The Secret Between Us

CHAPTER 5 : THE PHOTOGRAPH

THE SECRET BETWEEN US

Chapter 5 — The Photograph

The morning after the incident at the office, Adrian arrived earlier than usual.

He barely slept.

Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the photograph.

Two little boys standing beside each other.

Two families smiling.

And those four terrifying words written across the image:

YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED APART.

Adrian placed his bag beside his desk and stared at his computer without turning it on.

He couldn't concentrate.

Who had taken the photograph?

Who had followed them?

And why was someone so determined to keep Ethan and him apart?

"Good morning."

Adrian looked up.

Ethan stood in front of his desk.

"Good morning."

Ethan studied his face.

"You didn't sleep."

Adrian smiled weakly.

"Neither did you."

"I asked first."

"Then we're both tired."

Ethan pulled a chair beside him.

"Did anyone contact you last night?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Adrian nodded.

"Why?"

Ethan hesitated.

"Because I want you to tell me if anyone sends you a message or approaches you."

Adrian looked at him.

"You don't have to keep protecting me."

"I know."

"But you're still going to."

"Yes."

Adrian sighed.

"You're stubborn."

"So are you."

Adrian smiled.

For a moment, the fear disappeared.

Then Ethan's phone rang.

He looked at the screen.

His expression immediately changed.

"Excuse me."

He stepped away.

Adrian watched him answer.

"Hello?"

A voice spoke on the other end.

Ethan's face became pale.

"Where?"

A pause.

"I'll be there."

He ended the call.

Adrian stood.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Ethan."

Ethan looked at him.

"Victor has been found."

Adrian's heart dropped.

"Is he okay?"

Ethan didn't answer immediately.

"He's alive."

"Where is he?"

"At the hospital."

Adrian grabbed his bag.

"I'm coming."

"No."

"Why?"

"It's dangerous."

"You said we were going to find the truth together."

Ethan stared at him.

Adrian's voice softened.

"Don't leave me outside this."

Ethan finally nodded.

"Stay beside me."

"I will."

---

The hospital was quiet.

Victor was lying in a private room.

His face was bruised, and one arm was bandaged.

Adrian stopped when he saw him.

"What happened?"

Victor looked at him.

"They found me."

"Who?"

Victor's eyes moved toward Ethan.

"People who don't want the truth exposed."

Ethan stepped closer.

"What happened at Riverside Hotel?"

Victor took a deep breath.

"Your fathers were meeting that night."

Adrian sat beside the bed.

"What were they discussing?"

"Money."

Ethan's expression hardened.

"How much?"

"Millions."

Adrian looked at Ethan.

Victor continued.

"Roberto discovered that someone inside the company was transferring money into secret accounts."

"Who?" Ethan asked.

Victor shook his head.

"I never saw the final name."

"But you know something."

Victor looked at Adrian.

"Your father did."

Adrian's eyes filled with emotion.

"What did he know?"

"That the person behind everything was close to the Reyes family."

Ethan's expression changed.

"Someone in my family?"

Victor nodded.

"But Roberto refused to expose him immediately."

"Why?"

"Because he was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

Victor looked toward the door.

"Because he knew someone would come after his family."

Adrian's hands trembled.

"He was protecting me?"

"Yes."

Adrian lowered his head.

For years, he had believed his father had abandoned him emotionally.

Now he realized that his father may have been trying to protect him.

Ethan looked at Victor.

"What happened at the hotel?"

Victor closed his eyes.

"There was an argument."

"Between my father and Roberto?"

"Yes."

"What happened next?"

Victor took a breath.

"Someone entered the room."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know?"

"Because I heard the voice."

Ethan stepped closer.

"What voice?"

Victor looked directly at him.

"Your father's voice."

Ethan froze.

Adrian looked at him.

"What did he say?"

Victor swallowed.

"He said..."

He stopped.

"What?"

Victor whispered:

"You were never supposed to find out."

Silence filled the room.

Ethan stared at him.

"My father said that?"

Victor nodded.

"Then the lights went out."

"And?"

"When they came back, Roberto was gone."

Adrian's eyes widened.

"Gone?"

"Yes."

"Where did he go?"

"We never found out."

Adrian looked down.

"But my father died years later."

Victor nodded.

"Yes."

"What happened to him?"

Victor looked away.

