Chapter 5
660 Words
Kaycee Reed had always believed her secret was safe.
For nine years, no one had known that she was Dawn.
The mysterious painter whose work had captivated the world before suddenly disappearing without a trace.
No interviews.
No photographs.
No public appearances.
Nothing.
Dawn had simply vanished.
And Kaycee intended to keep it that way.
What she didn't know—
Was that someone had known all along.
Adrian Morales.
Ethan's elder brother.
Across the city, Adrian stood inside his private office, staring at a painting hanging on the wall.
It was one of Dawn's earliest works.
A quiet field beneath a pale morning sky.
Simple.
Beautiful.
But Adrian hadn't bought it because Dawn was famous.
He had bought it because he knew the girl behind the signature.
His fingers brushed against the frame.
Nine years.
He had kept her secret for nine years.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Kaycee had always been good at hiding things.
But not from him.
He remembered the first time he saw her painting.
They had still been in high school.
She had been sitting beneath a tree, her uniform slightly stained with paint, completely focused on the canvas in front of her.
She hadn't noticed him watching.
And Adrian hadn't said anything.
He simply stood there.
Watching her create something beautiful.
Back then, she had been bright.
Ambitious.
Full of dreams.
And completely unaware that Adrian Morales had fallen in love with her long before she ever noticed him.
Unfortunately for him—
Someone else had noticed her first.
His younger brother.
Ethan.
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
The day Kaycee accepted Ethan as her boyfriend was the same day Dawn disappeared.
Adrian had noticed.
Of course he had.
But he never said anything.
He never questioned her.
Because Kaycee's happiness had mattered more to him than his own feelings.
Even if it meant watching her choose his younger brother.
His phone vibrated.
Adrian glanced at the screen.
A message.
She's out.
His expression changed.
Kaycee.
After five years, she was finally free.
Adrian had known the exact date of her release.
He had wanted to be there.
He had wanted to stand outside those gates and bring her home himself.
But he didn't.
Not yet.
Five years ago, Kaycee had lost enough.
The last thing she needed was another Morales standing in front of her.
Especially him.
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
Unlike Ethan, Adrian had never doubted Kaycee's innocence.
Not once.
Something about the entire situation had never felt right.
Kaycee wasn't perfect.
But she wasn't capable of what they accused her of.
He had known that.
Yet knowing wasn't enough.
He hadn't been able to save her.
That was the one thing he would never forgive himself for.
Adrian stood and walked toward the window.
His reflection stared back at him.
People often found it amusing that Adrian was Ethan's elder brother.
Because Adrian didn't look older.
If anything, he looked younger.
His features were sharper, yet more refined than Ethan's. He carried himself with an effortless elegance that Ethan lacked.
Where Ethan was intimidating and cold, Adrian was composed.
Controlled.
Dangerously calm.
And undeniably handsome.
But Adrian had never cared much about appearances.
Not when there had always been one woman he couldn't forget.
Kaycee Reed.
He looked toward the painting once more.
Dawn.
His secret.
Her secret.
Nine years ago, he had promised himself something.
As long as Kaycee was happy, he would remain silent.
Even if she chose Ethan.
Even if it destroyed him to watch.
But things had changed.
Kaycee wasn't happy anymore.
And Adrian was done standing in the shadows.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
For nine years, he had watched from a distance.
For five years, he had waited.
Perhaps it was finally time for Kaycee Reed to discover something.
She wasn't the only one with secrets.
And Adrian Morales?
He had been keeping his feelings hidden for far too long.
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