Chapter 2 - The Wife Nobody Knew About
Adrian Vale's words echoed louder than the crowd's whispers.
"She is my wife."
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Not Trevor.
Not the people surrounding us.
Not even me.
Because those four words had changed the entire atmosphere of the mall.
A few minutes earlier, I was the woman everyone watched fall.
The woman everyone assumed was weak.
The woman Trevor believed he could destroy without consequences.
Now, everyone was looking at me differently.
But I didn't feel powerful.
I felt confused.
Because Adrian Vale was standing beside me like he had been protecting me his entire life.
And I didn't understand why.
"Your wife?" Trevor finally said.
His voice cracked slightly.
It was the first time I had ever heard fear in it.
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
He didn't need to.
The silence itself was enough.
Trevor looked at me.
Then back at Adrian.
"No."
He shook his head.
"That can't be true."
I looked at Adrian.
The man who had just knelt beside me in front of hundreds of strangers.
The man whose name made people step aside.
The man who somehow knew about a necklace charm I had hidden from everyone.
"Adrian..." I whispered.
He turned toward me.
His expression changed instantly.
The coldness disappeared.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
My heart stopped.
That question hurt more than I expected.
Because I didn't know what he meant.
I had spent the last two years believing I knew every important person in my life.
But Adrian was looking at me like I had forgotten something impossible.
"I think you have the wrong person," I said quietly.
A strange sadness crossed his face.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Pain.
"That's what they wanted you to believe."
My eyebrows tightened.
"Who?"
Adrian looked around.
At the crowd.
At Trevor.
Then back at me.
"Not here."
Trevor immediately stepped forward.
"Don't listen to him."
Everyone looked at Trevor.
His confidence was gone.
"You have no idea who this man is, Sadie."
Adrian slowly turned his head.
The expression on his face became colder.
"I know exactly who I am."
Trevor swallowed.
"And you know exactly what happens when someone hurts what belongs to me."
The people nearby became silent.
I didn't like the way Trevor looked suddenly.
Like he was remembering something.
Like Adrian wasn't just a stranger.
Like he knew exactly how dangerous this man was.
"Adrian," Trevor said carefully, "this is a misunderstanding."
Adrian looked at the scattered shopping bags on the floor.
Then at my damaged dress.
Then at my hand where a small bruise was beginning to appear.
"A misunderstanding?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"You pushed her."
Trevor opened his mouth.
But nothing came out.
Because everyone had seen it.
The cameras had seen it.
The entire mall had seen it.
Adrian took out his phone.
He made one call.
"Send someone to collect the security footage."
Trevor's face changed.
"You wouldn't."
Adrian looked at him.
"I already did."
The fear in Trevor's eyes grew.
I noticed something strange.
Trevor wasn't afraid of being exposed.
He was afraid of Adrian.
And that made me even more confused.
Who was this man?
Why did he call me his wife?
And why did I feel like a part of me already knew him?
A security guard approached carefully.
"Mr. Vale."
Even the guard looked nervous.
Adrian nodded.
"Clear this area."
The guard immediately turned away and started asking people to move back.
Nobody argued.
Nobody questioned him.
Within moments, the crowd began disappearing.
But the whispers remained.
"That's Adrian Vale."
"I thought he disappeared."
"Is she really his wife?"
"I heard his wife died."
Those words stopped me.
His wife died.
I looked at Adrian.
He heard them too.
But his expression didn't change.
That scared me more.
Because if they were wrong...
Why didn't he correct them?
I waited until the area was quieter.
Then I pulled my hand away from his.
"Who are you?"
Adrian looked at me.
The question seemed to hurt him.
"You really don't remember."
It wasn't an answer.
"I asked who you are."
He took a slow breath.
Then he reached into his jacket.
For one second, I thought he was going to pull out a weapon.
Instead, he pulled out a small black wallet.
Inside was a photograph.
He handed it to me.
My fingers trembled as I took it.
The moment I saw the picture...
Everything inside me went still.
It was me.
But not the me from today.
A younger version.
Smiling.
Standing beside Adrian.
Wearing the same necklace charm that had broken on the floor.
My hand covered my mouth.
"No..."
Adrian watched my reaction carefully.
"You gave me that necklace on the day we got married."
I stared at the photograph.
My mind refused to accept it.
"I've never seen this."
"You have."
"No."
My voice became louder.
"I would remember something like this."
Adrian's eyes softened.
"I know."
That answer confused me.
"Then why are you acting like I forgot?"
He looked away for a moment.
Like he was carrying a secret too heavy to explain.
"Because you did."
The words felt impossible.
I stepped back.
"You're saying I lost my memory?"
"I'm saying someone took it from you."
The mall suddenly felt colder.
I looked at Trevor.
He immediately looked away.
And that tiny movement told me everything.
He knew something.
"Trevor."
He froze.
"What?"
I walked toward him.
"You knew about him."
Trevor's jaw tightened.
"No."
"Don't lie to me."
"I was trying to protect you."
I almost laughed.
Protect me?
The same man who had humiliated me in front of strangers?
The same man who had called me worthless?
"You don't get to say that."
Trevor looked desperate now.
"Sadie, you don't understand. Adrian Vale is dangerous."
Adrian stepped between us.
"Careful."
Trevor looked at him.
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then Trevor whispered:
"You really came back."
My body froze.
Came back?
What did that mean?
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"What did you say?"
Trevor realized his mistake.
Too late.
"Nothing."
Adrian grabbed Trevor's collar.
Not violently.
Not enough to hurt him.
But enough to make everyone understand the difference between them.
"You know what happened to her."
Trevor didn't answer.
"You know why she doesn't remember."
Still nothing.
Adrian leaned closer.
"Tell me."
Trevor's face turned pale.
"I was only following orders."
The words hit me harder than anything else.
Orders?
From who?
Adrian released him.
"Whose orders?"
Trevor looked at me.
And for the first time since I had known him...
He looked guilty.
"I'm sorry."
My chest tightened.
"Sorry for what?"
He stepped back.
"I was never supposed to hurt you."
I stared at him.
"Then why did you?"
Trevor opened his mouth.
But before he could answer...
His phone rang.
The sound cut through the silence.
He looked at the screen.
And his entire face changed.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Recognition.
Adrian noticed.
"Who is calling?"
Trevor didn't answer.
He slowly lifted the phone.
The name on the screen was visible for only a second.
But it was enough.
Because Adrian saw it.
And all the color disappeared from his face.
"Impossible."
I looked between them.
"Who is it?"
Neither man answered.
Trevor pressed accept.
A voice came through the speaker.
A woman's voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Familiar.
"Trevor."
He closed his eyes.
"She's with him now, isn't she?"
My heartbeat stopped.
Because Adrian suddenly looked at me.
Not at Trevor.
Not at the phone.
At me.
Like he had just realized something terrible.
The woman continued:
"Then it's time she learns what really happened the night she disappeared."
Adrian took one step back.
And whispered my name.
"Sadie..."
May you like
Then the mall entrance doors opened.
And the person standing there was someone I was never supposed to see again.
