Chapter 66 THE LAST GOODBYE
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ADELINE
I took a deep breath, the cool night air filling my lungs as I placed a steadying hand on the open car door. The hard part was done now I had to face the hardest one yet I knew I could do it.
The mansion loomed behind me, its towering structure casting a long shadow under the dim glow of the estate lights. The mansion I once called my home was nothing in my eyes now but a mere architect that I had to burn down.
I could feel Vladimir’s eyes on me, his concern tangible in the air between us.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice low but firm. His grip on my wrist was firm as If he hated to let go of me once again.
I turned to face him, my expression unreadable. I wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion settling in my bones or the storm of emotions swirling in my chest, but I knew one thing—this was the end of something.
“I’m coming,” I said softly, nodding once, as if that alone could reassure him.
Vladimir hesitated. His dark eyes searched mine, looking for something—doubt, hesitation, an opening to stop me. But there was nothing.
I had already made up my mind.
Nothing was stronger than the bond I shared with Vladimir.
That’s what I thought.
With a small sigh, he leaned back into the seat, jaw clenched, watching me carefully. The weight of his silence felt like an anchor, but I couldn’t let it hold me back. I had to be logical and not emotional.
Without another word, I shut the door and turned toward the mansion.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
The echoes of my heels against the marble floors sounded ominous, a reminder that this house—this life—was no longer mine.
The corridors, once familiar and warm, felt cold and distant now. The image of my father spending his last moments here, thinking this was his family made me nauseous.
I could almost hear the whispers of my past self in these halls, naïve and trusting.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
With one final breath, I pushed open the heavy wooden doors of Luciano’s office.
The moment I stepped inside, I was met with a sharp, furious glare.
“Where the hell were you?” Luciano’s voice was like a whip—harsh, biting. His entire frame was tense, his usual composed demeanor cracked with anger.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was? You were out there alone, Adeline!”
I stared at him for a moment, my heart pounding. Was he being serious? Then, I scoffed. Acting.
“You were worried?” I repeated, disbelief lacing every syllable.
Luciano’s brows furrowed, his sharp blue eyes narrowing as if trying to read me.
“Of course, I was. You disappeared without a word. Anything could have happened to you.”
A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat.
The sheer audacity of him.
“You don’t get to be worried about me, Luciano,” I said, my voice sharp, cutting.
“Not after everything you’ve done. Not after everything I know now.”
He stepped forward, his gaze darkening.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I shook my head, exhaling sharply.
“I was stupid before,” I said, my voice quieter now, more controlled.
“Blind. I trusted you. I trusted all of you.” I met his eyes, unwavering.
“But I know the truth now. I know what’s right and what’s wrong.”
Luciano’s jaw tightened.
“Adeline, stop this. What are you even talking about!? ” His patience was thinning, his words now laced with something dangerously close to desperation.
“You don’t understand—”
“Do you have a past with Elena?” I asked suddenly, cutting him off.
His entire body went rigid. I could see that he did not expect me to bring this up or maybe he was shocked to know that I found out.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. A silence so thick it pressed against my chest, making it harder to breathe.
His expression shifted, his anger momentarily replaced by something else. Shock. Hesitation. Guilt.
“How did you find out?” he asked, his voice lower now, cautious.
I let out a humorless laugh. I was in disbelief.
“You thought I wouldn’t?” I challenged.
“That I’d just keep living in the dark while you played me like a fool?”
Luciano’s fists clenched at his sides. His entire posture changed—tense, alert, like a predator realizing it had just been cornered.
“Adeline,” he warned.
I shook my head, stepping back.
“No. Don’t you dare try to control this narrative,” I snapped.
“I know the truth, Luciano. I know everything. And the worst part? I let myself believe you. I let myself think you were different. That maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t just another pawn in whatever twisted game you and your family are playing.”
Luciano closed the distance between us in two quick strides, his fingers wrapping around my arm, gripping it just tight enough to make my pulse spike. Tears brimmed my eyes but I refused to let him see my weak side.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, his voice a mixture of anger and something dangerously close to pleading.
“Why are you throwing everything away?”
I yanked my arm free, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Because I finally see things for what they are,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.
“I’m done, Luciano.”
His expression hardened instantly.
“What?”
“I’m done being controlled. Done being manipulated by the people I trusted—by the people I called my family,”
I said, forcing the lump in my throat down. Yes, I was done.
“It’s over. I don’t want to have anything to do with any of you.”
His silence was deafening.
My hands curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. I could feel the heat behind my eyes, the stinging sensation of unshed tears. But I refused to let them fall. How could I be betrayed by him but the world, our world is not trusted.
Luciano inhaled sharply, tilting his head slightly. His piercing gaze locked onto mine, studying me, calculating.
Then, after a long pause, his lips curled into something cruel.
“You think you can just walk away from this, Adeline?” His voice was softer now, but the threat beneath it was unmistakable.
“You step out of here, and you will regret it.”
I swallowed, keeping my chin high despite the way my stomach twisted at his words. His tone was warning.
“You don’t own me, Luciano,” I said.
His eyes flashed.
“I never said I did,” he murmured.
“But you know as well as I do—you can’t just leave. Not without consequences.”
I squared my shoulders.
“Try and stop me.”
Something shifted in his gaze, something dangerous, almost amused.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing,” he said, shaking his head.
“You don’t know what’s waiting for you out there.”
“Anything is better than this,” I shot back.
He took another step forward, his presence overwhelming, suffocating.
“ who’s even manipulating you now for taking such a step?” he asked, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
“Vladimir? Anyone else? They can’t. You leave, and you’re alone. No protection. No safety net. No one to catch you when you fall.”
My throat tightened, but I forced herself to hold his gaze.
“Then I’ll fall,” I said.
Luciano exhaled slowly, shaking his head.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“So did I, the day I trusted you.”
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The silence was painful even ripping us both but no one dared to sat a word.
Then, finally, Luciano stepped back, his expression unreadable.
“Fine,” he said, his voice eerily calm.
“If that’s what you want but I wont let you go away”