Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Sleep didn’t come easily that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, the message replayed in my mind—Welcome back, Elena. I’ve missed you.
It wasn’t the words that terrified me. It was the familiarity behind them. The confidence. Whoever sent it knew me. Knew enough to believe they still had access.
I lay on my side, staring at the faint glow of the city beyond the curtains of the guest room Adrian had insisted I use. He hadn’t pressured me to stay the night. He never did. He simply said, You don’t have to face tonight alone, and something in me had agreed before my mind could object.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Come in,” I said quietly.
Adrian stepped inside, dressed casually now—no suit, no armor. Just a black shirt, sleeves rolled up, revealing scars I hadn’t noticed before. He leaned against the doorframe, studying me like he was deciding whether to cross a line.
“You’re not sleeping,” he said.
“Neither are you.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “Fair.”
He moved closer, stopping a respectful distance away. “Tell me about the number.”
I exhaled slowly. “There’s someone from my past. Before Daniel. Before everything.” I hesitated. “He didn’t like losing control.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Name?”
“I don’t know if saying it gives him power,” I admitted. “But he knows I’m back in the city. That means he’s watching.”
“That won’t happen without my knowing,” Adrian said calmly.
“That’s what scares me,” I whispered. “You say things like that so easily.”
He softened then, crouching slightly so we were eye level. “Elena, I don’t protect people to own them. I protect them because I choose to.”
My throat burned.
I looked away first. “I don’t want to be another obligation.”
“You’re not,” he said. “You’re a decision.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy with everything we weren’t saying.
I stood up slowly, wrapping my arms around myself. “Daniel used to say things like that. Before he stopped choosing me.”
Adrian didn’t rush to contradict me. Instead, he said, “Then don’t take my word for it. Watch my actions.”
I turned back to him. “What if I get attached?”
His eyes darkened—not with hunger, but with honesty. “Then I’ll take responsibility for that.”
My heart skipped painfully.
“Adrian…” I started.
He straightened, giving me space again, and that restraint did something dangerous to me. “Get some rest,” he said. “Tomorrow, we take control of the narrative.”
⸻
Morning came with rain and resolve.
By noon, my phone was buzzing nonstop—news blogs, social media whispers, messages from people who had ignored me during my marriage but suddenly remembered my name.
BREAKING: Adrian Blake spotted with mysterious woman amid marriage rumors.
I stared at the screen. “That was fast.”
Adrian glanced over my shoulder. “Good. Let them speculate.”
“You planned this,” I accused lightly.
“I planned visibility,” he corrected. “Not vulnerability.”
A knock interrupted us.
One of his assistants stepped in, tense. “Mr. Blake, there’s someone downstairs asking for Mrs. Carter.”
My stomach dropped. “Who?”
The assistant hesitated. “He says his name is Victor.”
The room went cold.
Adrian’s expression changed instantly. “That’s him.”
I nodded, pulse racing. “He shouldn’t be here.”
“Then he won’t stay long,” Adrian said, already reaching for his jacket.
We descended together.
Victor stood in the lobby like he owned it—tailored coat, lazy smile, eyes that lingered too long. When he saw me, his smile widened.
“Elena,” he drawled. “You look… different.”
I didn’t answer.
He glanced at Adrian. “And you must be the upgrade.”
Adrian stepped slightly in front of me, his presence unmistakably territorial. “State your business.”
Victor laughed. “Relax. I just wanted to welcome her back. We go way back.”
“Yes,” I said coldly. “Back to a version of my life I buried.”
His gaze sharpened. “You always did like dramatics.”
Adrian didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. “You have ten seconds to leave before this becomes a security issue.”
Victor’s eyes flicked between us, calculation replacing amusement. “Interesting choice, Elena. You always did trade danger for power.”
He leaned in just enough to whisper, “We’re not finished.”
Then he walked out.
I exhaled shakily, adrenaline crashing through me.
Adrian turned to me immediately. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, though my hands were trembling.
He didn’t ask permission this time. He pulled me into his arms—solid, grounding, real. I rested my forehead against his chest, breathing him in.
“I don’t want my past controlling me anymore,” I said.
“Then it won’t,” he replied. “Not while you’re with me.”
I pulled back slightly, looking up at him. “With you… how?”
His eyes searched mine. “Publicly. Intentionally. As my partner.”
My heart pounded. “You mean—”
“A real date,” he said. “No press. No strategy. Just us.”
I hesitated only a second.
“Yes,” I said.
Something unspoken shifted between us.
Whatever this was becoming, it was no longer just revenge.
And I had the terrifying feeling that for the first time since my marriage collapsed, I was walking toward something instead of running from it.