What victor left behind

The closer we came to my old apartment, the tighter my chest felt. I had lived there with Victor for almost six years, and I knew every room, every corner, and every little sound the building made at night. It had once been the place where I believed my future was waiting for me. Now I was returning because the police had found Victor there after his escape.

I looked through the window as the building came into view. “What if he is still inside?” I asked.

“He is not,” Adrian said.

“How do you know?”

“The police have searched the building.”

I nodded, though I still felt nervous. When we arrived, two officers were waiting outside, and one of them approached us. “Are you Elena Carter?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to understand that the apartment is now part of an investigation. We will allow you inside, but do not touch anything.”

I nodded, and Adrian stayed beside me as we walked upstairs. The moment I opened the door, I stopped. The apartment looked nothing like the home I remembered. Drawers had been pulled out, books were scattered across the floor, and the bedroom had been completely searched. The wardrobe doors were open, and several of my clothes were lying on the ground. I felt a strange pain settle in my chest. “This was our home,” I whispered.

Adrian looked at me. “It was.”

I walked slowly into the bedroom. The bed was still there, though the small table beside it was broken, and my photographs had been removed from the wall. I looked at one of the empty spaces where a picture of Victor and me had once hung, and I suddenly felt relieved that it was gone. I did not want to see his face anymore.

An officer walked toward us. “We found something in the bedroom.” He pointed toward the floor, where a small wooden box sat beside the bed.

I frowned. “I have never seen that before.”

Adrian crouched beside it. “Do not touch it.” He examined the box carefully, then looked at me. “Did your father ever give you anything like this?”

“No.”

The officer opened it with a pair of gloves, and inside was a small key along with a folded piece of paper. My heart started beating faster as Adrian picked up the paper and opened it. The writing made my stomach tighten immediately. It was my father’s handwriting again. Elena, if this reaches you, then Victor has found the box.

I stared at the words as Adrian continued reading. Do not trust the man who tells you he loves you. Trust the man who shows you what he is willing to lose for you.

I looked at Adrian, who had gone completely still. “What does that mean?”

“I do not know.”

I looked at the key, noticing a number engraved on it. “Seven.”

Adrian took the key. “Could be a locker.”

“Where?”

“I do not know yet.”

The officer looked at the box. “There is something else.” He pointed to the bottom, where a hidden compartment sat waiting. Adrian opened it and found a small photograph inside. I picked it up and saw my father standing with another man, someone I recognized immediately, and my heart stopped. It was Victor’s father.

I looked at Adrian. “Why would my father have a photograph with him?”

“That is something we need to find out.”

I turned the photograph over, finding a date written on the back, six months before my father died, and beneath the date were four words. The deal is complete.

My hands began to shake. “What deal?”

Adrian took the photograph from me. “I do not know.”

I looked around the room. “There must be something else.” I began searching through the drawers while Adrian watched me.

“What are you looking for?”

“I do not know.”

I stopped when I noticed something beneath the bed, and I crouched down and reached underneath until my fingers touched something cold. I pulled it out to find a small metal box with a lock on it, and I looked at the key Adrian was holding. “It fits.”

He inserted the key, and the box opened to reveal a USB drive and another envelope. My heart raced as I picked up the envelope, my father’s handwriting written across the front. I opened it, and this time the letter was longer.

My dear Elena, if you have found this, then the truth has finally begun to reach you. I know you will have questions. I know you will be angry with me. I am sorry. I wanted to tell you everything, but I was afraid that knowing the truth would put your life in danger. Victor was never the greatest danger. He was only a piece of something much bigger.

I stopped reading as my eyes filled with tears, and Adrian took the letter gently from my hand. “Let me read it.” I nodded, and he continued. There is someone who has been watching our family for years. I discovered that this person was connected to Victor’s family, but I never found enough evidence to expose him. If I die before I can finish the investigation, protect Elena from him. Do not let him take the company. Do not let him take her freedom.

Adrian stopped reading. I looked at him. “Who is he?”

The letter continued. His name is Richard Cross.

Adrian’s face changed instantly. I stared at him. “Cross?”

He did not answer.

“Your father’s name?”

Adrian nodded slowly. “My father.”

The room seemed to spin around me. I stepped back. “Your father was involved?”

“I do not know.”

“But your father was the man in the photograph.”

“Yes.”

I looked at the picture again, then back at Adrian. “Why did you never tell me his name?”

“Because my father died years ago.”

“That does not answer my question.”

He stepped toward me. “My father and yours had a complicated history.”

“Was your father responsible for my father’s death?”

“I do not know.”

I stared at him, and for the first time since I met Adrian, doubt entered my heart. He had protected me. He had helped me. He had kissed me. But there were still parts of his life I knew nothing about, and I took a step backward. “Did you know about this letter?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know your father was involved with mine?”

“I knew they had business together. I did not know what kind.”

I looked away. The man I had begun to trust suddenly seemed surrounded by secrets of his own. Before I could say anything else, my phone rang, and I looked at the screen to find another unknown number. I answered.

Nobody spoke at first, and then a man’s voice came through. “You finally found the box.”

My blood went cold. “Who are you?”

The man laughed softly. “Ask Adrian about his father.”

The call ended, and I slowly lowered the phone. Adrian was watching me. “What did he say?”

I looked into his eyes. “He told me to ask you about your father.”

Adrian’s expression became unreadable, and then the lights in the apartment suddenly went out. Someone screamed in the hallway, and the front door slammed shut. Adrian immediately moved in front of me. “Stay behind me.”

I held the letter tightly against my chest, and for the first time, I wondered whether the man I had kissed was protecting me from the truth or protecting the truth from me.