wasn’t hard - he already had names in mind.
Just as Elena opened her mouth, sounds of talking bounced through the hall beyond.
A shift crossed Adrian’s face without warning.
Her wrist slipped free when he snapped the light down into darkness.
Darkness swallowed the room.
“What are you doing?” Elena whispered fearfully.
“Quiet.”
A small shift came from the latch on the outer edge. The metal turned a fraction, just enough.
For a second, Elena couldn’t breathe. Her chest tightened like it had frozen mid-motion.
A figure approached the door. A hand turned the knob slowly. Footsteps echoed just outside. The lock held firm. Someone was testing the entrance.
Without thinking, Adrian drew her near, slipping them into shadow beneath the cabinet’s edge.
Her spine touched him, a soft press. The dim space held its breath, soundless.
The door opened slowly.
Two men entered.
Blurry shapes moved in front of Elena, yet the hush of their words carried a sharp edge.
Here she was, said one under their breath.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. The picture is missing.”
Her breath caught, uneven. A pause. Then came another shallow pull of air.
Someone was really watching her.
He muttered a soft curse under his breath.
“We need to tell him before the girl remembers anything.”
Girl?
How come that was their point?
His grip on her arm grew firm, a quiet signal meant just for Elena. She felt it before she understood - stay still, wait.
Out of nowhere, a voice broke the silence - same man, different words.
“If she finds out what happened that night, everything will be ruined.”
Elena felt cold all over.
What happened that night?
Minutes dragged as they tore through the space, hands moving fast. Then - door clicked shut behind them.
As soon as the door clicked closed, Elena let out a breath that trembled. Stillness followed, then her shoulders dropped.
Right then, Adrian moved back.
Out of nowhere, the space between grew odd.
Heavy.
Emotional.
Elena raised her eyes toward him, one moment passing before the next.
“You knew they were coming.”
“Yes.”
“Who are they?”
For a moment, Adrian said nothing once more.
Frustration flooded back into Elena just like that.
“I’m tired of your secrets!”
“You think I enjoy this?” he snapped suddenly.
That sharp tone caught her off guard. She had never heard him speak like that before.
One stayed quiet. Then the other did too.
Now his gaze drifted elsewhere, tension eased.
“Your mother trusted the wrong people,” he said quietly.
Her gaze welled up, heavy with feeling.
“Did you betray her too?”
Between them, the question stayed, heavy and unspoken.
For a while, Adrian just stared. Then his eyes stayed on her, quiet and still.
Then finally spoke.
“Yes.”
Her chest cracked open the moment she saw it.
Just as she began to move, Adrian spoke - his words cracked her world wider. A silence fell where breath used to be.
“And your father did worse.”
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