Chapter Thirteen: The Truth About Clara
904 Words
The file sat on Adrian Cross’s desk like a threat.
A simple black folder.
Nothing unusual about it.
Yet it carried the power to destroy years of carefully buried memories.
Adrian stared at it without touching it.
For ten years, he had tried to forget that night.
Ten years of convincing himself that Clara’s death was an accident.
Ten years of carrying the guilt alone.
But now someone had reopened the investigation.
Someone wanted the truth to come out.
The office door opened.
Marcus entered quietly.
“I brought everything we found.”
Adrian looked up.
“What does it say?”
Marcus placed another folder beside the first one.
“There are inconsistencies in the original investigation.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“What kind of inconsistencies?”
“The accident report was changed after it was filed.”
A cold silence filled the room.
“Changed by who?”
“We’re still trying to find out.”
Adrian opened the folder.
The old photographs.
The reports.
The documents.
Everything he had avoided seeing for years was suddenly in front of him again.
And then he saw it.
A name.
A name that made his entire body freeze.
Damien Cross.
“No.”
Marcus watched him carefully.
“You know something?”
Adrian’s hand tightened around the paper.
“Damien hated me.”
“Your cousin?”
“He believed my father should have left the company to his side of the family.”
Marcus frowned.
“You think he had something to do with Clara’s death?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
Because the thought was impossible.
But deep down…
A part of him had always wondered.
---
Across the mansion, Isabella sat with Elena in the garden.
The peaceful surroundings felt strange compared to the storm of secrets surrounding the Cross family.
“Adrian never talks about his feelings,” Isabella said.
Elena smiled sadly.
“No. He believes emotions make people weak.”
“Does he always carry everything alone?”
“Yes.”
Isabella looked toward the mansion.
“That’s exhausting.”
“It is.”
Elena paused.
“But Adrian doesn’t know how to live any other way.”
Isabella lowered her gaze.
“I think he’s afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing someone again.”
Elena became quiet.
Because Isabella had understood something most people never saw.
Adrian Cross was not heartless.
He was terrified.
---
That evening, Adrian returned home.
Isabella immediately noticed something was wrong.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that meant he was hiding something.
“What happened?”
He looked at her.
“Nothing.”
She gave him a knowing look.
“Adrian.”
He sighed.
“You really don’t give up.”
“No.”
For the first time that day, a small smile almost appeared on his face.
Almost.
“I found something about Clara’s death.”
Isabella’s expression changed.
“What?”
“The investigation was manipulated.”
Her eyes widened.
“You mean someone covered it up?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Adrian hesitated.
“I don’t know yet.”
But Isabella could see the anger beneath his controlled expression.
“And you think it was someone close to you.”
His silence answered.
“Adrian…”
“I spent years believing I was responsible.”
His voice became quieter.
“But what if I wasn’t?”
Isabella stepped closer.
“Then maybe you can finally forgive yourself.”
He looked at her.
Those words affected him more than she realized.
Forgiveness.
Something he had never allowed himself.
---
Later that night, Adrian stood alone in his office.
He looked at an old photograph of Clara.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Not because he had forgotten her.
Never that.
But because for the first time, he was allowing himself to question the past.
A knock interrupted him.
He turned.
Isabella stood at the door.
“You shouldn’t be alone.”
Adrian looked away.
“I’m used to it.”
“That doesn’t mean you deserve it.”
The words hit him.
She walked closer.
“You don’t have to carry every burden by yourself.”
His voice was low.
“You don’t know what you’re offering.”
“What?”
“My life isn’t simple, Isabella.”
“I know.”
“My enemies won’t stop because you’re innocent.”
“I know.”
“You could get hurt.”
“I know.”
He looked at her.
“Then why are you still here?”
She answered without hesitation.
“Because I don’t think the real Adrian Cross is someone I should be afraid of.”
For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
A few seconds later, his expression changed.
“What?”
Isabella watched as his face became unreadable.
“Where?”
A pause.
“I’m coming.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?”
Adrian grabbed his coat.
“They found the person who accessed Clara’s old files.”
“Who?”
He looked at her.
“Someone who was supposed to be dead.”
Isabella froze.
“What?”
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“Clara’s brother.”
The room fell silent.
Because if Clara’s family was involved…
Then the truth Adrian had buried for years was about to come back.
And this time, nobody would be able to hide it.
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