The message that changes the shape of the day arrives just after eleven.I am in the upstairs hallway when Adrian’s phone buzzes on the dresser. He reads it once, then again. The controlled stillness that settles over him is more alarming than any open anger.He turns the screen toward me.I’m outside the gate. We can do this quietly, or I can wait until the next time she leaves the house alone. Your choice.My pulse stutters.Adrian is already moving. He pulls on a jacket, checks the security feed on his tablet, and speaks without looking at me.“Stay upstairs. Do not come down until I call for you. Lock the bedroom door.”“Adrian—”“Now, Aria.”The authority in his voice leaves no room for argument. I step back into the bedroom and close the door. The lock clicks under my fingers. Through the window I can see the long driveway and the heavy iron gates at the end. A dark car sits just beyond them.Minutes stretch.I hear the front door open downstairs. Footsteps cross the foyer. Then
Last Updated : 2026-08-19
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