Chapter 2 - The Phone Call
1210 Words
Nadia's POV
My hands were still shaking as I sat in my best friend Emma's apartment, staring at my phone. Twenty-three missed calls from Adrian. Fifteen from my father.
And one voicemail from a number I didn't recognize.
"You need wine," Emma said, pressing a glass into my hand. "Lots of wine."
"I need a new life." I took a large sip, letting the alcohol burn down my throat. "Em, what have I done?"
"The smartest thing you've done in three years." She sat next to me on her worn couch, a complete opposite of the designer furniture I'd left behind.
"That man never deserved you."
My phone buzzed again. Adrian's name flashed on the screen.
"Don't answer it," Emma warned.
But something made me swipe to accept. "What do you want?"
"Where are you?" His voice was different. Rough
Like he'd been drinking.
"That's none of your business anymore."
"Nadia, listen to me. You need to come back. Now."
"We've been through this—"
"Your father's been in an accident."
The wine glass slipped from my hand, shattering on Emma's hardwood floor. Red wine spread like blood across the wood.
"What? When? How bad?"
"His car went off the road an hour ago. He's in surgery."
I was already grabbing my purse, Emma scrambling to get my coat. "Which hospital?"
"St. Mary's. Nadia..." He paused. "It wasn't an accident."
My blood turned to ice. "What do you mean?"
"Just come. I'll explain when you get here."
The twenty-minute drive to the hospital felt like hours. Emma drove while I sat in the passenger seat, my mind racing. My father was the strongest person I knew. Nothing could hurt him. This had to be some sick joke.
But when I ran into the hospital lobby, Adrian was there, still in his suit from this morning but with his tie loose and his hair disheveled.
"Where is he?" I demanded.
"Third floor. Surgery." He caught my arm as I headed for the elevator. "Nadia, wait. We need to talk first."
"Let go of me."
"The brake lines in his car were cut."
I stopped struggling. "What?"
"Someone wanted him dead. The police are already investigating, but..." He ran a hand through his hair.
"The timing isn't a coincidence. You file for divorce this morning, and hours later someone tries to kill your father."
"You think this is connected to our divorce?"
"I know it is." He pulled me into a corner, away from the crowded lobby. "Williams Kendrick called me an hour before your father's accident. He knew about the divorce papers. He knew you'd left."
My stomach twisted. "How could he know that fast?"
"Someone in your father's company is feeding him information.
Maybe someone in mine too." Adrian's hands were on my shoulders now, his gray eyes intense. "He's making his move, Nadia. Your father was just the warning shot."
"Warning for what?"
"For you to come back to me. He knows that without my protection, you're vulnerable."
I pushed his hands off me. "This is insane. Williams Kendrick is a businessman, not a murderer."
"You really don't know, do you?" Adrian laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Your father never told you what Willaimss really is. What he's capable of."
"Then tell me."
"Five years ago, Williams wanted to marry you. Your father refused. Said you were too young, that he had other plans for you." Adrian's jaw clenched. "Williams swore he'd make your father pay. Make you pay."
"So my father married me off to you instead?"
"I was the only one powerful enough to keep Williams away. My family, our… so we were your shield.
The elevator dinged, and we stepped inside. As the doors closed, I caught our reflection in the mirrored walls. We looked like strangers standing too close together.
"Is that why you agreed to marry me?" I asked quietly. "To play bodyguard?"
"Does it matter now?"
Before I could answer, the elevator opened. The surgical waiting room was filled with people I recognized-board members from my father's company, family friends, and my stepmother Linda, who rushed over when she saw me.
"Oh, Nadia, thank God you're here." She pulled me into a hug, sobbing into my shoulder. "They won't tell me anything."
"He's going to be okay," I said, even though I had no idea if it was true.
A doctor in scrubs emerged from the operating room.
Everyone turned to him, holding their breath.
"Mrs. Hart?" He looked at Linda. "Your husband is stable. The surgery went well, but he's still critical.
The next twenty-four hours will be crucial."
Relief flooded through me, making my knees weak.
Adrian's hand was suddenly at my elbow, steadying me.
"Can we see him?" Linda asked.
"One at a time, family”
Linda went first. While we waited, my phone buzzed.
The unknown number from earlier had left another voicemail.
I stepped away from the crowd to listen to it. The voice that came through made my blood run cold.
"Hello, Nadia. I heard about your father. Such a shame. Cars can be so dangerous these days." Williams Kendrick's smooth voice filled my ear. "I also heard about your divorce. Congratulations on your freedom. Though I wonder how long you'll enjoy it.
We should have dinner soon. After all, your father won't be able to protect you anymore. And neither will your soon-to-be ex-husband."
The message ended with a soft laugh that made me shiver.
"What is it?" Adrian was beside me, seeing my face.
I handed him the phone wordlessly. His expression darkened as he listened.
"You're coming home with me," he said when it finished.
"No."
"This isn't a request."
"I don't care. I'm not going back to that penthouse.
I'm not going back to you."
"Then you're signing your own death warrant."
A nurse appeared. "Miss Hart? Your father is asking for you."
I looked between her and Adrian, torn between the danger behind me and the uncertainty ahead.
"We're not done talking about this," Adrian said.
I followed the nurse down the hallway, but I could feel Adrian's eyes on me the entire way. My father's room was dim, machines beeping steadily around him. He looked smaller than I'd ever seen him, pale against the white sheets.
His eyes opened when I sat down. "Nadia."
"Dad, don't try to talk."
"Have to." His voice was weak but urgent. "The divorce... don't..."
"Don't worry about that now."
"No." He gripped my hand with surprising strength.
"Don't leave Adrian. Promise me."
"Dad—"
"Williams... he's coming. Adrian... only one who can... protect…
The machines started beeping faster. Nurses rushed in, pushing me aside.
"You need to leave," one said.
As they worked on my father, I stumbled back into the hallway where Adrian was waiting.
"What did he say?" he asked.
I looked up at him, my father's words echoing in my mind. "He told me not to divorce you."
Something flickered in Adrian's eyes. Victory? Relief? I couldn't tell.
"So?" he asked.
My phone buzzed. Another unknown number. This time it was a photo—me, leaving Emma's apartment an hour ago. Someone had been watching me.
The message below the photo was simple: "Tick tock, Mrs. Caldwell."
- Writer
