Chapter 56 SHOCKING TRUTH
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ADELINE
The dimly lit room was filled with an unsettling silence, broken only by the faint sound of breathing. The weight of unspoken words hung heavy in the air. I stood frozen, my eyes locked onto the figure sitting on the couch, his head bowed, shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
My breathing was heavier than before as everything finally settled in.
My heart clenched at the sight of him—Vladimir.
He looked so different from the boy I remembered. His once-vibrant energy was now replaced with a heavy stillness, as if the world had drained him of everything but sorrow.
His long hair fell over his face, concealing his expression, but I could see his hands clenched tightly into fists on his lap, the tension in his body evident.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stepped forward, my movements slow, hesitant. My hands slightly trembled but I inhaled sharply and calmed my racing heart. I lowered myself onto my knees in front of him, reaching for his hand, my fingers curling around his in a gentle but firm grasp.
I gave it a reassuring squeeze, my touch warm against his cold skin.
“Vladimir,” I called softly.
He didn’t move. Didn’t look up. He did not had the courage.
My brows furrowed in concern. I let go of his hand and reached up instead, cradling his face between my palms. His skin felt so rough making me think if he lived okay without me.
My thumbs brushed against his cheekbones as I tilted his face up, forcing him to meet my gaze.
The moment our eyes met, my breath hitched.
Tears.his eyes red from holding back his emotions. Emotions that he wanted to let go of from a long time ago.
Tears streamed silently down his cheeks, carving invisible paths down his worn, battle-hardened face. He looked broken, lost. A boy who had been forced to become something else—something darker, something wounded.
I inhaled sharply, my own eyes stinging, but I refused to let my emotions break me. Instead, I smiled softly, a warmth only meant for him.
“Welcome back, my baby brother.”
At those words, Vladimir’s control shattered.
With a ragged breath, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around me in a desperate embrace. I gasped at the suddenness, but I wasted no time in holding him just as tightly, my hands pressing against his back as if to shield him from the world.
His body trembled against mine.
“I thought I lost you,” he choked out, his voice broken between sobs.
“I missed you so much, Adeline.”
My heart twisted painfully. I ran a soothing hand up and down his back, whispering soft reassurances.
“I’m here, Vladimir. I’m right here.”
I felt eyes on us—people watching, observing—but I ignored them. Right now, nothing mattered but my brother.
Pulling back just enough to see his face, I cupped his cheeks again, my gaze scanning him with concern.
“Are you okay? You should have told me before coming—”
But he shook his head firmly.
“No. I’m here with a purpose.”
Something in his voice made me pause. A purpose? What had he gone through?
As I studied him, my fingers instinctively pushed back the strands of his long, unkempt hair—and that’s when I saw it.
A scar.
A deep, jagged mark running across his eye.
My breath caught in my throat, my fingers hovering over the wound but not touching it. My eyes enlarged in shock. What happened to him-
Vladimir immediately lowered his gaze, turning his face away as if ashamed. His hand came up to cover it, but I grabbed his wrist before he could hide.
My voice was barely above a whisper.
“How did this happen?”
He didn’t answer.
My grip on him tightened.
“Did they hurt you?” My tone was sharper now, filled with barely contained anger. Whoever dared to touch him would pay for this.
Instead of replying, Vladimir pulled me into another embrace, his silence speaking volumes.
Before I could press him further, a voice—soft yet laced with pain—broke through the moment.
“They tortured him.”
My body stiffened, my grip on my brother tightening.
Slowly, I turned toward the voice, my blood running cold at the implications of those words.
The room felt heavier now, the air thick with tension. Vladimir still clung to me, his breathing uneven against my shoulder, but my attention shifted as the woman who had spoken took a cautious step forward.
She was tall, with dark auburn hair cascading over her shoulders and piercing blue eyes that carried the weight of something deep—pain, knowledge, perhaps both.
“Eva,” she introduced herself softly, her voice steady despite the grim atmosphere.
My gaze sharpened.
“Eva,” I repeated, testing the name on my tongue.
“Tell me—who did this to my brother? How did this happen?”
I needed answers. I needed to know what was happening in all those past years when I was not there, when I was not informed. I needed to know who had dared to put their hands on Vladimir, who had left him scarred, both inside and out.
Eva hesitated. Her lips parted, but before she could speak—
Thud.
A single footstep echoed.
Then another.
And another.
The sound was measured, deliberate, powerful.
Eva stiffened, her entire demeanor shifting, and without a word, she took a cautious step back. A shadow stretched across the dimly lit room, creeping closer. My heartbeat quickened.
And then—
A deep, rich voice cut through the silence, smooth yet laced with something dark.
“Leonardo tortured him.”
I froze. The name-
My eyes widened as my mind registered the name. Leonardo.
Luciano’s brother.
A storm of emotions crashed into me at once—shock, disbelief, fury. But before I could react, the figure behind the voice stepped fully into the light.
My breath hitched.
He was tall, exuding an aura of power and command. Blond hair, slightly tousled, yet effortlessly refined. His green eyes gleamed with something unreadable—mischief, calculation, danger. The kind of danger that came with a charming smile and a wicked heart.
That very smile now curved on his lips as he took another step toward me, his presence demanding attention.
“Charles Claude,” he introduced himself, inclining his head slightly, the gesture almost polite—almost.
His voice was smooth like silk, yet there was something sinister beneath it, something that sent a chill down my spine.
I didn’t move, my mind reeling.
Who was this man?
And why did he seem so pleased by all of this?