บททั้งหมดของ The Secret He Left Behind: บทที่ 101 - บทที่ 110

The morning sunlight spilled across the polished floor of Adrian's office, quiet and deceptively calm—a stark contrast to the weight in his chest. He hadn’t stepped into the building for days, and though everything looked unchanged at first glance, he could feel something was… off. Subtle. Tight. Like the air in the room was holding its breath.Clara, his secretary, stood before his desk with a tablet pressed to her chest. Her posture was as straight as always, but the faint tension in her shoulders didn’t escape Adrian.He leaned back slightly. “Clara,” he began, his voice low but direct, “tell me how the company has been moving while I was away.”Clara exhaled softly—barely noticeable, except to him. “Sir… there have been a few developments.”Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Go ahead.”She tapped her tablet. “Three days ago, there was a sudden dip in our stock value. Not a crash… but noticeable. Enough to cause concern.” She raised her eyes to

The moment the study door closed behind them, Elena turned to him, worry tightening her features.“Adrian… what’s wrong? What did she say?”He exhaled slowly, rubbing his thumb against his palm—a small habit he had when he was balancing control with alarm. “Something I didn’t expect,” he answered quietly. “Something that doesn’t make sense.”Elena’s brows furrowed even deeper.He took a step closer to her, keeping his voice calm, measured. “When I sat with her to draw, she… she said something. Something about a man.”“What man?” Elena asked, confused.“Aria called him ‘Uncle Ethan.’” The name felt foreign on Adrian’s tongue. Sharp. Wrong. “And she said… he saved her.”Elena blinked once. Then again.“What? Adrian, I—Ethan? I don’t know anyone with that name.” She shook her head quickly, breath catching. “I swear, I’ve never heard that name in my life.”Her reaction wasn’t defensive. It was genuine confusion—shock

The steam from Lydia’s shower still clung lightly to her skin as she stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in the soft, clean clothes Ethan had left for her earlier. The shirt was a little big, the fabric brushing against her wrists, but the warmth of it made her feel strangely… held. Her hair was damp, her heartbeat still unsteady, but the hot water had washed away at least some of the tightness in her chest.For the first time all day, her breathing wasn’t shaky.The safe house was quiet—eerily quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Ethan hadn’t hovered. He hadn’t knocked to ask if she was okay. He simply gave her space. And right now, that was exactly what she needed.Her bare feet padded softly on the floor as she made her way out into the living area, unsure if she wanted company or solitude. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to want.But Ethan was already there.He looked up before she made it fully into the room—he’d heard her footste

The house was quiet—too quiet for Elena’s mind.She stood in the hallway for a long moment after stepping inside, staring at the familiar layout as though it had shifted into something she didn’t recognize. The soft glow from the hallway lights brushing against her skin, the warmth not reaching her chest.Adrian closed the door behind them with a gentle thud. Aria had dozed off in his arms when they got back, refusing to go sleep in her nursery. Her cheek resting on his shoulder, her small fingers curled loosely in the fabric of his shirt. She didn’t stir when he finally carried her upstairs.Elena remained where she was, rooted to the spot like her legs didn’t trust themselves to move.Lydia’s words were still echoing in her head.Ethan rescued Aria. Ethan was protecting Lydia. Lydia had lied to protect Elena. Lydia hid what happened to keep you Elena and Aria safe.Each sentence played over and over, layering themselves until t

“Sir… we still haven’t found them.”The words dropped into the room like the weight of a death sentence.Nathan Hale didn’t look up at first. He stood with his back turned, staring at the wall as if the paint itself had offended him. His fingers tapped slowly against the edge of his desk—controlled taps, evenly spaced, the only sign that he was listening.The two men standing near the door exchanged a nervous glance.One cleared his throat. “We checked Lydia’s apartment again. No sign of her. And Ethan—there’s nothing. Every tracker went cold.”Nathan finally lifted his head a fraction.“Nothing,” he repeated quietly.“Yes, sir.”Still facing the wall, Nathan exhaled deeply.“Do you know what nothing means?”His voice was calm. Too calm.The men swallowed hard but didn’t answer.Nathan turned around slowly.His eyes held no visible rage. No fire. They were just… empty.