CHAPTER FIFTEEN
586 Words
The Memories Return
Adrian barely slept that night.
The memories came in fragments.
Elena's smile.
Their wedding.
Leo's first steps.
Lily sleeping against his chest.
The tiny apartment where they had built their life together.
Then came the painful memory of his second accident.
He remembered leaving home.
Elena was standing at the door.
Her voice telling him to be careful.
And his promise.
"I'll come back to you."
Adrian opened his eyes.
Tears filled them.
"I remember..."
He immediately drove to Elena's home.
When she opened the door and saw him, she froze.
Adrian stood there with tears in his eyes.
"Elena."
She couldn't move.
He stepped closer.
"I remember you."
Her lips trembled.
"Adrian..."
He pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry."
For five years, Elena had imagined this moment.
But hearing those words didn't erase the pain.
She pushed him away gently.
"You remember everything?"
He nodded.
"Everything."
Their first meeting.
Their marriage.
Their children.
The life they had built.
And every moment he had lost.
Elena began crying.
"I waited for you."
"I know."
"No... you don't."
She looked at him through her tears.
"You don't know what it was like watching our children grow up without you."
Adrian lowered his head.
"I can't change those five years."
"No."
She wiped her tears.
"But you can decide what happens next."
Adrian took her hand.
"I choose you."
The next morning, Adrian returned to the Vale mansion.
Richard and Victoria were waiting for him.
Victoria immediately smiled.
"You look better."
Adrian walked past her.
"I remember everything."
The smile disappeared from her face.
Richard stood slowly.
"Adrian..."
"Don't."
His voice was cold.
"I know about the investigation. I know about the accident. I know what you both did to Elena."
Victoria's face went pale.
"You don't understand—"
"I understand enough."
He placed the evidence on the table.
The medical records.
The hidden reports.
The photographs.
The messages were sent to Elena.
Everything.
Richard stared at the documents.
Adrian looked at his father.
"You took my wife and children away from me."
Richard's eyes filled with regret.
"I thought I was protecting you."
"You were protecting the family name."
Silence filled the room.
Victoria suddenly stepped forward.
"You can't throw away everything we had because of her!"
Adrian looked at her.
"We had nothing."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I loved you."
"You loved the man you wanted me to be."
He turned away.
"And you tried to destroy the woman I actually loved."
Victoria broke down.
Adrian called the authorities and handed over the evidence.
The truth about the accident and the manipulation would finally be investigated.
He then looked at Richard one last time.
"I lost five years because of you."
Richard couldn't answer.
Adrian walked out.
That evening, he returned to Elena.
Leo and Lily ran toward him.
"Daddy!"
Adrian dropped to his knees and pulled both children into his arms.
Tears rolled down his face.
"I'm sorry I was gone so long."
Elena stood nearby, watching silently.
Adrian looked at her.
"I can't give you back the years I lost."
He reached for her hand.
"But if you'll let me..."
He took a breath.
"I'll spend the rest of my life making up for them."
Elena looked at him for a long moment.
She didn't answer immediately.
Then she placed her hand in his.
"Then start with tomorrow."
Adrian smiled through his tears.
"For the first time, I know exactly where I belong."
With his wife and children.
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