Chapter 5

I froze the moment he stepped closer.

Mi amor? Mi amor?

Was I in the wrong house? Why is he looking at me like a dog looks at a chew toy? Is this Adrian or his alter ego.

My face must depict the look of utter confusion and shock. I could be a mood chart.

My body refused to move, as if the air around me had thickened and pinned me in place. Before I could even make sense of it, he was already in front of me—pulling me into a hug.

It felt…weird. But warm, affectionate and loving. My heart thundered loudly in my chest, mirroring his that thudded for reasons I couldn’t understand, I didn’t hug him back.

I couldn’t.

My arms stayed locked at my sides while my mind scrambled for something—anything—that explained what was happening. My thoughts felt distant, my mind cluttered like clothes in the boxes I brought here.

But I relished in that moment, I’d never been hugged. Not once in my whole life. I’d been orphaned since my rat glimpses of consciousness. My adopted parents were…not exactly an affectionate bunch. So I couldn’t really explain why his hug felt warm.

This… this isn’t right.

He held me like he knew me. Like I belonged here.

Like I was expected.

But I didn’t know what I had expected. I didn’t know who I had expected to meet—but it wasn’t him. Not this warmth. Not this familiarity.

Maybe this was a dream, I was still back at the Stewart home. Dreaming of an alternate universe where Adrian was the perfect man. Except it’s not, the warmth in his embrace feels real, very real, same as my beating heart and my swiftly reddening ears.

When he finally pulled back, his hands stayed on my shoulders. His gaze searched my face like he was trying to read something I wasn’t giving him.

I could only stare at him in bewilderment.

“Are you okay?” he asked quickly. His eyes wide as he observed my conflicted face, “Why are you so quiet? Were you treated badly? Were you not welcomed here?”

I said nothing.

My eyes dropped on instinct. My head followed after, bowing slightly the way it always did when I didn’t know how to exist in a space without being noticed. Silence was safer. Silence didn’t get me questioned. I’d never been asked this many questions at once before. Not even when I was in college.

He exhaled, frustrated now. His head tilting, curious.

“Are you angry at me?”

Then his voice softened again, as if he remembered something important.

“Oh—right. I arrived late, didn’t I?” he exclaimed. “ I got caught up trying to get our wedding bands. See?”

My breath caught faintly.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue ring box. He opened it.

And the world narrowed down to that single point of light.

The ring inside was beautiful, almost too beautiful. A diamond that caught every piece of light in the room. My eyes flickered at the sheer radiance of it.

I just stared at it. It was impossible not to.

It was a silver band encased with diamonds around the it. A stunning heart shaped diamond stone say on the middle like it was made for it. It was absolutely beautiful.

“Do you like it?” he asked. I peered over at him, finally dragging my eyes away from the ring. He looked unsure, boyish in an adorable way, like he needed assurance that he did a good job.

I was marveled, it was absolutely beautiful and I loved it. But one thing stayed lodged in my throat, preventing me from speaking. Was this really meant for me? Or did he do all this expecting to give it to Emily?

Another issue was, why was he so nice and hospitable? I came here thinking I would be thrown into another basement or attic and treated similarly or maybe even worse than I’d been treated back at the house. But this was not expected.

I half expected dungeons, cellars, a gloomy house with even gloomier workers. But I’d been met with the exact opposite, the atmosphere was welcoming —so welcoming that it almost felt like a trap.

I couldn’t place this behavior. Was it an elaborate trap to make me comfortable before breaking me? Was I on the set of another family reality show, to show how harmonious the family is? I’d done that one before at the Stewart house.

Regardless, I needed to confirm something first. Who was this? Like really?

I stepped backward, away from his firm hold on my shoulders. I will myself to look him in the eyes. “Who are you?”