ENEMIES THEN LOVER

CHAPTER 5

THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED

Elena couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"The accident?" she repeated, staring at her mother. "What accident? What happened to Daniel?"

Her mother looked away.

"Mum, please. I deserve to know the truth."

"You don't understand, Elena."

"Then help me understand!"

Her voice cracked.

For years, she had believed her family was ordinary. They had problems, like everyone else, but nothing that could explain the fear in her mother's eyes.

Now, everything was changing.

Her mother reached for her hand.

"Promise me something."

Elena frowned.

"What?"

"Stay away from Adrian Cole."

Elena pulled her hand back.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

"Because being close to him could destroy your life."

"Or maybe everyone is lying to me!"

Her mother flinched.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then her mother whispered something that made Elena's blood run cold.

"Daniel wasn't supposed to die that night."

Elena stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

Before her mother could answer, someone knocked on the front door.

Three sharp knocks.

Her mother immediately stood.

"Go to your room."

"Mum—"

"Elena, please!"

Something in her voice made Elena stop arguing.

She watched her mother leave the room.

Then she quietly followed.

From the staircase, she heard her mother open the door.

A man's voice filled the hallway.

"You shouldn't have kept the photograph."

Elena froze.

Her mother's reply was barely audible.

"She has a right to know."

"No," the man said coldly. "She has a right to live."

Elena leaned forward, trying to see his face.

But before she could, her phone slipped from her hand and struck the staircase.

The sound echoed through the hallway.

Silence.

Then the man spoke.

"Who's there?"

Elena ran.

Straight back to her bedroom.

And for the first time, she was afraid of what the truth might reveal.

---

THE NEXT MORNING — WESTBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

Adrian hadn't slept either.

His father's words kept replaying in his mind.

The accident was never the whole story.

And then there was the phone call.

Ask your father who was driving that night.

He had spent years blaming himself for Daniel's death.

Years believing that one terrible night had destroyed everything.

But what if he had been wrong?

What if someone had deliberately allowed him to carry the blame?

His phone buzzed.

A message from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: Stop asking questions.

Another message followed.

Unknown Number: You won't like what you find.

Adrian clenched his jaw.

For the first time, he wasn't going to listen.

He opened Elena's contact.

Typed a message.

Deleted it.

Typed another.

Adrian: We need to talk. Today. Somewhere private.

Her reply came a few minutes later.

Elena: About what? Another secret?

He stared at the screen.

Adrian: About Daniel.

This time, her response came almost immediately.

Elena: Library. 4 PM.

Adrian put his phone away.

He had no idea what Elena's family had told her.

But by four o'clock, he intended to find out.

---

4:00 PM — THE LIBRARY

Elena arrived first.

She chose a table near the back, away from the other students.

When Adrian appeared, she didn't greet him.

He sat opposite her.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Elena placed the old photograph on the table.

Adrian stared at it.

"Where did you get this?"

"My mother."

His expression changed.

"What did she tell you?"

"That our families were close before Daniel died."

He looked down.

"That's true."

Elena leaned forward.

"Then tell me what happened."

Adrian rubbed his forehead.

"I've told you what I remember."

"No. You've told me there's an accident. You've told me Daniel was your best friend. You've told me to stay away from your family."

She paused.

"But you haven't told me why my mother looks terrified every time I mention your name."

Adrian's eyes met hers.

"I don't know."

For the first time, Elena believed him.

He looked just as lost as she felt.

"Someone called me last night," he continued. "They said I should ask my father who was driving that night."

Elena's breath caught.

"My mother said Daniel wasn't supposed to die."

Adrian went completely still.

"What?"

"That's exactly what she said."

He stared at her.

Then he slowly leaned back.

"Elena, something is very wrong."

She gave a humourless laugh.

"Finally, we agree on something."

Despite everything, Adrian almost smiled.

She noticed.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't smile at me like we're friends."

His smile disappeared.

"Are we not?"

Elena looked away.

She wanted to say no.

She wanted to tell him that she hated him for keeping secrets and hated herself for caring whether he was hurting.

Instead, she whispered, "I don't know what we are."

Adrian went quiet.

Then he said something she hadn't expected.

"Neither do I."

For a moment, their eyes met.

And all the anger between them seemed to soften.

Until Adrian's phone rang.

He checked the screen.

His face changed immediately.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

He stood.

"I have to go."

"Adrian, we're not finished!"

"I know. I'll explain everything. I promise."

"That's what people say when they have no intention of telling the truth."

He looked at her, pain flashing across his face.

"Please, Elena. Just trust me this once."

Then he left.

And Elena was left wondering why those words hurt more than they should have.

---

THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

Victoria Hayes stood outside the university's main building, watching Adrian hurry toward the parking lot.

