로그인Jessica stood alone quietly in the hallway as she watched Adrian disappear slowly. She looked back at the photograph of her dad standing with the Lewis family. Her hands trembled slightly. Her heart began to pound even harder in her chest. “ Your father died the same year everything charged” the words Adrian spoke earlier, echoed in her head like a gunshot.“No” Jessica whispered to herself.She shoved the photograph into her pocket and forced herself to move. Jessica pushed the door open. As soon as the door swung open, John looked at her coldly, as if he wanted her dead. Her eyes scanned the room slowly. She felt like she was watching everything under water. Her eyes automatically set back on John again,He stood near the far end of the room looking in her direction. He stood calmly but focused like a lion with his eyes on his prey.Controlled.Like nothing unusual had happened.Like his supposedly dead brother hadn’t just walked back into their lives.Jessica’s chest tightened.“He kno
Jessica stood frozen in the hallway long after Adrian’s words settled into the air. “You were placed here.” The sentence replayed in her mind like a broken record.“No,” she said quietly, almost to herself.Adrian watched her carefully.“No?”“This is impossible, no this is ridiculous!” Jessica continued, shaking her head as if she could physically throw the idea away. “You expect me to believe someone set me up for this marriage and fell right into their trap?” “This must be some kind of joke.”Adrian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back against the window frame, folding his arms.“I expect you to start asking questions.”Jessica held up the photograph again.“My father was a consultant. That’s all.”Adrian’s lips curved slightly.“That’s what you were told.”Jessica felt irritation spark in her chest.“That’s what I know.”Adrian tilted his head.“Do you?”Silence stretched between them.Jessica stared down at the photograph again.Her father looked younger, confident, standing
Jessica’s breath caught in her throat.The words echoed in the room like a gunshot.For a moment, no one moved.Then John did “Enough.”His voice was quiet, but the authority in it was undeniable.The guards shifted uneasily. Adrian watched his brother with a faint, amused smile, like a man enjoying a private joke.“why do you think you are still in control ?,” Adrian asked lightly.John’s gaze hardened. “Let her go now!”For a split second the guards hesitated.Adrian turned around and signalled his guards lazily. “Let her go.” The men obeyed instantly.Jessica stumbled forward as their grip loosened. Her arms throbbed where their fingers had dug into her skin.She rubbed her wrists,trying to steady herself.Her eyes moved between the two brothers in confusion. “What truth are you talking about ?”Neither of them answered.Adrian studied her face as if searching for something hidden beneath the surface.John stepped forward. “Jessica there’s nothing to worry about he likes to mess with people’s
The face underneath the mask was a canvas of horror that forever altered perceptions. Air stalled in her lungs. Not a gasp, not a sigh just…air. That face. It looked familiar.Adrian Lewis. John’s brother. The news had reported he was involved in a car accident which claimed his life so how was he still alive? How was he here ?“Adrian?” Jessica questioned.”A ghost of a smile played on Adrian’s face.You died 8 years ago, I attended your funeral, I saw them lowering your body into your grave.” “How…” “interesting, I’m amazed you remember everything so vividly, good memory, you seem smarter than I thought,”Adrian replied.Adrian studied her like she was an artifact he had been searching for. Jessica tried to pull away from the guards but their grip was too tight. On the other end of the room, John stood frozen. Not in shock, not in confusion and he definitely wasn’t concerned he just stood still on an Island of stillness in the sea of chaos .His gaze locked into Adrian’s. They sta
The dead woman’s fingers were still tangled in the hem of her gown.Jessica stared at them. They wouldn’t move.They wouldn’t let go.A guard bent down and peeled the hand away like removing trash from fabric. The body was dragged down the hallway. A red streak followed.No one spoke. No one reacted. Like this was normal.Jessica lifted her eyes slowly. John was watching her. Not the body. Her.He was waiting for her to say something.“You see now,” he said quietly, “why obedience is survival.”Her voice came out hoarse.“She asked for help.”“And she died for it.”The simplicity of his answer carved straight through her ribs. Jessica swallowed.“You killed her.”“No,” John replied calmly. “She killed herself the moment she ran.”The corridor felt smaller and the air felt thin.Jessica turned away from him.And that’s when she saw Sharon standing at the end of the hall.Frozen. Her face pale. Her eyes locked onto the blood on Jessica’s dress.For a second — just a second — Sharon look
Jessica stepped out in the corridor. John stood waiting patiently for her at the end.He looked calm, with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. He stood watching her like he owned her.“Come here” he said. Not loud but was loud enough for her to understand it was a command.She walked. Each step felt like she was walking toward a cliff. When she reached him he tiltedher head up. “ You embarrassed me earlier,” he said calmly. “ I was watching my mother being tortured” “you threatened me and you forced me into marrying you.” “ How is did I embarrass you ?” “ I wasn’t the one who abandoned you on your wedding day.” “ I saved you reputation, you should be thanking me instead of telling me that…..” before Jessica could complete her sentence. She heard aloud bang behind her. “ you should be thankful you are alive today. I saved your life.” “ and you will be living a good life thanks to me .” “What was that?” Her pulse spiked.A scream echoed through the mansion.Distant. Muffled. Jess







