Chapter 3 - The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The office door opened slowly, and the woman standing there whispered: "Harper..."
I watched my best friend step inside Adrian Moretti's office holding a secret I had never seen before.
But she wasn't alone.
A man in a dark coat followed behind her.
And Adrian immediately reached for the hidden drawer beneath his desk.
I couldn't move.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
The silence was heavier than any confession Ethan could have made.
Because Chloe was standing there.
My best friend.
The woman who had smiled at me while destroying my relationship.
The woman who had hugged me and told me everything would be okay.
Now she was inside the office of a man I had met only hours ago.
And everyone looked like they already knew something I didn't.
"Harper."
Chloe said my name again.
This time, her voice was different.
Not confident.
Not amused.
Afraid.
I stared at her.
"How did you find me?"
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Adrian stepped between us.
"That is not the question you should be asking."
I looked at him.
"Then what is?"
His eyes moved toward Chloe.
"Why did she follow you?"
Chloe looked away.
That tiny movement told me everything.
She was hiding something.
"You knew."
My voice came out quietly.
Chloe looked at me.
"What?"
"You knew Ethan was lying to me."
Her face changed.
Pain crossed her eyes.
But I didn't know if it was guilt.
Or fear.
"I can explain."
I laughed softly.
It wasn't because anything was funny.
It was because my entire world had become impossible.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
I pointed at her.
"Ethan said he could explain."
Then I looked at Adrian.
"You said you could explain."
My voice cracked.
"Now you are here saying you can explain."
I shook my head.
"Why does everyone know the truth except me?"
Nobody answered.
And somehow, that hurt the most.
Adrian walked toward Chloe.
"Who sent you?"
Chloe looked at him.
"No one."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Wrong answer."
The man who had entered behind her stepped forward.
"Adrian."
His voice was low.
"We have a problem."
Adrian looked at him.
"What?"
The man glanced at me.
Then at Chloe.
"The building cameras were disabled fifteen minutes ago."
My stomach dropped.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian didn't answer.
The man continued.
"Someone wanted this meeting hidden."
The room became colder.
I looked at Chloe.
"You disabled them?"
"No."
Her answer came immediately.
Too quickly.
Adrian noticed too.
"Then tell us what you were doing here."
Chloe looked at me.
And for the first time since I had known her, she looked like someone who was scared of me.
Not because I was dangerous.
Because I was finally seeing her clearly.
"I was trying to protect you."
I stared.
"Protect me?"
The anger rose inside me.
"You were in my bedroom with my fiancé."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I know."
"Then don't say you were protecting me."
She lowered her head.
"I made a mistake."
"A mistake?"
I repeated.
"You don't accidentally destroy someone's life."
Chloe looked at Adrian.
Then back at me.
"There are things you don't know about Ethan."
I froze.
I had heard those words too many times.
Everyone had another secret.
Everyone had another piece of the puzzle.
But nobody wanted to give me the whole picture.
"What things?"
Chloe hesitated.
Adrian stepped closer.
"Tell her."
Chloe looked surprised.
"You want me to?"
"She deserves the truth."
Chloe took a deep breath.
Then she said:
"Ethan didn't meet me by accident."
My heart sank.
"What?"
"He knew who I was."
I stared at her.
"What does that mean?"
Chloe wiped her tears.
"When I became your friend, Ethan already knew about me."
The room went silent.
I felt like the floor disappeared beneath me.
"Why?"
Chloe looked down.
"Because he was looking for information."
"About what?"
She didn't answer.
Adrian did.
"About you."
I turned toward him.
"Why would he need information about me?"
Adrian's expression became serious.
"That's what we are trying to discover."
"No."
I shook my head.
"No, that doesn't make sense."
I walked backward.
"Ethan proposed to me."
I remembered the moment.
The restaurant.
The ring.
His smile.
All the promises.
"He told me he loved me."
Chloe whispered:
"Maybe he did."
I looked at her.
She continued:
"But that wasn't the only reason he came into your life."
Those words broke something inside me.
Because part of me still wanted to defend him.
Even after everything.
Even after the betrayal.
I wanted there to be a simple explanation.
A reason that didn't make my entire relationship feel like a lie.
Adrian walked back to his computer.
He opened another file.
"This is what we found."
I looked at the screen.
It was Ethan.
But not the Ethan I knew.
The photo showed him entering a private building.
Another man stood beside him.
Older.
Powerful.
Important.
I recognized the location.
"My father's company?"
Adrian looked at me.
"Your father had enemies."
My breathing stopped.
"My father died eight years ago."
"I know."
"Then why are you showing me this?"
Adrian zoomed in.
The older man beside Ethan became clearer.
"This man was connected to your father's disappearance."
I stared.
"Disappearance?"
I shook my head.
"My father died."
Adrian looked at me carefully.
"That is what you were told."
The words hit harder than I expected.
I sat down.
Because my legs suddenly felt weak.
Everything I knew was changing.
My father.
Ethan.
Chloe.
My own life.
It was like someone had taken the story I had lived for years and replaced every page.
"What does Ethan want from me?"
Nobody answered.
That scared me.
Because maybe they knew.
Maybe they just didn't want to say.
Then Adrian's phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
"What?"
I asked.
He didn't respond.
"Adrian."
He looked at me.
"Your apartment was just entered."
My blood ran cold.
"What?"
"The security system sent an alert."
"By who?"
He stared at the screen.
Then slowly turned the phone toward me.
A camera image appeared.
My apartment hallway.
Someone standing outside my door.
My heart stopped.
Because I recognized the person.
It was Ethan.
But he wasn't alone.
A woman stood beside him.
Someone I had never seen before.
Chloe looked at the image.
And all the color disappeared from her face.
"No..."
I looked at her.
"You know her."
Chloe didn't answer.
Adrian stared at her.
"Who is she?"
Chloe whispered:
"She's the reason Ethan came near Harper."
I stepped closer.
"Who?"
Chloe looked at me with tears in her eyes.
Then she said the name I never expected.
"Harper... that's your mother."
The room went completely silent.
Because my mother had been dead for fifteen years.
And then Adrian's phone received a new message.
One sentence.
One name.
A warning.
"Ask Harper who she really is before Ethan tells her."
I reached for Adrian's phone.
The screen was already open.
May you like
The sender's name appeared.
It was my father's number.
