All Chapters of A Story That Doesn’t Belong To You: Chapter 181 - Chapter 189

The docks were a different kind of quiet not the comforting kind that came with peace but the watchful silence before something broke. The water was black and still, reflecting the faint orange of the streetlights. Rusted containers stacked high like tombs loomed on both sides of the narrow road, and somewhere in the distance, a chain creaked in the wind.Adrien parked the car two blocks away. “We go on foot from here,” he said slipping on his gloves.Ryan zipped his jacket higher against the chill. “You’re sure he’s here?”Adrien’s expression was unreadable. “He wants me to think he isn’t Which means he is.”Ryan exhaled through his nose. “That logic makes me want to throw up.”“Good,” Adrien said dryly. “Means you’re still alert.”They moved through the shadows, steps silent on wet asphalt. Adrien’s movements were all precision no wasted motion, no hesitation He’d been here before, in a hundred different ways Only this time, the ghost he was hunting shared his blood.When they reach

The message glowed faintly on Adrien’s phone, a single line of text that made Ryan’s stomach drop.ROUND TWO BEGINS.No sender No timestamp Just the digital equivalent of a smirk.Ryan stared at it for a few seconds, frozen, his fingers hovering just above the screen. Every instinct screamed to wake Adrien to show him, to demand answers but something stopped him The words from earlier echoed in his head.He already knows Adrien father next move.He already expects it.And maybe that was what scared Ryan most.He set the phone back on the counter careful to leave it exactly where it had been charging. The message faded into darkness as the screen went black again. Outside the city’s glow bled weakly through the blinds, painting long restless shadows across the walls.Adrien’s voice carried faintly from the bedroom. “You’re awake?”Ryan swallowed, steadying his breathing. “Just cleaning up.”“Don’t.” Adrien’s tone was distant heavy with exhaustion that didn’t belong to the body but to

The safehouse was silent, save for the hum of old wiring and the steady tick of rain against the cracked windowpanes. Morning light hadn’t reached this part of the city yet too far from the skyline too lost in the industrial shadows to see anything but gray.Adrien hadn’t moved in hours.He sat before the dusty desk the laptop open code spilling endlessly across the screen. His eyes tracked every line, every fragment as if he could peel Viktor’s presence out of the digital static. The glow of the monitor sharpened the cut of his jaw, the exhaustion hollowing his face.Behind him Ryan stood with crossed arms, fighting the urge to intervene.The room smelled faintly of burnt coffee and wet concrete. They’d locked every window checked every door twice, even reset the router three times. But the message ROUND TWO BEGINS still hung between them like a loaded gun.Ryan finally spoke. “You’ve been at it since we got here.”Adrien’s fingers didn’t stop typing. “And?“And you haven’t said a wo

For hours, Adrien hadn’t spoken a word. He sat in front of the computer monitors, the light from the screens casting sharp lines across his face. His knuckles were still bruised from last night’s explosion, small cuts scattered across the back of his hands reminders of how close they’d come to being caught in his father’s trap.Ryan lingered near the doorway, a cup of coffee in his hand, watching Adrien’s profile. The safehouse smelled faintly of damp concrete and burnt metal. He could tell Adrien hadn’t slept. He didn’t need to ask the tension in the air said enough.“I ran diagnostics twice,” Ryan said softly, setting the mug on the desk beside him. “No breach on the outer systems No signals coming in or out.”Adrien didn’t move. His eyes stayed fixed on the central monitor.“Adrien,” Ryan tried again, gentler this time. “You should rest.”“I can’t.” His voice was low, hoarse. “He’s still inside.”Ryan frowned. “Inside what?”Adrien’s gaze flicked toward one of the smaller monitors