Chapter 83 Dad...

Chapter 83 Dad...
Raven's POV

I woke to the rise and fall of something hard beneath my head. I slowly opened my eyes and raised my head to look at a sleeping Adrian.

One of his arms rested around me while the other was tucked beneath his head. His face looked peaceful, and a faint smile played on my lips as I watched him. After everything we'd been through, waking up beside him felt almost surreal.

My mother was alive. Adrian was right beside me. The thought brought another smile to my lips.

For the first time in months, I felt effortlessly happy. And to top it all off, I finally had a chance to uncover the truth about everything that had been happening to me.

“Ahh.” I sighed, stretching my arms above my head as I carefully sat up, trying not to wake him.

That's when I noticed it.

The door to our bedroom was open.

My brows furrowed. I could have sworn Adrian had locked it before we went to sleep last night. I slipped out of bed and approached it cautiously, peering into the corridor.

But there was nothing.

No guards. No movement. Just the long, empty hallway.

“Adrian,” I whispered.

He slowly stirred, his eyes opening. I watched as his gaze moved around the room before settling on me. Upon seeing the worried look on my face, Adrian immediately sat up.

“What's wrong?” he asked in his deep, morning voice, sending shivers down my spine. I had to remind myself that this wasn't the time or place for such thoughts.

“The door.” I pointed toward it. Adrian's eyes narrowed as he stared at it. “It was already open when I woke up.”

“I locked it last night.”

“I know.” I nodded.

He got out of bed and walked toward me. We stepped into the corridor together, carefully looking around.

Nothing seemed out of place. The lock wasn't damaged, and there were no signs that anyone had forced the door open. Adrian examined the handle.

“Maybe the guards opened it,” he reasoned.

I shook my head. “Then why didn't they wake us?”

He didn't answer. He knew I was right.

We searched the small area around our room, but there was nothing. No footprints, no discarded objects, and no indication that anyone had entered during the night.

Eventually, Adrian sighed.

“Nothing seems out of place, Raven.”

I nodded reluctantly.

We hadn't taken more than a few steps back into the room when a familiar voice came from behind us.

“Well, look at you two.”

We turned.

Aria stood several feet away, her arms folded as she stared at us with an amused smile.

“What are you two snooping around for?”

“We're not snooping,” I replied. I didn't like her one bit. Something about her seemed... off. And no, it wasn't because of what she'd tried to do with Adrian yesterday.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Sure.”

Adrian gave her a flat look.

“Do you always interrogate people so early in the morning?”

“Only the interesting ones.” She winked at him, and I rolled my eyes.

I really didn't like her.

“Come on.” She gestured toward us—or rather, toward Adrian. “Everyone's already in the dining room.”

She turned and walked away without waiting for us.

Adrian glanced at me.

“She's going to be a problem.”

I smiled faintly.

“Yeah.”

We followed her.

The dining room was larger than I expected. A long white table occupied the center of the room, surrounded by chairs. Several plates of food had already been placed on the table, and the other residents were already there.

Dael sat near the end of the table. The moment we entered, his eyes lifted and met mine.

Something flashed across his face.

Jealousy.

His gaze briefly shifted toward Adrian's hand resting against my lower back before his expression hardened. Then he looked away and continued eating as though nothing had happened.

I stared at him for a moment.

I hadn't spoken to Dael since I'd accused him of stalking me. Guilt tugged at my chest.

Maybe I'd been too harsh.

But then again, he had admitted to following me before denying that he'd ever sent the messages.

I still didn't understand him, and I wanted answers. But this wasn't the place. Not with guards surrounding us and cameras probably watching our every move.

More importantly, I had my mother's instructions.

I needed to find the storage room beneath the main research wing.

My eyes swept around the dining room. Guards stood near the exits, with two more stationed outside the doorway. There was no way I could simply walk away, and Adrian certainly wouldn't let me.

I sat beside him.

“Good morning,” Nia said with a smile.

“Good morning.”

Mason leaned forward.

“So, Raven, how long have you known Adrian?”

I glanced at him, confused.

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Just curious.” He popped a piece of salad into his mouth.

Kieran snorted.

“You're terrible at pretending you don't want gossip.”

“I'm not pretending.”

“You've asked them three questions since they sat down.”

Mason ignored him.

“So?”

I smiled faintly. “Long enough.”

Aria snorted from across the table.

“That's not an answer.”

Adrian looked from her to Mason.

