Chapter 2: The Man Who Let Me Die
2358 Words
TThe lock turned.
Alina’s body froze.
She stared at the door in the darkness, her fingers still wrapped around the note written by Lucien.
Keep her alive.
Even if she hates me.
Those words had destroyed every simple answer she had created in her mind.
She wanted to believe Lucien was a monster.
She wanted to believe he had betrayed her.
Because hatred was easier.
Hatred did not leave room for questions.
But now, standing in that dark room with Viktor beside her, she was forced to face something she did not understand.
The man who supposedly buried her had also tried to save her.
The door handle moved.
Slowly.
Viktor stepped in front of her.
“Stay behind me.”
Alina looked at him.
“You expect me to hide?”
“This is not the time to prove you are brave.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I am not hiding because of my husband’s secrets.”
Viktor looked at her seriously.
“This is not about Lucien.”
The door opened.
But no one entered.
The hallway outside was empty.
Only darkness.
Alina frowned.
“What happened?”
Viktor moved carefully toward the door.
He looked outside.
Then he looked back.
“Someone was here.”
“How do you know?”
He pointed to the floor.
A small envelope sat near the doorway.
Alina’s heartbeat increased.
Viktor picked it up.
“Do not touch that.”
He looked at her.
“You have touched enough things that were meant to destroy you.”
The words angered her.
“Are you saying I am the problem?”
“No.”
His voice became quieter.
“I am saying someone has been planning this longer than you know.”
He opened the envelope carefully.
Inside was a photograph.
He stared at it.
Then his expression changed.
Alina noticed.
“What is it?”
Viktor did not answer.
She walked closer and took the picture from his hand.
The moment she saw it, her breath disappeared.
It was her.
Standing beside Lucien.
But she did not recognize the location.
They looked happy.
Not the fake happiness people showed for cameras.
Real happiness.
Lucien was smiling.
Not his usual small expression.
A real smile.
And Alina was laughing.
She touched the picture.
“When was this?”
Viktor watched her.
“Before the accident.”
“That is impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because I do not remember this.”
Those words came out before she could stop them.
She stared at the picture.
Her own face.
Her own smile.
But no memory.
How could she forget something like this?
She looked at Viktor.
“What is happening to me?”
He took a moment before answering.
“That is what we need to find out.”
A strange fear entered her.
Not fear of dying.
She had already experienced that.
Fear of not knowing herself.
She looked at the picture again.
“What else don’t I remember?”
Viktor did not answer.
And that scared her more.
The next morning, Alina left the hidden room.
Viktor gave her a new identity.
A new name.
A new life.
For her safety, he said.
She hated it.
Everything about it.
She hated looking in the mirror and seeing someone who was supposed to be dead.
She hated walking through streets where people knew her face but believed she was gone.
She hated that the world had continued without her.
But most of all, she hated that Lucien had been living while she was forced to hide.
Even though she knew she was alive because of him.
That was the part she could not accept.
For three months, she watched him.
From a distance.
She learned his routine.
She learned his habits.
She learned the things nobody else noticed.
Lucien Voss, the man everyone believed had no emotions, was falling apart.
At first, she thought it was an act.
A performance.
A billionaire husband pretending to mourn his dead wife.
But then she saw something that confused her.
Something that angered her.
Because it looked real.
Every morning, Lucien wore his wedding ring.
A man who wanted to erase his wife would not keep wearing the symbol of their marriage.
She watched him walk into his company building.
He ignored reporters.
Ignored questions.
Ignored everyone.
His assistant, Adrian, followed him closely.
One day, a journalist shouted,
“Mr. Voss, are you planning to remarry?”
Lucien stopped.
For a moment, Alina expected him to ignore the question.
But he turned.
His expression was cold.
“I buried my wife.”
The journalist hesitated.
Lucien looked directly at him.
“I am not replacing her.”
The words hurt.
Alina did not want them to hurt.
