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CHAPTER FIVE: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
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2026-06-24 19:40:22"Ask Adrian why your father chose him before your parents died."
The words crashed into me. My entire body froze. For a second, nobody moved, nobody moved, nobody spoke. The stranger stood there calmly, as if he had just revealed something ordinary but nothing about it felt ordinary. My pulse hammered inside my ears. Slowly, I turned towards Adrian. His face had gone completely pale. Fear twisted inside my chest not because of the stranger but because of Adrian's reaction. He knew something and suddenly I was terrified of what that something might be.
"What is he talking about?"
My voice shook. Adrian didn't answer. The silence made my stomach drop.
"Adrian."
Nothing. I took a step forward
"What is he talking about?"
The stranger laughed softly.
"Interesting."
Marcus immediately moved in front of me.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"You can call me Daniel."
"That's not your name."
Daniel's smile widened.
"Maybe not."
Police officers started moving toward him. The moment they did, his expression changed. Not fear. Amusement. As if none of this concerned him. One officer reached for him. Daniel stepped back then looked directly at me. His gaze sent a chill down my spine.
"You've spent your whole life believing a lie."
My chest tightened.
"What lie?"
His eyes shifted toward Adrian.
"Ask your husband."
Adrian's jaw clenched.
"Enough."
The command came out sharp and dangerous. Daniel laughed again.
"Still protecting her from the truth?"
My pulse quickened.
Truth? What's the truth? Nobody was making sense. The officers closed in. Daniel glanced at them then back at me.
"You want to know why someone kidnapped Vivian?"
Fear crawled through me.
"What does that have to do with me?"
His smile disappeared instantly.
"Everything."
The word hit harder than I expected. I felt sick, actually sick because deep down, I knew he was lying. Somehow this had always been about me. The kidnapping, the note, the threat, everything. One officer finally grabbed Daniel's arm, another moved beside him. Daniel didn't resist. That scared me more than if he had. He simply kept staring at me watching, waiting then he spoke.
"Your parents weren't killed in an accident."
The world stopped. My breath caught. No! No!! That wasn't possible. I stared at him.
"What?"
Marcus immediately grabbed my arm.
"Don't listen to him."
But Daniel wasn't looking at Marcus. He was looking at me. Only me .
"They were murdered."
My knees almost gave out. The old pain hit me so suddenly I couldn't breathe. My parents. The people I barely remembered, the people I lost before I could know them. My heart pounded violently.
"You're lying."
Daniel smiled sadly.
"I wish I was."
Adrian stepped forward.
"Take him away."
The command echoed across the harbor. The officers obeyed immediately but before Daniel disappeared , he said one final thing. One sentence. One sentence that shattered whatever stability I had left.
"Your father died protecting something that belongs to you."
Then he was gone. The silence afterwards felt unbearable. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't process any of it. My head turned slowly toward Adrian. Fear settled inside my chest.
"What does he mean?"
Nobody answered. That answer was enough. Anger exploded through me.
"Stop doing that."
My voice cracked.
"Stop looking at each other."
Marcus looked away. Adrian remained silent. Something inside me snapped.
"I deserve answers."
The words came out louder, sharper and more desperate.
"My parents are dead."
My eyes burned.
"Someone just told me they were murdered."
My chest rose rapidly.
"And both of you are acting like you already knew."
The look on Adrian's face confirmed everything.
He knew. Maybe not everything but enough. Enough to hide it, enough to lie. My stomach twisted.
"You knew."
The accusation hung between us. Adrian rubbed a hand across his face.
"Elena."
"No."
I stepped back.
"Don't."
For the first time since the divorce, genuine panic appeared in his eyes. That terrified me because Adrian never panicked. Ever
"What aren't you telling me?"
His silence stretched. One second, two, three. Every moment felt like torture. Finally Marcus sighed.
"She wasn't supposed to find out this way."
My heart sank. Find out what? My gaze shifted between both men. Neither looked comfortable, neither looked innocent and suddenly I hated them for it.
"You promised me there were no more secrets."
Marcus looked guilty, Adrian looked exhausted. Neither denied it. The realization hurt. Again. Always another secret, always another lie. I laughed bitterly.
"What else?"
Nobody answered. I shook my head.
"Of course."
The police chief approached before anyone could speak. His expression was serious.
"Mr. Knight."
Adrian turned immediately.
"We found something."
The tension returned instantly.
"What?"
The officer handed him a tablet. Adrian looked at the screen then froze,Marcus took it next, his face darkened. My stomach dropped.
"What now?"
Nobody answered. I grabbed the tablet before anyone could stop me. The screen displayed a video. Security footage, a dark warehouse, a woman tied to a chair. Vivian. Fear flashed through me. She looked terrified, weak and shamed then another person entered the frame. The moment I saw him, every breath left my lungs. No! No!! No!!! That couldn't be right. I stared harder. Certainly my eyes were playing tricks on me but they weren't.
The man standing beside Vivian looked familiar. Too familiar because I had seen him before. Many times in photographs, in old family albums, in the few pictures I had left of my childhood. My hand started shaking. The tablet nearly slipped from my fingers. Marcus noticed it.
"What is it?"
I couldn't speak. My throat felt tight. Adrian stepped closer. Concern flashed across his face.
"Elena."
Slowly, I pointed at the screen. My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"I know him."
Both men froze.
"What?"
My pulse thundered painfully. Tears filled my eyes not from sadness but from fear. Pure fear because there was only one explanation. Only one. And I didn't want it to be true. I stared at the man standing beside Vivian then whispered the words that changed everything..
"That's the man who attended my parent's funeral."
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