Chapter 3 – The Message That Should Not Exist
1106 Words
“Who are you?”
Elara typed the words with trembling fingers, her eyes fixed on the screen.
No response.
The city lights outside her window blurred as her thoughts spiraled. The message replayed in her mind like a warning she did not understand.
You were chosen for a reason.
She checked the number again. No contact name. No profile picture. Just silence.
Her phone vibrated once more.
Unknown Number:
Do not trust your husband.
Her breath hitched.
That was enough.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood, her pulse racing. Whatever this was, she would not face it alone. Not tonight.
Adrian’s study door was closed, light spilling faintly from beneath it. Elara hesitated only a second before knocking.
“Adrian,” she said firmly. “We need to talk.”
Silence.
She knocked again, louder.
The door opened abruptly.
“What is it?” he asked, irritation sharp in his tone.
She held up her phone. “Someone is messaging me.”
His gaze dropped to the screen. The shift was instant. His expression hardened, every trace of calm vanishing.
“Who sent this?” he asked.
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.”
He took the phone from her hand, his jaw tightening as he read.
“This is not your concern,” he said, turning away.
Elara stepped inside before he could stop her. “It became my concern the moment someone warned me about my own husband.”
He turned back sharply. “You should not be in here.”
“I don’t care about your rules right now,” she snapped. “I care about my safety.”
For a moment, something dark flashed across his face. Not anger. Calculation.
“Did anyone else see this?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good.”
“That’s it?” she demanded. “You’re not even going to explain?”
He walked past her, closing the door. The click of the lock echoed in the room.
“You need to understand something,” Adrian said quietly. “This world is not forgiving.”
Her stomach dropped. “What world?”
“The one you married into.”
She crossed her arms, forcing herself not to back away. “You promised I could speak freely in private.”
“I also promised control,” he replied. “And right now, I need you to trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone who hides this much,” she said.
He studied her, eyes sharp. “That message was sent to scare you.”
“It worked.”
“That was the intention.”
“Who would want to scare me?” she asked. “I’m nobody.”
Adrian’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“That,” he said slowly, “is where you are wrong.”
Sleep refused to come that night.
Elara lay awake, staring at the ceiling, every sound in the house making her tense. She replayed Adrian’s reaction over and over. The way his face had changed. The way he had locked the door.
He knew something.
Morning came with no answers.
At breakfast, Adrian was already seated, scrolling through his tablet as if nothing had happened.
“You’re calm,” she said, taking her seat.
“Calm is necessary.”
“You didn’t even ask if I slept.”
He glanced up. “Did you?”
“No.”
“Then the answer is obvious.”
She pushed her plate away. “Someone warned me about you, Adrian.”
“And you are still here,” he replied. “That should tell you something.”
“That I’m trapped?”
“That you are protected.”
She laughed bitterly. “You call this protection?”
“Yes.”
The certainty in his voice unsettled her more than the message had.
Later that day, Elara found herself wandering the house again, restless. Her phone remained silent, but her nerves stayed taut.
She stopped in front of a framed photograph on the hallway wall.
Adrian stood beside an older man, both dressed in black. The resemblance was unmistakable.
“Your father?” she asked when Adrian appeared behind her.
He nodded once. “He built everything you see.”
“And you?” she pressed. “What did you build?”
His gaze darkened. “Survival.”
She turned to face him. “What kind of enemies does your survival create?”
The question lingered between them.
“You should stay inside today,” he said.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is a warning.”
The message came that evening.
Unknown Number:
Ask him about the night his empire was born.
Elara’s heart pounded.
She found Adrian in the living room, speaking quietly with someone on the phone. He ended the call the moment he saw her face.
“What did they say this time?” he asked.
She showed him the message.
His reaction was immediate. Fury, sharp and barely contained.
“Stay away from her,” he snapped into his phone, already dialing another number.
Elara stepped back. “Adrian, what is going on?”
He ended the call and turned to her. “Pack a bag.”
“What?”
“We’re leaving the city tonight.”
Fear curled in her chest. “Why?”
“Because someone is testing me,” he said. “And you are the leverage.”
She shook her head. “You can’t just uproot me every time someone threatens you.”
His voice dropped. “You do not understand the danger.”
“Then make me understand.”
Silence.
For the first time, Adrian looked conflicted.
“There was a night,” he began slowly, “when everything changed.”
Elara held her breath.
“Power was taken. Blood was spilled. And enemies were made.”
Her voice was barely a whisper. “Were you involved?”
“Yes.”
“Did people die?”
He did not answer.
Her chest tightened. “Is that why they chose me?”
His eyes locked onto hers. “They chose you because you matter to me.”
The words hit her harder than any threat.
“That’s impossible,” she said.
“Nothing about this marriage is accidental,” he replied.
They stood there, the truth hovering just out of reach.
“Adrian,” she said softly, “what am I to you?”
He stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. “You are the weakness I never planned to have.”
Her breath caught.
“And weakness,” he continued, “invites destruction.”
- Writer
