CHAPTER TWELVE: THE PAIN HE HIDES
1008 Words
The mansion had never felt so quiet.
Isabella Laurent sat alone in the library, surrounded by shelves filled with expensive books she had barely touched. The rain outside tapped softly against the windows, creating a rhythm that matched the confusion inside her heart.
Since learning about Clara, she couldn’t stop thinking about Adrian.
The cold billionaire who seemed to have everything.
The man everyone admired.
The man who controlled companies, made impossible deals, and never showed weakness.
Yet behind all of that was someone carrying a pain so deep that it had changed who he was.
Isabella closed the book in her hands.
She wanted to understand him.
But she also knew Adrian Cross was not someone who opened his heart easily.
Especially not to her.
A sound behind her made her turn.
Adrian stood at the entrance of the library.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The tension between them was almost impossible to ignore.
“You should be resting,” he finally said.
Isabella looked back at the window.
“So should you.”
His expression remained unreadable.
“I have work.”
“You always have work.”
The words made him pause.
Because she was right.
Work had always been his escape.
Whenever memories became too painful, he buried himself in business.
Whenever emotions became too difficult, he became the cold man everyone expected him to be.
Isabella turned toward him.
“Tell me about Clara.”
Adrian’s expression changed instantly.
A mixture of pain and hesitation crossed his face.
“I already told you enough.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You told me what happened. You never told me what she meant to you.”
Silence filled the room.
Adrian looked away.
“She was everything.”
The honesty in his voice surprised her.
“She believed in me when I had nothing.”
He slowly walked toward the window.
“Before Cross Tower became what it is today, I was just a man trying to save my father’s company. Everyone thought I would fail.”
“But Clara didn’t.”
“No.”
A small, painful smile appeared on his face.
“She always said I was stronger than I believed.”
Isabella watched him carefully.
“She sounds like someone special.”
“She was.”
The sadness in those two words said more than anything else.
Adrian had loved Clara deeply.
And he had lost her deeply.
“What happened that night?”
His shoulders stiffened.
“I told her to stay away from me.”
“Why?”
“Because I was receiving threats.”
His voice became colder.
“I thought if I pushed her away, she would be safe.”
“But she wasn’t.”
“No.”
The word came out almost like a confession.
“She came looking for me.”
The room became heavy.
“There was an accident.”
Isabella lowered her eyes.
“Adrian…”
“I was supposed to be there.”
His voice cracked slightly.
For the first time, Isabella saw the guilt he carried.
“I promised her I would protect her.”
He swallowed.
“And I failed.”
The pain in his voice touched something inside Isabella.
She stepped closer.
“Adrian, you were young. You couldn’t control everything.”
“You don’t understand.”
His eyes met hers.
“I had power. Money. Resources. I could have done more.”
“You were only one person.”
“One person who promised.”
The sadness in his voice was overwhelming.
Isabella realized then that Adrian wasn’t living with the memory of Clara.
He was living with the blame.
“You’ve been punishing yourself for years.”
He didn’t answer.
Because it was true.
“Why?”
His expression hardened.
“Because someone had to.”
Isabella frowned.
“That’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair.”
“But that doesn’t mean you deserve to suffer forever.”
For a moment, Adrian looked at her like he wanted to believe her.
Like a part of him desperately wanted someone to tell him he could finally stop carrying the weight.
But then the walls returned.
“You shouldn’t get involved in my past.”
“Why?”
“Because my past destroys everything close to me.”
Isabella stepped closer.
“Maybe your past only has power because you keep running from it.”
His eyes darkened.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Then let me know.”
The words surprised him.
She continued.
“You don’t have to tell me everything today. But stop pretending you’re made of stone.”
Adrian stared at her.
Nobody spoke to him like that.
Nobody challenged him.
Nobody looked past the billionaire.
Except her.
And that frightened him.
“You’re dangerous, Isabella.”
She frowned.
“Dangerous?”
“Yes.”
His voice lowered.
“Because you make me forget who I’m supposed to be.”
Her heart skipped.
“And who are you supposed to be?”
“The man who doesn’t need anyone.”
Isabella looked at him sadly.
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
Before Adrian could respond, his phone rang.
He answered immediately.
A few seconds later, his expression changed.
“What?”
Isabella watched the calm disappear from his face.
“Are you sure?”
A pause.
“Send me everything.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?”
Adrian looked at her.
For the first time, she saw something close to fear in his eyes.
“Someone has reopened the investigation into Clara’s death.”
The room went cold.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
He picked up his jacket.
“But whoever it is knows something.”
“Something about what?”
Adrian looked toward the dark windows.
“Something about that night.”
Isabella felt a chill.
Because she understood something.
Clara’s story was not finished.
And whatever secret Adrian had buried for years…
Someone was determined to bring it back.
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