She wanted to laugh.
She wanted to tell herself it was an act.
But something inside her reacted.
She remembered the way he used to look at her.
The way he would quietly reach for her hand when nobody was watching.
She hated that she still remembered.
She hated that part of her still missed him.
“Stop thinking like that,” she whispered to herself.
She was sitting inside a car across the street from Voss Corporation.
She looked at the building.
The building that represented everything Lucien had.
Power.
Money.
Control.
And now she wanted to take it away.
Because if Lucien had destroyed her life, she would destroy his.
Even if a small part of her still wondered if he deserved it.
She spent weeks planning.
She studied his company.
His investors.
His business partners.
She found weaknesses.
Places where she could strike without revealing herself.
The first attack was simple.
A business deal worth millions collapsed overnight.
A company that was supposed to merge with Voss Corporation suddenly withdrew.
The news spread quickly.
Everyone wanted to know why.
Inside Voss Corporation, panic started.
Adrian entered Lucien’s office with a tablet in his hand.
“We have a problem.”
Lucien did not look up.
“What kind?”
“The Halston deal is gone.”
That made Lucien raise his eyes.
“Gone?”
“They withdrew.”
“Reason?”
“None given.”
Lucien leaned back.
He was silent.
Adrian studied him.
“You are not surprised.”
Lucien looked at the window.
“No.”
“Why?”
Lucien’s face remained unreadable.
“Because this was planned.”
Adrian frowned.
“By who?”
Lucien did not answer.
A few seconds passed.
Then Adrian spoke again.
“There is something else.”
Lucien looked at him.
“Our investors are nervous.”
“Handle it.”
“They are asking if you are still capable of running the company.”
For the first time, anger appeared in Lucien’s eyes.
But it disappeared quickly.
“They think grief makes me weak.”
Adrian lowered his voice.
“Does it?”
Lucien looked at him.
The question was dangerous.
Because Adrian was one of the few people who knew the truth.
Lucien had not slept properly since the accident.
He had not eaten properly.
He barely spoke.
Every night, he entered the room where Alina’s things remained untouched.
Her books.
Her clothes.
Her perfume.
Everything.
Like she might return.
Like she might open the door and complain that he was being dramatic.
But she never did.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Lucien looked away.
“Find who is doing this.”
Adrian nodded.
“I will.”
He started walking away.
Then Lucien spoke.
“Adrian.”
“Yes?”
“This person knows me.”
Adrian turned.
“What do you mean?”
Lucien’s eyes became darker.
“They know exactly where to hit.”
“So?”
Lucien’s voice became quiet.
“Because they know me too well.”
Adrian understood.
Someone close.
Someone who understood Lucien’s weaknesses.
Someone who knew his past.
Someone who knew about Alina.
The thought was dangerous.
“Do you think it is connected to her?”
Lucien did not answer.
But he did not need to.
Adrian knew.
Everything always came back to Alina.
Meanwhile, Alina watched the news.
She saw the damage.
She saw Lucien’s company losing millions.
She expected satisfaction.
She expected happiness.
But she felt something else.
A strange emptiness.
Because when the news showed Lucien entering the company, he did not look angry.
He looked tired.
Broken.
Like the attack did not matter.
Like he had already lost something bigger.
She hated that.
She wanted him to suffer.
Not like this.
Not in a way that made her feel guilty.
She turned off the television.
“He deserves this.”
She said it aloud.
But the room remained silent.
And the silence made her question herself.
Viktor entered the room.
“You are hesitating.”
Alina looked at him.
“No, I am not.”
“You are.”
She stood.
“You do not know me.”
“I know revenge.”
His words stopped her.
“You think hurting him will heal you.”
“And you think protecting him will save me?”
Viktor said nothing.
That silence annoyed her.
“Tell me something.”
She stepped closer.
“Did Lucien know I was alive?”
Viktor looked away.
That was enough.
Her heart started racing.
“You know.”
