THE VILLAIN I LOVED

THE FIRST CHANGE

CHAPTER FOUR

Evan didn't sleep. He tried. He really did.

He lay beneath the blankets with his eyes closed, telling himself that whoever had left the letter was probably trying to frighten him. It could be a prank. A threat from someone who hated Lucian. A servant who had overheard something. Anything.

But every time he closed his eyes, the same words appeared in his mind.

You were never supposed to come.

Come where? Into the story? Into Lucian's body? Into this world?

He had no answer.

By morning, he had barely slept for two hours. When he finally got out of bed, he looked terrible. He stared at himself in the mirror.

"You look like you've been dead for three days."

He paused. "Actually…" He looked away. "That wasn't funny."

A knock sounded.

"Come in."

The maid entered carrying breakfast. She stopped when she saw him. "Young Master, are you ill?"

"No."

"You look pale."

"I didn't sleep."

"Why?"

Evan looked at her. Should he tell her someone had broken into his room? No. He didn't know who he could trust.

"Bad dreams."

She nodded sympathetically and placed the tray on the table. "You have another visitor."

Evan's head snapped up. "Who?"

"Lord Blackwood."

Evan stared at her. "Again?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Evan walked toward the window. Adrian was standing in the courtyard. He wasn't alone. Two men stood behind him, both dressed in black.

Evan frowned. Why had Adrian returned? They had nothing scheduled. Nothing important. And after yesterday, Evan had made it perfectly clear that he wanted to be left alone. Yet Adrian had come back.

Evan turned toward the maid. "Tell him I'm sleeping."

The maid looked at him. "But you're standing here."

"I can sleep standing."

She gave him a strange look.

Evan sighed. "Fine. Tell him I'll be down."

Adrian was waiting in the drawing room. He stood beside the fireplace, hands behind his back.

Evan walked in. "Good morning."

Adrian looked at him. "You're pale."

"Everyone keeps saying that."

"You look like you haven't slept."

"I haven't."

"Why?"

Evan hesitated. "Nightmares."

Adrian studied him. "You didn't have nightmares before."

Evan frowned. "How would you know?"

"I know you."

The answer was simple. Too simple.

Evan looked away.

Adrian stepped closer. "You received a letter last night."

Evan's blood ran cold. "How do you know?"

"I saw someone near your balcony."

Evan stared at him. "You saw them?"

"Yes."

"Who was it?"

"I don't know."

"Then why didn't you catch them?"

Adrian's expression tightened. "They were gone before my men arrived."

Evan folded his arms. "Why do you care?"

Adrian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at him. "Because someone entered your room."

Evan swallowed. That sounded worse when Adrian said it aloud.

"You could have told me this yesterday."

"I didn't know what they wanted."

"And now?"

"I still don't."

Evan looked toward the window. "Maybe they wanted to frighten me."

"Did it work?"

Evan gave him a look. "No."

Adrian's eyebrow lifted.

Evan sighed. "Yes."

For the first time, Adrian's expression softened. Only slightly. "Show me the letter."

Evan froze. "No."

"Why?"

"Because it's private."

Adrian stared at him. "You trust me enough to tell me someone entered your room but not enough to show me what they left?"

"I don't trust you."

The words came naturally. Adrian went quiet. Evan realized he had said it too honestly. He expected anger. Instead, Adrian simply said, "I know."

Something about that response unsettled him.

Evan looked down. He suddenly remembered the letters he'd found the night before. Warnings. Dozens of them. He wanted to ask Adrian about them. But he didn't know how. So he chose another question.

"Do you remember the letters I used to send you?"

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"What did you think about them?"

"They were irritating."

Evan almost smiled. That sounded like Adrian.

"What did you do with them?"

"I kept them."

Evan's smile disappeared. "You kept them?"

Adrian nodded. "All of them."

"Why?"

"I don't throw away things people give me."

Evan stared at him. That was not mentioned in the novel. Not once. Another change.

He looked away. "You should have thrown them away."

"Why?"

"Because they were embarrassing."

Adrian's expression changed. "Were they?"

"Yes."

"You don't remember writing them?"

Evan's heart stopped. He forced a laugh. "Of course I do."

Adrian said nothing.

Evan knew that look. He was suspicious. Very suspicious.

Before he could say anything else, the door opened. A servant hurried inside. "My lord."

Adrian turned. "What?"

"We found something."

The servant handed him a small black object.

Evan recognized it immediately. The envelope. His heart jumped.

"Where did you find that?"

"In the west garden."

Adrian looked at it. Then at Evan. "Someone dropped it while escaping."

Evan stepped closer. "Can I see it?"

Adrian handed it to him.

Evan examined the envelope. There was a symbol pressed into the wax seal. A small black crown. His blood ran cold. He knew that symbol. It belonged to House Veyne.

Dorian.

Evan's fingers tightened around the envelope.

Adrian noticed. "You recognize it."

Evan looked up. "No."

"You're lying."

"I said no."

Adrian stepped closer. "What does it mean?"

Evan stared at him. He couldn't tell him. Not yet. If Dorian was involved this early, then everything he remembered was wrong. The timeline wasn't simply changing. It was being rewritten.

Evan handed the envelope back. "I don't know."

Adrian took it. "Then we'll find out."

He turned to leave.

Evan watched him. "Adrian."

The man stopped.

Evan hesitated. "Why are you helping me?"

Adrian slowly turned around. His expression was unreadable. "Because someone is targeting you."

"That's not an answer."

"It is."

"No." Evan stepped closer. "You barely tolerated me before."

Adrian's eyes remained on him. "You're different."

Evan's chest tightened. "You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

"How?"

Adrian's gaze moved over his face. "You don't look at me the way you used to."

Evan couldn't breathe. "How did I look at you before?"

Adrian was silent for a moment. "Like I was the only person in the room."

Evan's heart sank. The original Lucian. He had truly loved Adrian. Perhaps more than Evan had understood.

Adrian continued. "Now you look at me like I'm the person who is going to hurt you."

Silence filled the room.

Evan couldn't answer. Because Adrian was right.

Adrian walked toward him. Evan instinctively stepped backward. Adrian stopped. He didn't come closer.

Instead, he said quietly, "I don't know what happened to you, Lucian." His eyes held Evan's. "But I'm going to find out."

Then he walked away.

Evan remained standing in the middle of the room. For the first time, he understood something. Avoiding Adrian wasn't going to be enough. Because Adrian had started looking for answers. And eventually, he was going to find them.

That evening, Evan returned to his room. The black envelope was gone. He was certain he had left it on his desk. Now it was nowhere to be found.

His stomach tightened. He searched the drawers. Nothing.

Then he noticed something beneath his pillow. A second piece of paper. His hands trembled as he unfolded it. Only one sentence had been written.

If you want to live, stop trusting Adrian Blackwood.

Evan stared at the words. Then slowly sat on the edge of the bed.

For the first time since waking up inside the novel, he wondered if Adrian truly was the person he needed to fear. Or if someone wanted him to believe that he was.