Chapter 16 Must get her back
Adrian’s POV
The first thing I felt was a sharp jab against my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the soft glow from the chandelier above.
Vivian stood at the edge of the bed, her reflection flashing briefly in the mirror as she untied her coat.
“You’re still asleep?” she snapped, tossing her designer purse onto the dresser. “It’s almost midnight, Adrian.”
Her voice grated on my half-awake mind. My head still carried the weight of yesterday—Kayla’s face, her voice, the calm firmness in her tone when she told me to go back to my wife.
Vivian was talking again, something about the rehearsal. I caught fragments—“runway position,” “lights were too harsh,” “Monique got chosen again”—but my mind was elsewhere.
When we first got married, I’d thought her dream of becoming a famous model was charming. I could still remember her sitting on the couch, flipping through fashion magazines and talking about walking the runway in Paris someday. I had smiled back then, believing in her, investing thousands into agencies, stylists, photographers—everything.
Now, as I watched her remove her earrings and chatter about how the camera guy was flirting with her, regret curdled in my chest.
I had built her dream, but it was mine that had collapsed.
Vivian turned toward me. “Are you even listening?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.
“No, you’re not.” Her tone sharpened. “You’ve been weird since that stupid inauguration ceremony.”
My chest tightened at the mention. She dropped her dress to the floor, standing there in lingerie that I once thought was irresistible. But now, I felt… nothing. Just exhaustion.
“I know what’s going on in that head of yours,” she continued. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer.
“Don’t pretend, Adrian. I saw the way you looked at Kayla…like she hung the stars and you’ve been waiting for her to light up your pathetic sky again.”
I sighed, dragging myself off the bed. “Vivian, not tonight.”
“Why not tonight?” she demanded, stepping closer. “Because you’re guilty? Or because you wish you could trade me back for her?”
Her words struck something deep, but I swallowed hard. “You’re imagining things.”
Vivian let out a short, bitter laugh. “Am I? Then why can’t you even touch me anymore?”
I turned my back to her and headed for the door. She threw a pillow after me; it hit the doorframe before falling to the floor.
“Coward!” she yelled.
I ignored her, stepping into the dimly lit living room. The quiet there was suffocating. I walked around the sleek furniture, noticing the empty spot on the wall where the Control4 panel used to be…the smart home device that once impressed our friends. I’d sold it two weeks ago to clear a debt. Vivian still thought it was “under maintenance.”
I leaned against the counter, rubbing my face with both hands. My mind replayed Kayla’s words at the restaurant. Her eyes had been sharp, unreadable. Every time I’d tried to justify my past, she’d cut through my excuses like a blade.
I’d told myself I was just apologizing for Vivian’s behavior, but deep down, I wanted Kayla to see I’d changed. I wanted her to see the man she’d once believed in—only to realize that man was gone.
A dry laugh escaped my throat. “If only I’d known,” I muttered under my breath.
If I’d known she’d rise like that… that she’d turn her pain into power, I’d never have let her go.
But that wasn’t the truth, was it? I hadn’t left her because I thought she couldn’t survive. I’d left her because I was weak. Because Vivian had made me feel admired when I was tired of feeling challenged.
The air in the room thickened with guilt and frustration.
I walked toward the balcony, sliding open the glass door. The night was cold and silent, the city lights blinking like distant stars. I stepped out, resting my palms on the railing, the wind brushing against my face.
And like it always did when I was alone, my mind drifted backward…to my father.
The memory of our last argument burned as vividly as ever.
“Tech?” he’d thundered across the long dining table. “You want to take our resources and throw them into gadgets?”
“It’s not gadgets,” I’d argued. “It’s innovation. Security tech is the future.”
“We’re in private military, Adrian!” he barked. “We build security through men, not machines.”
I had been so sure of myself back then. I’d said I just wanted to expand the family empire…to give it a modern face. He’d reluctantly agreed to fund the first phase, believing it would fail quickly enough to bring me crawling back. But I hadn’t failed, not at first.
Then, when I’d begun pouring more money into it, expanding too fast, they’d started to pull back. Uncles, cousins, all whispering that I’d gone rogue.
I’d walked out on them that day, and I hadn’t spoken to my father since.
Now, I was realizing how foolish that pride had been.
The vibration of my phone snapped me back to the present. The caller ID was hidden.
I frowned but answered anyway. “Yes?”
A deep voice spoke on the other end, calm and steady.
“It’s done. Get ready.”
Before I could say anything, the line went dead.
I lowered the phone slowly, my chest tightening. It’s done.
Those two words could mean anything—but I knew exactly what they referred to. I just didn’t want to admit it out loud.
My pulse quickened as I moved back inside. I sat on the edge of the couch, fingers tapping against my knee. Then I picked up my phone again and typed a message to my lawyer.
The location I sent before. Pick up the files. Don’t delay.
I hit send and set the phone down beside me.
Silence filled the room once more, and in that silence, her face came back to me.
Kayla Brookes.
Her voice echoed in my head: “You weren’t stupid, Adrian. It was just what you wanted.”
I clenched my fists. No, that wasn’t true. He hadn’t wanted this emptiness. He hadn’t wanted to end up with a wife who made his blood boil every time she spoke. He hadn’t wanted to watch the woman he truly loved climb to the top without him.
“I’ll get her back,” I muttered.
The words came out louder than I’d expected. I rose to my feet, staring at my reflection in the dark glass of the window. My own eyes looked back at me…tired, determined, and dangerous.
“I’ll get her back,” I repeated, firmer this time. “Either conventionally… or otherwise.”
The wind howled outside, carrying his words into the night.