“Alina.”
“Answer me.”
He remained silent.
Her anger grew.
“Did he know?”
Finally, Viktor said,
“I do not know everything.”
“But you know something.”
“Yes.”
She waited.
“He suspected.”
The room became still.
Alina felt something painful.
“He suspected?”
“Yes.”
“And he still let me stay hidden?”
Viktor looked at her.
“You do not understand.”
“No, explain it to me.”
Her voice cracked.
“My husband thought I was alive, and he did nothing?”
“He was trying to protect you.”
“By letting me believe he betrayed me?”
Viktor had no answer.
That was the problem.
There was always another explanation.
Another secret.
Another reason.
Alina hated it.
She wanted the truth to be simple.
She wanted Lucien to be guilty.
She wanted to hate him without doubt.
But doubt was becoming stronger.
That night, she made her decision.
She would not just attack his company.
She would find the truth.
And if Lucien was guilty, she would destroy him herself.
The next attack was bigger.
A major investor pulled out.
The company’s stock dropped.
News channels reported that Voss Corporation was facing its biggest crisis.
Everyone waited for Lucien’s reaction.
But when the cameras caught him leaving the building, he only said one sentence.
“Find whoever is behind this.”
A reporter shouted,
“Mr. Voss, do you believe this is connected to your wife’s death?”
Lucien stopped.
Alina froze when she heard the question.
Because Lucien’s face changed.
Just slightly.
But she saw it.
Pain.
Then he answered.
“Yes.”
The reporter continued.
“Do you think someone wanted her gone?”
Lucien looked at the cameras.
And his next words shocked everyone.
“I know someone did.”
Alina stared at the screen.
Her heart was beating faster.
She expected anger.
She expected denial.
But then Lucien said something else.
Something that made her world stop.
“Because Alina is alive.”
The phone in her hand fell.
The room became silent.
Lucien knew.
He knew she survived.
Her breathing became uneven.
For three months, she believed she was hiding from him.
She believed she was escaping him.
But now she realized something terrifying.
Maybe Lucien had known where she was all along.
Maybe he had been waiting.
Maybe he had allowed her to hate him.
Alina slowly stood.
Her hands shaking.
A million questions filled her mind.
Why did he let her go?
Why did he let her believe he was her enemy?
And the question that scared her the most...
If Lucien knew she was alive, why had he never come for her?
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She stared at it.
Every instinct told her not to answer.
But she did.
A familiar voice came through.
“Alina.”
She stopped breathing.
She knew that voice.
She had heard it every day before everything fell apart.
Lucien.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
“How did you get this number?”
There was silence.
Then his voice came.
Broken.
Quiet.
“I have been waiting for you to call me.”
Her heart twisted.
“Why?”
Another silence.
Then Lucien said the words she never expected.
“Because I knew you would come back for revenge.”
Alina froze.
“And I knew revenge was the only way you would look for the truth.”
She closed her eyes.
Anger and confusion fought inside her.
“You let me hate you.”
“Yes.”
The answer was immediate.
That hurt more.
“Why?”
Lucien’s voice became softer.
“Because if you hated me, you would stay away from me.”
“And if I loved you?”
A long silence.
Then he answered.
“That would have made you a target.”
Alina felt tears burning her eyes.
She hated him.
She missed him.
She did not know which feeling was worse.
Before she could respond, Lucien spoke again.
“Alina.”
“What?”
His voice changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the fear from the accident.
Something else.
“Someone knows you are alive.”
Her blood went cold.
“What do you mean?”
The line went silent for a moment.
Then Lucien whispered.
“They are coming for you.”
The call ended.
Alina stared at the phone.
And for the first time since waking up in that hidden room, she realized something.
Maybe she had never been running from Lucien.
Maybe she had been running from the person who buried her alive.ype your text or you can copy the content of the file which suffixed. ’doc’ or ’.txt’ to here. The content must be 200 words at least
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