All Chapters of The Night My Best-Friend Ruined Me: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Adrian’s POVThe image was burned into my mind. Julian, standing in her kitchen, half-dressed, looking like he owned her. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the way Aria leaned toward him—the comfort, the unspoken history, the complete lack of me in that room. It felt like someone had taken a knife to my chest and started carving.I didn't go home. I couldn’t stay in that penthouse where everything I touched screamed her name. Instead, I ended up in a backroom downtown, the kind of place where the stakes are high enough to stop a normal man’s heart. The air was thick with expensive cigar smoke, sweat, and desperation.I didn't care about the cards. I didn't care about the millions of dollars sliding across the green table. Because they didn't matter. All the money in the world couldn't buy the way she used to look at me before I became the villain in her life."Another double," I muttered to the girl circling the table. I didn't even look at her. I just stared at the scotch, watching

Adrian’s POVThe rain hadn't just soaked my clothes; it had gotten deep into my bones.I sat in the back of the car on the way back to the penthouse. I was staring out at the blurred neon lights of the city.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. Aria, standing in that bleak parking garage. Her eyes were filled with a level of coldness that felt like a death sentence.“I don’t owe anyone a single goddamn thing.”The words felt like a heavy weight in my chest. She was right.That was the sickening part.While I was sitting up high, acting like the perfect son and feeling sorry for myself, she had been out there, surviving a mess I helped create.I’d spent five years calling her a thief. She’d spent five years being a hero in the dark.I didn't go to bed. More like I couldn't. I spent the early hours of the morning in my home office.The only light came from the three computer screens showing the detailed file on the fake companies.The data was impossible to argue with. My father—Edmun

Adrian’s POVMy phone buzzed against the fancy wood of my desk. It was a sharp vibration that felt like it was drilling into my skull.I didn't even look at the caller ID. I knew it was the private investigator. Nobody else called me at four in the morning unless something was burning down."Talk to me," I muttered. My voice sounded like I’d swallowed a handful of gravel."I found her, Adrian. The girl from the diary."I sat bolt upright. The exhaustion that had been weighing me down for days vanished. I felt a surge of energy."The diary Aria supposedly wrote? You found the person who wrote it?""Her name is Chloe. She was a drama student back then. She was really good at faking handwriting and making props. Your father’s people hired her to copy Aria’s handwriting from some old lab notes. She’s been hiding, but she’s out of money. She’s looking for a payout, and she’s got proof.""Where?""A bar called The Rusty Ranch. Far end of the docks. She’s really scared, Adrian. She told me i

Adrian's POVI walked into one of the famous clubs my family owned. I felt sick right away. I’d rather be at home, in my bed, or literally anywhere else. But of course this meeting wasn't something I could avoid.My father was already so mad at me. I kept failing him. If I missed this one, I was toast. He’d actually find a replacement, and then it’d be harder to find the evidence I need. So I just had to hold on a little more. I just had to keep the mask on for one more night.The club was quiet. It was the kind of expensive quiet that only old money can buy. Edmund was already at the table. He was cutting into a steak that probably cost more than a lab tech’s monthly salary. He didn't even look up when I sat down.“You’re late, Adrian,” he said. His voice was as dry as the wine in his glass.“Traffic,” I lied, leaning back. I was trying not to look like I wanted to bolt. I reached into my pocket, subtly hitting the record button on my phone before laying it face down on the table. “Y

Adrian's POVI had spent the entire day at the manufacturing plant. The air was thick with the smell of ozone. I heard the rhythmic sound of the machines clanking and moving. Thousands of vials were moving along the belts—glass soldiers being prepped for a global war.Normally, I’d be obsessing over the quality checks or the refrigeration logs, but my head was miles away.Just when I'd thought I'd finally get to have some sleep, my phone buzzed in my pocket for the tenth time. It was a text from Aria. “Meet me in the lab at midnight. Don't be late.”I’d been so nervous and ready for whatever was coming ever since. I figured she’d finally had enough. I figured she was going to scream at me about the audit, or the moving company, or the fact that I’d been acting like a haunting shadow for the last week. I was ready for the fight. Honestly, I almost welcomed it. At least when we fought, I knew she was still there.The lab was a graveyard when I walked in. The main lights were dimmed to a