Chapter 38: A Thread you shouldn’t Pull

The atmosphere in the apartment felt different.

It wasn’t loud or tense just quieter. A quiet that made Ryan’s skin itch like something was lurking under the surface.

Chris was in the kitchen stirring his tea absentmindedly, while Ryan sat on the couch, legs tucked beneath him, scrolling through his phone though he wasn’t reading anything.

It had been a day since the envelope arrived. A single white square tucked beneath their door. No return address. Inside had been a photograph blurry, black and white, taken through a window. Ryan was asleep in his room.

There was no note. Just the photo.

Chris had tried to hide his reaction, burning it immediately and muttering something about Adrien’s money reaching places it shouldn’t. But Ryan had seen the tremor in his hand.

He hadn’t slept well since.

“I can go talk to campus security again,” Chris said, breaking the silence. “Demand they check the dorm cameras if Adrien’s sneaking in here”

“He didn’t.” Ryan’s voice was low. “He wouldn’t risk being seen.”

“You sound sure.”

Ryan looked up. “That doesn’t mean he’s not watching. I just don’t think he’s stupid.”

Chris came over, sat beside him, and reached for his hand. “It’s not your job to stay calm through this, you know.”

Ryan gave him a tight smile. “If I don’t stay calm, I’ll break.”

They sat in silence until a buzz from Chris’s phone lit up the room again. He checked it and immediately stood.

“What is it?” Ryan asked, his pulse jumping.

Chris hesitated. “It’s Daniel. He says he found something.”

Ryan was already up, grabbing his coat. “Then let’s go.”

Daniel met them at the library back corner, past the history stacks. His eyes were darker than usual, like he hadn’t slept either.

“I didn’t want to text it,” he said. “Because it’s not just about Adrien anymore.”

Ryan frowned. “What does that mean?”

Daniel pulled out his phone and showed them a webpage some obscure online forum. The screen showed a post: “Does anyone remember the Augustine Street Case?”

There were photos beneath grainy surveillance shots of a younger boy who looked eerily familiar.

Ryan blinked. “That’s Adrien.”

“Not quite,” Daniel said. “That’s his older brother. Elias. Disappeared five years ago. Rumors said he snapped. Attacked someone in their home. The family covered it up.”

Chris leaned in. “So Adrien’s not the first psycho in the family.”

Daniel nodded grimly. “And get this Elias also went to this school.”

Ryan’s stomach turned. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

“Because everything was buried. The post I found was made two hours ago and already half the comments are gone. Someone’s watching.”

Chris rubbed a hand down his face. “Rich family. Power. Influence. This is deeper than just obsession.”

Ryan looked at the screen again, jaw tight. “I need to know what happened to Elias. If Adrien’s following the same path”

“No,” Chris cut in sharply. “Ryan, this isn’t your responsibility.”

Daniel’s voice was softer. “But he’s already in it. We all are.”

Ryan stepped back, his pulse a steady hum in his ears. A brother who vanished. A family with something to hide. And Adrien, standing at the edge of that same darkness, eyes always watching.

He wasn’t sure what scared him more that Adrien was spiraling toward the same madness, or that he wasn’t spiraling at all.

That he was in complete control.

And Ryan was already standing in the trap.