CHAPTER 7 : THE NAME I WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO HEART.
758 Words
The apartment felt different that morning.
Not quieter.
Heavier.
Like something had entered it and refused to leave.
Adrian hadn’t spoken a full sentence since last night.
Elena sat at the edge of the couch, hands folded tightly in her lap, like she was afraid even breathing too loudly would break something.
And me?
I was stuck between curiosity and something I didn’t want to name.
Because every time I looked at her, my brain kept repeating one thing:
She was supposed to be dead.
Adrian stood near the window, phone pressed to his ear.
His voice was low.
Controlled.
But I could hear the tension anyway.
“No… I said I want answers today.”
Pause.
His jaw tightened.
“Find out who confirmed the identity.”
Another pause.
Then his eyes flicked briefly toward Elena.
“And check the report again.”
He ended the call and stayed facing the window for a long moment.
No movement.
No emotion.
Just stillness.
Elena finally spoke softly.
“You still don’t trust me.”
Adrian didn’t turn.
“I don’t trust ghosts that start breathing again.”
That hit harder than it should’ve.
Elena lowered her gaze.
“I didn’t come back to hurt you.”
“That’s exactly what people say before they do.”
Silence fell again.
I hated how trapped I felt in the middle of them.
Like I was watching something that had started long before I existed.
I stood up.
“I’m going out.”
Both of them looked at me at the same time.
That was new.
Adrian frowned slightly.
“Where?”
“Outside this… tension factory.”
Elena gave a small, tired smile.
“I understand her.”
I ignored that and grabbed my jacket.
Adrian stepped forward slightly.
“Lena.”
“What?”
“Don’t go far.”
I paused.
That sounded less like control this time.
And more like concern he didn’t know how to say properly.
I didn’t answer.
I just left.
Outside, the city felt normal.
Too normal.
People were walking, laughing, arguing, living like nothing strange was happening in my world.
But my world was completely off balance.
I ended up sitting in a small café a few streets away, trying to breathe normally.
But my mind wouldn’t stop.
Elena is alive.
Adrian loved her.
And now she’s back.
Simple sentences.
Complicated reality.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
A static pause.
Then a voice.
Calm.
Male.
But not Adrian.
“I know you’re with him.”
My stomach tightened immediately.
“Who is this?”
A short laugh came through the line.
“You’re not supposed to be part of this story.”
My grip tightened on the phone.
“What story?”
Silence again.
Then—
“You should leave Adrian before it’s too late.”
My heart started beating faster.
“Stop calling me.”
But before I could say anything else, the line cut.
I stared at the screen for a long time.
My hands felt cold.
When I got back to the apartment, something felt wrong immediately.
The door was slightly open.
Slowly, I pushed it inside.
“Adrian?”
No answer.
“Elena?”
Silence.
Then I heard it.
A sound from the hallway.
Like something had fallen.
I moved slowly, every step heavier than the last.
The guest room door was open.
Inside—
Elena was standing still, staring at something on the floor.
Her face was pale.
“Lena…” she whispered without looking at me.
“What happened?”
She slowly stepped aside.
On the floor was a small black folder.
Marked with a red seal.
Adrian’s name on it.
But underneath it…
Another name.
A name I didn’t recognize.
Until Elena whispered it.
“No…”
I looked at her.
“What?”
Her voice shook.
“That’s my father’s signature.”
My breath stopped.
“Your father?”
She nodded slowly, eyes wide with fear now.
“And that file… it means he was involved in everything.”
My mind went blank for a second.
Everything?
Before I could react—
Footsteps.
Behind me.
Slow.
Controlled.
I turned.
Adrian was standing at the end of the hallway.
And for the first time since I met him…
He looked completely different.
Not cold.
Not calm.
But dangerously still.
His eyes moved from me…
to the file…
to Elena.
And then he said one sentence that made my stomach drop:
“You were never supposed to see that.”
- Writer