She pulled out her phone.

Victoria: They're asking questions again.

The reply arrived seconds later.

Unknown Number: Then make sure they stop.

Victoria swallowed.

She hadn't expected things to go this far.

When she first approached Elena, she had only wanted to scare her away from Adrian.

She never expected Elena to discover the photographs.

Or the connection between their families.

Another message appeared.

Unknown Number: You know what happens if the truth comes out.

Victoria closed her eyes.

She remembered the night Daniel died.

The rain.

The shouting.

The sound of a car door slamming.

And the one person who had begged her to keep quiet.

She typed a reply.

Victoria: I can't keep doing this.

The response was immediate.

Unknown Number: You should have thought about that before you lied.

Victoria's hands began to tremble.

Across the road, Adrian stopped beside his car.

For a moment, she thought he had seen her.

Then he got inside and drove away.

Victoria watched him disappear.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," she whispered.

But an apology couldn't change what she had done.

---

THE LOCKED STUDY

Adrian arrived at his father's house twenty minutes later.

He didn't bother knocking before entering the study.

His father looked up sharply.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Who was driving that night?"

His father's expression hardened.

"We've discussed this."

"No, you avoided it. There's a difference."

"Adrian—"

"ANSWER ME!"

The room fell silent.

Adrian had never raised his voice at his father like that.

But he was tired.

Tired of the lies.

Tired of the nightmares.

Tired of waking up every morning believing he was responsible for losing his best friend.

His father stood slowly.

"You don't know what you're asking."

"Then tell me!"

For a moment, the older man looked as though he might finally speak.

Instead, he walked to his desk and opened a locked drawer.

He removed a small envelope.

"I kept this because I knew one day you'd come looking for answers."

Adrian stared at it.

"What's inside?"

"Something that should have been destroyed years ago."

His father placed the envelope on the desk.

Adrian opened it.

Inside was a photograph taken on the night of the accident.

Daniel stood beside a car.

Victoria was next to him.

And in the driver's seat—

Adrian stopped breathing.

He recognized the person immediately.

It was someone he had trusted his entire life.

Someone who had stood beside him at Daniel's funeral.

Someone who had watched him blame himself for a year without saying a word.

His hands began to shake.

"No," he whispered.

His father looked away.

"I'm sorry."

Adrian lifted his head.

"YOU KNEW?"

His father said nothing.

"You knew who was driving, and you let me believe it was my fault?"

"I was trying to protect this family!"

Adrian stared at him in disbelief.

"From what? The truth?"

His father closed his eyes.

"You have no idea what that night cost us."

Adrian grabbed the photograph and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" his father demanded.

"To find the truth."

"Adrian, don't!"

But he was already gone.

---

THE MESSAGE THAT DESTROYED EVERYTHING

Elena was getting ready for bed when her phone buzzed.

A message from Adrian.

Adrian: I need to see you. Now.

She frowned.

Elena: What happened?

The reply arrived almost immediately.

Adrian: I've seen the photograph.

Elena: What photograph?

A few seconds passed.

Then an image appeared on her screen.

Elena opened it.

Her heart stopped.

It was the photograph from the night Daniel died.

She recognized Victoria.

She recognized Daniel.

But the person behind the wheel wasn't the person she expected.

It was her mother.

Elena stared at the screen, unable to understand what she was seeing.

Then another message appeared.

Adrian: Our parents have been lying to us.

Her phone rang.

Adrian.

She answered with trembling fingers.

"Elena," he said, his voice breaking. "I don't know what happened that night. But I think our families have been hiding the truth for years."

Elena swallowed.

"What are you saying?"

There was a long silence.

Then Adrian whispered the words that changed everything.

"I think your mother knows why Daniel died."

Elena's eyes filled with tears.

"No. She wouldn't."

"Elena—"

"STOP!"

Her voice cracked.

"You don't know my mother!"

"And you don't know my father!"

They both fell silent.

For the first time, they weren't enemies because they disliked each other.

They were enemies because the people they loved might have destroyed each other's lives.

Elena ended the call.

Then she looked at the photograph again.

Her mother was behind the wheel.

But something about the image bothered her.

The photograph was dated September 14.

The same date as the accident.

Yet the digital clock displayed in the corner of the picture showed a time that didn't match the official accident report.

Someone had changed the timeline.

Someone had lied about when the photograph was taken.

And if the photograph had been altered, then perhaps everything else was a lie, too.

Elena picked up her phone and typed one final message to Adrian.

Elena: Meet me tomorrow. We're finding out what really happened.

She pressed send.

Then she turned off the lights.

Neither Elena nor Adrian knew that someone had already discovered their plan.

And that person was prepared to do whatever it took to keep the truth buried.

TO BE CONTINUED…