The car sped through the darkness, but Elena's mind was somewhere else.
Back there.
With him.
Gunshots.
The red dot on his chest.
The way he pushed her away—
Not like a man using her…
But like a man making sure she lived.
Her fingers tightened around the torn fabric of her dress.
"Turn the car around," she said suddenly.
Mara didn't even hesitate.
"No."
Elena's head snapped toward her. "I wasn't asking."
"And I'm not agreeing," Mara replied coldly.
"He's still there," Elena said, her voice rising. "We don't even know if he's alive—"
"He is," Mara cut in.
Elena froze.
"How do you know?"
Mara's grip tightened on the steering wheel.
"Because men like Adrian Blackwood don't die easily."
Not comforting.
Not at all.
Elena's chest tightened.
"Stop the car," she said again, more firmly this time.
"No."
"Mara—"
"If you go back," Mara said sharply, "you walk straight into their hands."
"And if I don't?" Elena shot back. "I just keep running? Keep hiding? Keep trusting strangers who won't even tell me their real name?"
Silence.
The tension snapped.
Mara slowed the car slightly.
Then—
She slammed the brakes.
The vehicle came to a sudden stop.
Elena's heart jumped.
"Fine," Mara said, turning to her. "You want the truth? Here it is."
Her eyes were sharp now.
Unforgiving.
"You go back there, and best case scenario? You find him alive… and he lies to you again."
Elena's jaw tightened.
"And worst case?" Mara continued.
A pause.
"He was never the one protecting you in the first place."
The words hit hard.
Too hard.
Elena's chest rose and fell unevenly.
"No…" she whispered.
But her voice lacked conviction.
Mara leaned closer.
"You think it's a coincidence he found you tonight?" she asked. "That he just happened to know where you were? That everything lined up perfectly for him to step in and play the hero?"
Elena's mind raced.
The ballroom.
The call.
The timing.
Too perfect.
Her heart skipped.
"No…" she said again, but this time—
It sounded like a question.
Mara leaned back.
"That's not protection," she said quietly. "That's control."
Silence filled the car.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Elena looked down at her hands.
Shaking.
Everything was slipping again.
Nothing felt real.
Nothing felt certain.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Barely there.
But unmistakable.
Click.
Elena's head snapped up.
Mara frowned slightly.
"What was that?"
Before either of them could move—
A voice came from the back seat.
Cold.
Calm.
Very familiar.
"You really should lock your doors."
Elena's heart stopped.
Slowly—
She turned.
And there he was.
Adrian Blackwood.
Sitting in the back seat like he had been there the entire time.
Unharmed.
Untouched.
Alive.
Her breath caught.
"Adrian…?"
Mara's reaction was instant.
She reached for something under her seat—
But Adrian was faster.
"Don't," he said.
Just one word.
But it froze her completely.
His gaze shifted to Elena.
Sharp.
Focused.
Unreadable.
"You run fast," he said.
Her chest tightened.
"You're alive…" she whispered.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Disappointed?"
The words stung.
"No," she said quickly. "I just—"
"You left," he cut in.
Silence.
The air shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Elena swallowed hard.
"You told me to run."
A pause.
Then—
"And you listened."
Something in his tone made her chest tighten.
That wasn't praise.
That wasn't relief.
It sounded like… disappointment.
Mara let out a quiet scoff.
"Unbelievable," she muttered. "You just don't die, do you?"
Adrian's eyes flicked to her.
Cold.
Deadly.
"No," he said simply.
The car felt smaller now.
Tighter.
Like there was no air left.
"Get out of the car," Adrian said.
Mara didn't move.
"Make me."
A dangerous silence followed.
Elena's heart pounded violently.
"Stop," she said quickly. "Both of you."
Neither of them looked at her.
They were staring at each other.
Like enemies.
Like people who knew more than they were saying.
"Mara," Adrian said slowly. "You've already made one mistake tonight."
Her jaw tightened.
"I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be."
The words were quiet.
But lethal.
Elena's chest tightened again.
"Enough!" she snapped.
This time—
They both looked at her.
Finally.
"I'm done being dragged around like I don't exist," she said, her voice shaking but strong. "Someone is going to tell me the truth. Right now."
Silence.
Then—
Adrian leaned forward slightly.
His gaze locked onto hers.
"You're in the middle of something you don't understand," he said.
"I know that," she shot back. "That's why I'm asking!"
Mara let out a short laugh.
"He won't tell you," she said. "He never does."
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"And you will?" he asked her.
Mara didn't answer.
That silence—
Said everything.
Elena's heart dropped.
"So both of you are lying," she said quietly.
Neither of them denied it.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Then I'll ask something simple," she said. "One question."
They both waited.
Elena's voice dropped.
"Who killed my mother?"
The car went silent.
Completely.
Even the air felt frozen.
Mara looked away first.
Adrian didn't.
His gaze stayed locked on Elena.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
A long pause passed.
Then—
"Me."
The word shattered everything.
Elena froze.
Her mind went blank.
Her heart stopped.
"What…?" she whispered.
But Adrian didn't look away.
Didn't take it back.
Didn't soften it.
"I was there," he said.
Her chest tightened so painfully she couldn't breathe.
"You're lying…" she whispered.
But her voice was breaking.
Falling apart.
Mara didn't speak.
Didn't defend him.
Didn't deny it.
And that—
That made it worse.
"I didn't pull the trigger," Adrian continued.
But it didn't matter.
Not anymore.
"I was part of it."
The world tilted.
Elena's vision blurred.
Everything inside her shattered—
Again.
This time—
Worse than before.
Because this wasn't betrayal.
This was something deeper.
Something darker.
Something she didn't know how to survive.
Her lips trembled.
Her voice barely came out.
"You… killed my mother…"
Adrian's eyes didn't leave hers.
"No," he said.
A pause.
Then—
"But I didn't stop it."
Silence.
Deadly.
Unforgiving.
Elena's heart broke completely.
And in that moment—
She realized something terrifying.
The man she was tied to…
The man she was married to…
Might be the very reason her life was destroyed.
To be continued… 🔥