Chapter 3

The ride to Adrian’s home was silent. I kept my hands folded tightly in my lap, staring out the window at the passing city lights, wondering if this was the life I was condemned to forever. Adrian drove with steady hands, his face unreadable, his ragged clothes only emphasizing the air of mystery about him.

The truck rattled to a stop at the end of a narrow street, the dim glow of a flickering lamppost casting shadows across the cracked pavement. I peered out the window, my breath catching at the sight before me.

A small, weather-beaten house stood at the corner, its wooden boards faded and peeling, the roof sagging in places as if it had been carrying the weight of time far too long. A crooked fence surrounded it, barely standing upright.

Adrian cut the engine and stepped out, his ragged clothes blending with the shadows of the night. He moved around the truck and opened my door, his expression unreadable.

“This is home,” he said simply.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, clutching my apron as I followed him through the creaking gate. The porch groaned beneath our steps, and when he unlocked the door, the hinges screamed in protest.

Inside, the house smelled faintly of old wood and dust. The living room was small, furnished with a threadbare couch, a faded rug, and a table propped up by bricks where one leg had broken. Everything about it whispered of poverty.

“You can rest in the room to the left,” Adrian said, his voice calm but distant. “It’s not much, but it’s yours.”

I walked slowly into the narrow room he indicated. A thin mattress lay on a metal frame, the blanket folded neatly on top. A single window rattled against the wind, letting in the chill of the night.

As I sat down on the bed, exhaustion pressed down on me. My chest ached with the memory of Claudia’s sneer, Vanessa’s mocking laugh, and the weight of debts I never owed but was forced to repay.

Adrian appeared at the doorway, holding out the blanket. “Take this. Nights get cold here.”

I accepted it silently, too tired to protest, too broken to hope. For now, this was my life.

I rummaged through my little saddle bag with trembling hands until I found my nightdress, then hurried into the adjoining bathroom as though running from the weight pressing down on my chest.

The dim light flickered above the cracked mirror, and when my gaze met my reflection, I froze. My eyes were swollen, my face pale and drained of all life. The sight broke something deep inside me, and I collapsed against the sink, sobs tearing out of me like a storm I could no longer hold back.

Memories of the day came rushing back the insults, the humiliation, the marriage I hadn’t chosen. Each moment felt like a knife reopening wounds that had never healed.

A sharp ache spread through my chest, so raw that I pressed my palm against it, wishing for the pain to stop. For one fleeting moment, I wished I had gone with my father, that the cruel world had taken me too.

But fate was merciless. I was alive, forced to carry the burden of debts I hadn’t created, paying the price for sins I never committed. And now, trapped in a marriage that felt like another punishment, I had no way out.

The warm water soothed my aching body as I lay in the small bathtub, my eyes closed, trying to wash away the humiliation of the day. For once, I wanted silence, just silence.

A knock startled me from the edge of sleep.

“Elena?” Adrian’s voice came from the other side of the door.

I didn’t answer. My eyelids were too heavy, and I wanted him to think I was fine, to leave me alone.

Another knock. This time, harder. “Elena, are you okay? Open the door.”

Still no response.

A moment later, the door creaked open. My eyes fluttered open at the sound of footsteps, and then horror.

Adrian was standing in the bathroom, his tall frame filling the doorway, his sharp eyes fixed on me. I was naked, half-submerged in the bathwater, with nothing to shield myself from his gaze.

My heart jumped into my throat. “P-PERVERT!” I screamed, clutching my arms across my chest.

His eyes widened, and a flush of color darkened his cheeks. “I thought something happened to you,” he muttered quickly, spinning around and retreating toward the door.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me trembling in the bath, my pulse racing like thunder.

The moment the door shut, I sat frozen in the bath, my face burning hotter than the water around me. My heart was still racing. Pervert… why did I even shout that?

I hurried out of the tub, drying off in a flurry of panic. Tugging on a simple nightdress, I ran a brush through my damp hair and bit my lip, guilt gnawing at me. Adrian had only been worried… and I had screamed at him.

I tiptoed down the creaky stairs, the faint glow of a single lamp casting shadows across the small, humble living room. There he was Adrian sitting on the edge of the couch, his head bent, elbows on his knees. He looked so… dejected, as though my words had wounded him deeper than I’d intended.

For a moment, I just stood there watching him. His shoulders were broad even in that ragged shirt, and the tired lines of his face softened under the lamplight. He looked nothing like the monster Claudia and Vanessa painted him to be.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer.

“Adrian,” I whispered gently, clutching the hem of my nightdress. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. You were only worried.”

He slowly raised his head, his dark eyes meeting mine. For the first time that night, something flickered there something unreadable, but warm.

Adrian straightened up slowly, his lips curving into the faintest shadow of a smile.

“It’s fine,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Don’t worry about it, Elena. I understand.”

Relief rushed through me, but before I could say another word, he reached behind the couch and pulled out a neatly folded dress wrapped in clear plastic. The fabric shimmered faintly under the lamp, nothing like the tattered clothes he wore himself.

“Here,” he said, handing it to me. “Put this on. We have a dinner to attend tonight.”

My breath caught. A dinner? Tonight? My fingers trembled against the soft fabric, questions swirling inside me. With who? Why? How could this man everyone called a poor nobody have something like this prepared?

I opened my mouth to ask, but Adrian only gave me a look that silenced me completely. Mysterious. Firm. Almost commanding.

“Trust me, Elena,” he added softly, before turning away.

And just like that, my world tilted, leaving me standing there with the dress clutched to my chest, heart pounding, wondering what on earth awaited me that night.