Chapter 32 The Beginning of Aveline’s Story
The campus courtyard began to buzz with students passing by, yet Aveline and Ezra remained seated in silence. Beneath the pale morning sky, something fragile and dangerous was forming between them.
Ezra spoke first.
“Aveline… I need to know something about Adrian.”
His tone wasn't accusatory, but it wasn't entirely neutral either.
“What do you want to know?” Aveline asked cautiously.
“How did you meet him. How did you two end up married?”
Aveline fell silent. The question, which should have been simple, now felt like opening a box full of glass shards.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked back.
Ezra stared at her for a long time. Then, slowly, he said, “Because I’m going to tell you a secret. But first, I need to know how deeply you are tied to Adrian. And how you came to be tied to him.”
Aveline’s heart beat faster. “A secret about what?”
“Selina.”
The name hung in the air like the scent of gunpowder.
Aveline swallowed hard. Part of her wanted to back away and pretend she hadn’t come to campus. But she had gone too far.
“Fine,” she said at last. “I’ll tell you. But you must promise to tell me everything, without hiding anything else.”
Ezra nodded. “I promise.”
Aveline was quiet for a moment. She took a deep breath while watching the tree leaves sway gently in the wind. Her memories flew back to the past, when she was still young and naive.
“I met Adrian… a few years ago,” Aveline began. “In a small cafe near the station.”
Ezra sharpened his attention.
“It was raining heavily that day. I had just graduated and was looking for a job, and my phone was dead. I was sitting in the corner of the cafe, trying to figure out how to get home, when a man came over and offered me a charger.”
Aveline smiled bitterly at the memory.
“He was polite. Too polite, perhaps. We talked, and somehow, the conversation just flowed naturally. About books, music, and trivial things. But it felt comfortable, as if we had known each other before.”
Ezra said nothing.
“A few days later, we met again. Then again. Adrian was very… attentive. He knew when to listen and when to speak. Within two weeks, he knew everything about me.”
“And did you know everything about him?” Ezra asked softly.
Aveline hesitated. “I thought so.”
She took a breath. “He said he once lost someone he loved very much. He didn’t mention a name. He only said that his life had been empty since then. I… I felt pity. Perhaps I felt needed, too. But at the time... I thought he was talking about his mother, because later I found out he no longer had parents.”
Ezra shifted in his seat.
“Everything happened so fast,” Aveline continued. “Within three months, we were living together. Six months after that, he proposed.”
“Without hesitation?”
Aveline smiled wryly. “I was the one who hesitated. But he always had a way of making me believe. He said life was too short to delay happiness.”
Ezra looked at the ground. “And you believed him.”
“Yes,” Aveline nodded. “I fell in love.”
The wind rustled softly. In the distance, the faint sound of students laughing could be heard.
“After we got married…” Aveline’s voice dropped. “Adrian started to change a bit. Not drastically. But a distance grew. It was as if a part of him was always closed off from me.”
“And Liam?” Ezra asked.
Aveline tensed. Ezra saw Aveline nervously squeeze the hem of her coat.
“We were happy since Liam was born, like any normal small family. But... an accident took everything. And since then... he changed. It’s like he blamed himself, his life, his choices, and... me.”
Ezra looked at her. “May I know what kind of accident you had?”
Aveline closed her eyes for a moment. “We were on vacation. Adrian promised Liam he would take us on a trip when he was off work. At first, there were no signs of anything wrong, until suddenly the car's brakes failed. The accident happened so fast, and I blacked out instantly. When I woke up...”
Aveline caught her breath, unable to continue.
“Liam was gone,” Ezra added softly.
“I woke up in the hospital and immediately became hysterical when the doctor told me. And what hurts more... Adrian has never discussed it to this day.”
Ezra clenched his fists. “What about Selina? Did you know that Adrian, your husband, knew her?”
“Never,” Aveline answered faintly. “He always said the past is poison.”
Ezra let out a long breath. “Then he really is that wicked.”
Aveline turned. “But I know. Some time ago, I came across a photo of Adrian and Selina from their youth. Adrian was angry at first, but he finally admitted that Selina was just his past.”
“Just the past, which he needs to bury deep. Is that it?” Ezra replied coldly.
Aveline frowned, not understanding the anger Ezra was showing.
“What’s wrong, Ezra? Now it’s your turn. You promised to tell me your secret, didn’t you? What actually happened between Selina, Adrian, and you?”
Ezra looked hesitant, as if weighing whether his next words would drop too large a bomb. He took a long breath to summon his courage.
“I will,” he said at last. “But you must know one thing first.”
“What?”
Ezra looked at her directly. “Adrian didn't just know Selina. He… was far more involved in her life than you could ever imagine.”
Aveline’s chest tightened. “What do you mean?”
Ezra opened his mouth, then closed it again. “I can't say everything yet. Not now. But what you told me about your meeting with him… about how fast everything happened…”
He shook his head slowly. “That was no coincidence.”
Aveline froze. “Are you accusing him of approaching me on purpose?”
“I’m not accusing,” Ezra said softly. “I’m suspecting.”
The word felt sharper than an accusation.
“I just want you to know that Adrian is a man who is very clever at creating his own version of reality.”
Aveline hugged her own arms. “You still haven't told me your secret.”
Ezra looked at her with eyes that seemed older than his years. “I will. But after this.”
“After what?”
“After you are truly ready to hear it.”
Aveline wanted to be angry, but instead, fear arose.
“Ezra,” she said, her voice almost trembling. “If you know something about Selina and Adrian, you have no right to keep it to yourself. He’s my husband, and I have the right to know everything about him.”
Ezra nodded slowly. “I will tell you. But not here,” he finally said, looking around warily. “There are many eyes watching and many ears listening. We will meet another time in a different place. I’ll let you know later.”
“But...”
Before Aveline could finish, Ezra had already stood up and walked away. Aveline could only watch in silence as the young man’s back moved further and further away. Ezra hadn’t said anything yet. Instead, he had only raised greater suspicion and more questions in Aveline’s mind.