“You ask too many questions.”

She grinned. “And you give too few answers.”

She gave him that seductive look again, and I couldn't help stabbing my fork into my food.

I really didn't like her.

Kieran shook his head. “You're going to get yourself punched one day.”

“If it comes from him, then it'll be worth it.” She grinned.

Nia laughed softly, and even Lena smiled.

Mason looked toward Dael.

“And what about you?”

Dael didn't look up from his plate.

“What about me?”

“How long have you known Raven? I mean, you two are twins, right?” He gestured toward Adrian. “You're the exact replicas of each other.”

Dael finally glanced at Adrian, then at me.

“Long enough.”

Kieran burst out laughing.

“Oh, that's hilarious.”

Dael frowned.

“What?”

“You used the exact same answer they used.”

Dael shrugged and continued eating.

I couldn't help smiling.

For a few minutes, the conversation continued. They asked about where we'd come from, how we'd ended up at the facility, and whether we'd been here before. We gave vague answers.

There was something strange about the way they asked questions. It felt less like curiosity and more like they were trying to figure out exactly what we remembered.

Eventually, I pushed my plate away.

“I need to use the bathroom.”

Adrian immediately looked at me.

“I'll come with you.”

I shook my head.

“It's a bathroom, Adrian, and I'm a big girl. I can handle myself.” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I know,” he retorted.

“Then why do you want to come?” I arched a brow.

His expression remained serious.

“Because I don't like you walking around alone here.”

I leaned closer and whispered, “I'll only be a minute.”

He hesitated before finally giving in.

“Fine.”

I placed a kiss on his cheek before walking away. I could feel his eyes following me.

I hated lying to him, but I had no choice. I couldn't find that room with Adrian standing beside me every second.

I walked down the corridor toward the bathroom, keeping my pace casual.

Then I noticed something.

A door stood open farther down the hallway.

There were no guards around it.

I slowed, my heart beginning to beat faster. I glanced behind me.

Nobody was coming.

This was my chance.

I slipped through the doorway. The moment I entered, I realized the corridor continued deeper into the facility.

I remembered my mother's instructions.

Beneath the main research wing. Storage section. A door without a name or identification number. Only a symbol.

I began searching.

The first door had a number.

The second contained medical supplies.

The third was filled with old equipment.

I moved deeper into the corridor, checking each door. My pulse quickened with every passing second.

I found another storage area, but every door had an identification number.

I kept going.

Then I noticed a narrow hallway branching away from the main corridor.

I followed it.

The walls became older, the bright white marble giving way to dull concrete.

Then I found it.

The door had no name or number, and there was a strange symbol etched into the metal.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my mother's ring.

It was warm.

Then it began to glow faintly.

My breath caught.

This was it.

I reached for the handle when suddenly, footsteps echoed from the corridor behind me.

I froze.

Someone was coming.

I quickly looked around and spotted a partially open door nearby. I slipped inside and pulled it almost shut, leaving only a tiny gap.

The footsteps grew louder.

Then came voices.

I held my breath.

“Everything is progressing faster than expected.”

I recognized the scientist's voice.

Another man responded.

“And the subjects?”

“Still stable.”

I slowly moved closer to the opening. Through the gap, I could see a large room filled with equipment and screens.

The scientist stood near a table, speaking to two other men dressed in white. One of them had his back toward me.

Something about him made my stomach twist.

I didn't know why.

There was something strangely familiar about the way he stood. The way he carried himself.

A cold sensation crawled down my spine.

Then the man turned slightly.

Not enough for me to see his face.

But enough to make my heart pound.

I couldn't explain it.

I knew that man.

Or at least, some part of me did.

I shifted slightly, trying to see more.

Then my eyes moved toward the other side of the room, and everything inside me stopped.

A man was sitting in a chair, sipping wine as he spoke with the scientist.

I froze.

His hair had grown a little longer, but I could never mistake him. Never.

My breath caught in my throat.

“Dad...” I whispered.

The word barely escaped my lips.

My father.

Working with Noctrix.

Was he part of the people who kidnapped me?

After that call I'd overheard about not allowing me to turn eighteen, and the files I'd seen, I'd already had my doubts about him. But seeing him here, physically standing inside this facility, made everything feel real.

My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

I needed to get out of here.

Now.

I turned toward the door and rushed out of the room.

I barely made it three steps.

“Raven.”

My blood ran cold.