Chapter 2 - THE LIE IN THE HALLWAY|
I turned toward the stairs, my chest tight.
"I'll come upstairs soon," Adrian called out softly behind me.
"Take care of your emergency," I said without looking back.
At 12:26, he still hadn't come upstairs. At 12:41, I heard footsteps outside the master bedroom. Then a woman's soft voice.
I opened the heavy oak door. Vanessa stood near the grand staircase. Barefoot. Hair damp.
And wearing an oversized black dress shirt.
I recognized it immediately. It was Adrian's custom linen shirt—the one he had worn to dinner two nights ago.
She froze. So did I.
For two seconds, neither of us spoke. Then Vanessa looked down at herself.
"Oh," she murmured.
"That's Adrian's shirt," I said, my voice dead even.
She touched the collar softly. "Yes."
"Why are you wearing it?"
"My clothes were wet."
"There are twenty guest robes downstairs in the spa wing, Vanessa."
"I wanted something comfortable," she replied softly.
"And somehow you ended up in my boyfriend's shirt?"
Silence stretched between us. Then Vanessa smiled faintly. "Adrian gave it to me."
Something cold settled behind my ribs. I didn't raise my voice. I didn't yell for Adrian. I only nodded once.
"Good night, Vanessa."
"Elena, wait," she said, taking a step forward. "I don't want you to misunderstand."
"Then don't create situations that require explanations," I snapped quietly, closing the bedroom door in her face.
Twenty minutes later, Adrian walked into the bedroom. I was sitting against the headboard holding an unread book.
He unclasped his watch, setting it on the nightstand. "You're still awake."
"Your ex-fiancée is walking around our house in your shirt," I said.
Adrian stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"
His reaction was immediate and genuine. I watched his eyes narrow in sudden rage.
"You didn't give it to her," I stated.
"No," he said, his voice dropping an octave.
"She said you did."
"I didn't," he growled.
"I believe you," I said, setting my book down.
May you like
That caught him off guard. "You do?"
"Yes. But it doesn't matter, Adrian. Because she knew she could walk into our private quarters, take your clothes, and lie to my face—all because you brought her into my home without my consent."
