Chapter 1 — The Man Who Came Back
The rain had not stopped since Lena Carter returned to Bellmont City.
Three years ago, she had left this city with one suitcase, a broken phone, and a family name everyone loved to hate.
Now she stood outside Carter Textiles, staring at the old sign above the office.
The letters were faded. The building needed repairs. Her father had once called it their family's proudest achievement.
Now it was almost bankrupt.
“Miss Carter?”
Lena turned.
A lawyer in a gray suit held out a folder. “Your father asked me to give you this if you ever came back.”
Her fingers tightened around the folder.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
PAYMENT DEMAND — CARTER TEXTILES.
The company had seven days before the bank could take the factory.
Lena swallowed.
“How much?”
The lawyer told her.
Her stomach dropped.
She had expected trouble. She had not expected a number that large.
Before she could speak, a black car stopped beside the street.
The rear door opened.
Adrian Blake stepped out.
Lena forgot how to breathe.
Three years had changed him.
He was taller than she remembered, dressed in a dark suit that looked almost too perfect for the rainy afternoon. His face was calm, handsome, and unreadable.
The last time she had seen him, he had been standing outside a courthouse.
He had not chased after her.
He had not called.
He had simply watched her leave.
“Lena,” he said.
She forced herself to look away.
“Mr. Blake.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You still call me that?”
“We are not friends.”
“No,” Adrian said quietly. “We were much more than that.”
Her heart jumped.
The lawyer looked between them, clearly uncomfortable.
Adrian took the folder from Lena's hand and glanced at the payment demand.
“I can solve this.”
“I don't need your help.”
“You do.”
She hated how certain he sounded.
“You always think money can fix everything.”
“Not everything.”
His gaze stayed on hers.
“Some things require a different kind of payment.”
Lena frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Adrian stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“Marry me.”
For a moment, the rain seemed to disappear.
Lena stared at him.
“You've lost your mind.”
“Maybe.”
“You disappeared for three years, and now you want me to marry you?”
“I never disappeared.”
“Then where were you?”
His expression changed.
For the first time, she saw something beneath his cold face.
Fear.
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
Lena gave a bitter laugh.
“From whom?”
Adrian looked toward the street.
A white car was parked across from the factory.
Someone sat inside.
His jaw tightened.
“From the people who destroyed your family.”
Lena turned toward the car.
It was already moving away.
When she looked back, Adrian was holding a small black envelope.
“This belonged to you,” he said.
She opened it.
Inside was an old photograph.
It showed Lena standing beside Adrian.
They were both smiling.
On Lena's finger was a ring she had never seen before.
On the back of the photograph were six words:
YOU PROMISED TO FORGET ME.
Lena looked up.
“Adrian... what happened to me three years ago?”
He didn't answer.
Instead, he whispered,
“That's the question you should be afraid to remember.”
