Chapter 5 - The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
A man’s voice came through the abandoned building: "Roman, if you came here for answers, you came too late."
I stepped inside and found Naomi’s wedding ring sitting on a table covered in dust.
A message was carved beneath it: "He never stopped watching."
I finally realized Naomi wasn’t running from the past.
She was running from someone who was still alive.
The address led me to an old private property outside the city.
No cameras.
No guards.
No signs.
Nothing that would suggest someone powerful was hiding there.
And that was exactly why I knew it was dangerous.
People like my father-in-law never disappeared by accident.
They disappeared because they wanted the world to believe they were gone.
I parked my car several hundred feet away.
Adrian followed me.
I looked at him.
"You said you knew this place."
He nodded.
"I was here once."
"When?"
His face darkened.
"The night Naomi disappeared."
I stopped walking.
"What?"
He looked at the building in the distance.
"I didn't know she would come here."
My anger rose.
"You knew she was alive?"
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"I knew someone took her."
I stared at him.
"You let me believe she was dead."
Adrian looked at me.
"You think I wanted that?"
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because Naomi made me promise."
The answer hit harder than I expected.
A promise.
Everyone had made promises to Naomi.
Everyone except me.
The man she married.
The man who should have protected her.
"Why would she trust you more than me?"
Adrian looked away.
"Because you loved her."
I frowned.
"And you didn't?"
His eyes changed.
"I loved her enough to do what she asked."
That sentence stayed with me.
Because deep down, I knew Naomi.
She wasn't someone who hid things without a reason.
If she kept secrets, it was because she believed the truth would put someone in danger.
Even me.
We reached the building.
The front door was slightly open.
That bothered me.
Someone wanted us to enter.
Adrian noticed too.
"He knows we're here."
I looked at him.
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
We stepped inside.
The building was empty.
But not abandoned.
There were fresh footprints on the floor.
A glass of water on the table.
A chair pulled out.
Someone had been waiting.
I moved deeper inside.
Then I saw it.
A table.
A single object placed in the center.
Naomi's wedding ring.
My breathing stopped.
I walked toward it slowly.
I had watched her wear that ring every day.
The day I proposed.
The day we got married.
The day she told me she was pregnant.
The day she promised we would grow old together.
I picked it up.
My hands shook.
Underneath it was a message carved into the wood.
"He never stopped watching."
Adrian stepped closer.
His face changed.
"What?"
I looked at him.
"You know what this means?"
He didn't answer.
And that scared me.
Because Adrian was finally afraid.
Before I could ask again, a sound came from upstairs.
A door closing.
I immediately moved.
Adrian grabbed my arm.
"Wait."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"That might be what he wants."
I pulled away.
"Someone took my wife."
My voice became colder.
"I don't care what he wants."
I walked upstairs.
Each step felt heavier.
At the top was a long hallway.
Several doors.
Most were locked.
One door was slightly open.
Light came from inside.
I reached for it.
Then I heard a voice.
A voice I never expected.
"Roman."
I froze.
Because I knew that voice.
I knew it better than anyone.
I pushed the door open.
And there she was.
Naomi.
Alive.
Sitting in a chair.
Her face pale.
Her hair shorter.
But alive.
For several seconds, my mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.
"Naomi..."
She looked at me.
And tears filled her eyes.
"Roman."
I moved toward her.
Every emotion hit me at once.
Anger.
Relief.
Pain.
Love.
I wanted to hold her.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted answers.
But before I could reach her, two men stepped out from the shadows.
Adrian immediately moved between us.
"Don't."
Naomi looked at him.
"Adrian..."
He shook his head.
"It's okay."
I stared at them.
"What is happening?"
Naomi looked down.
"I wanted to tell you."
"Then why didn't you?"
Her eyes filled with pain.
"Because I wasn't the only person being watched."
I looked around.
"What does that mean?"
She took a breath.
"Roman, someone inside our family has been giving information to my father."
I froze.
"Your father?"
Naomi nodded.
"The man everyone thinks is dead."
I stepped closer.
"Where is he?"
Nobody answered.
Then a slow clap came from the hallway.
Everyone turned.
A man walked into the room.
Older.
Elegant.
Calm.
The kind of person who didn't need to raise his voice to control everyone around him.
Naomi looked terrified.
Adrian lowered his head.
And I knew immediately.
This was the man behind everything.
Naomi's father.
The man who was supposed to be dead.
He smiled.
"Roman."
I stared at him.
"You destroyed my family."
He smiled slightly.
"No."
He looked toward Naomi.
"She did."
Naomi's face changed.
"What?"
The man continued.
"Your wife never told you the truth because she knew you would never forgive her."
I looked at Naomi.
She looked away.
My heart sank.
"What truth?"
Nobody spoke.
The man walked toward the table.
He placed a folder down.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph of Naomi.
Sabrina.
And another person.
Someone I recognized.
Someone who had been close to us for years.
My hands tightened around the photo.
Because the person standing beside Naomi wasn't her enemy.
It was someone I trusted.
The man smiled.
"Now you understand why Naomi had to disappear."
I looked at the photograph again.
Then at Naomi.
"Tell me."
My voice shook.
"Who betrayed us?"
Naomi opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, the lights suddenly went out.
A phone vibrated in the darkness.
A message appeared on my screen.
One sentence.
"Roman, don't listen to Naomi."
I looked at the sender.
May you like
My blood turned cold.
Because the message came from Naomi's phone.
