BOUND BY HIS VOW

CHAPTER 3: BENEATH THE SURFACE

The sun had set by the time Zariah left the office, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts she couldn’t quite grasp. She had spent the entire afternoon negotiating with Adrian, discussing the merger as though nothing had happened between them—like the betrayal of five years ago had never occurred. But the truth was, nothing was the same. The walls she had built around herself after that wedding were still standing strong, and no business deal, no matter how lucrative, would change the fact that Adrian Voss was the last person she ever wanted to trust again.

As she slid into the backseat of her car, Zariah leaned back and closed her eyes, willing herself to push the ghosts of the past aside. But they lingered, as they always did. Adrian’s face, his voice, the way he had looked at her when she’d walked into that conference room—they all haunted her. The feeling of betrayal that had once made her sick to her stomach now simmered beneath her calm exterior, gnawing at her with every passing second.

The car pulled away from the sleek glass building, its tires gliding over the smooth pavement. Zariah’s fingers tightened around her purse, and she couldn’t help but replay the last words Adrian had spoken to her.

“I never stopped thinking about you, Zariah.”

The nerve of him. After everything, he still thought he had a place in her life? He thought that five years of hurt, of being lied to and betrayed, could be undone by a few whispered words? No. She was done with him.

But as much as she wanted to bury the past, there was something about Adrian’s presence that unsettled her. It was a mixture of guilt, longing, and something darker—something she hadn’t been able to name.

When she arrived at her apartment, the city lights twinkling below, she quickly made her way inside, shedding her coat and heels as she entered the spacious living room. Her place was a sanctuary, a reflection of everything she had built since that disastrous day. It was sleek, modern, and pristine—everything had its place, everything was under control.

Zariah made herself a glass of wine and sank into the plush couch, her fingers drumming nervously against the crystal stem. She stared at her phone, half-expecting a message from Adrian. But none came. She should’ve been relieved. Instead, she felt a strange emptiness settle in her chest, as though she were waiting for something she couldn’t identify.

The sound of her phone buzzing cut through the silence, and her heart skipped a beat. It was an unknown number. She almost didn’t answer, but something—curiosity, or perhaps a foolish hope—made her swipe the screen.

“Zariah?” The voice on the other end was rough, familiar. Too familiar. “It’s Adrian.”

Her breath hitched. The nerve. After everything, he thought he could just call her as though they were old friends?

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice sharper than she intended.

“I know you’re angry,” he said, his tone softer now, almost pleading. “But I need to explain. I—"

“No.” Zariah cut him off. “You don’t get to explain anything, Adrian. Not anymore. I’ve heard all your lies before.”

There was a long pause on the other end, and Zariah’s stomach tightened as if the words were too much for him to say. But then he spoke again, and this time, there was something different in his voice—something raw and desperate.

“I never meant to hurt you,” he said, the words laden with pain. “I thought I was protecting you. I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Zariah’s grip tightened around the wine glass, and for a moment, she was tempted to throw it against the wall. How could he possibly think there was any excuse for what he did? How could he still be talking like this?

“Protecting me?” she whispered, the words barely audible. “You destroyed me, Adrian. You left me standing at the altar, humiliated in front of everyone who mattered to me. You didn’t protect me. You betrayed me. And nothing you say will ever change that.”

Adrian’s silence on the other end felt like an admission of guilt, and it sent a chill down her spine. She could almost see him, standing there in the darkness, unable to face the mess he had created. And though she hated herself for even considering it, a small part of her wondered if he was telling the truth—that he had been trying to protect her.

“No,” she shook her head, standing abruptly. “I won’t fall for it again. Goodbye, Adrian.”

She ended the call, the finality of it echoing in her ears. But as she set her phone down on the table, she felt the weight of something heavy settling on her chest. A feeling she couldn’t shake, no matter how hard she tried.

Adrian had been the love of her life. Her first real love. And maybe, just maybe, she still felt the ghost of that love lingering inside her. But that wasn’t enough. Not anymore.

She stood in front of the mirror, studying her reflection as if seeing herself for the first time in years. The woman in the mirror was different—harder, more distant. The sparkle in her eyes had been replaced by an icy resolve. Zariah had learned the hard way that love could be fleeting, but power? Power was something she could control. And control was what she needed now. More than anything else.

As she looked into her own eyes, she made a vow. She would never let Adrian Voss or anyone else ever have that kind of power over her again.

The past was gone. It was time to focus on the future.