"Officially, it was an accident."

Adrian's voice trembled.

"Officially?"

Victor didn't answer.

Ethan immediately understood.

"You think it wasn't an accident."

Victor looked at him.

"I know it wasn't."

Adrian stood.

His eyes filled with tears.

"My father was murdered?"

Victor said nothing.

That silence was enough.

Adrian turned away.

Ethan walked toward him.

"Adrian."

Adrian shook his head.

"I need air."

He walked out.

Ethan followed.

---

Adrian stood at the end of the hospital hallway.

Tears slowly fell down his cheeks.

Ethan approached him.

"Adrian."

"My father didn't abandon me."

"No."

"He was protecting me."

"Yes."

"And someone killed him."

Ethan didn't answer.

Adrian wiped his tears.

"All these years..."

His voice broke.

"I thought he didn't care."

Ethan stepped closer.

"He cared enough to risk everything."

Adrian looked at him.

"How can you be so calm?"

"I'm not."

Ethan's voice trembled.

"I'm angry."

"At me?"

"No."

"At my father?"

"No."

"Then who?"

Ethan looked into his eyes.

"At the person who took your father away from you."

Adrian looked down.

Ethan slowly reached for his hand.

This time, Adrian didn't hesitate.

Their fingers intertwined.

Adrian whispered:

"Don't leave me."

Ethan squeezed his hand.

"I won't."

---

That evening, they returned to the office.

The building was almost empty.

Adrian sat inside the conference room.

Ethan brought him a cup of coffee.

Adrian looked at it.

"Coffee?"

"I remembered you like it."

Adrian smiled.

"After what happened the first time?"

"Especially after that."

Adrian laughed softly.

For a few moments, they forgot everything.

Then Adrian looked at Ethan.

"Do you regret meeting me?"

Ethan answered immediately.

"No."

"Even after everything?"

"Especially after everything."

Adrian looked down.

"I don't understand why I feel safe with you."

Ethan sat beside him.

"Maybe because we've known each other longer than we realized."

Adrian smiled.

"Maybe."

Their shoulders touched.

Neither moved.

Ethan looked at Adrian.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Adrian turned.

"What?"

"I found another photograph."

"Of us?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"At my father's old house."

Adrian's heart raced.

"What does it show?"

Ethan reached into his folder.

He pulled out the photograph.

Adrian stared.

It showed the same two children.

But this time, they were holding hands.

Behind them stood their fathers.

And on the back was another message.

Ethan turned the photograph over.

Adrian read it aloud.

"If they ever find each other again, tell them the truth."

Adrian looked at Ethan.

"Who wrote this?"

Ethan shook his head.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, the conference room lights flickered.

Adrian looked toward the door.

"Did you see that?"

Ethan stood.

"Stay here."

"No."

"Adrian."

"I'm coming."

They walked into the hallway.

Nothing.

Ethan checked the security cameras.

The screens were black.

"Someone disabled them."

Adrian's expression became nervous.

"Again?"

Ethan nodded.

Then his phone vibrated.

An unknown message appeared.

Stop searching.

Another message arrived.

The past should remain buried.

Ethan typed:

Who are you?

The response came immediately.

Ask your father.

Ethan stared at the screen.

Adrian stepped closer.

"What did they say?"

Ethan showed him.

Adrian's face became pale.

"My father is dead."

A final message appeared.

Not everyone who died stayed silent.

The phone screen went dark.

Adrian stared at Ethan.

"What does that mean?"

Ethan had no answer.

But deep inside, a frightening possibility entered his mind.

Maybe Roberto Santos hadn't been the only person who knew the truth.

Maybe someone had been hiding evidence for years.

And maybe the person sending these messages knew exactly how to destroy both of them.

Ethan took Adrian's hand.

"We're going to find out."

Adrian looked at him.

"Together?"

"Together."

Their eyes met.

For the first time, neither of them cared about the danger.

They only knew one thing.

Whatever secret connected their families, they would uncover it together.

But somewhere outside the building, a man watched them through a car window.

He held an old photograph in his hand.

It showed Ethan and Adrian as children.

He smiled.

"They found each other again."

He placed the photograph back inside his coat.

"Now we find out how much they remember."

The car disappeared into the darkness.

And the secret between Ethan and Adrian became more dangerous than ever.

TO BE CONTINUED...