Chapter 2 - My Husband Thought the Mafia Boss Would Return Me—Until Adrian Black Told Him I Was No Longer His PropertyAdrian's car was waiting outside.
Black.
Armored.
Silent.
I stood several feet away.
“I can find another ride.”
“You can.”
He opened the rear door.
“I wouldn't recommend it.”
“Why?”
“Because three cars have followed us since the airport.”
I looked behind me.
Two black SUVs.
My stomach twisted.
Adrian's expression never changed.
“Get in.”
I did.
The door closed.
His driver pulled away.
For several blocks, nobody spoke.
I stared through the window.
The city looked unfamiliar.
I had spent three years living in expensive neighborhoods.
Now every street felt like freedom.
Adrian sat across from me.
He checked his phone.
More messages.
His expression hardened.
“Is Damian threatening you?”
“He wants you returned.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Returned.”
Adrian looked at me.
“That word bothers you.”
“I'm not an object.”
“I know.”
His voice was quiet.
“But Damian apparently forgot.”
I looked down.
“You really know him?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Years ago, he wanted access to Detroit's private criminal network.”
My heart pounded.
“Why?”
“Money.”
“Of course.”
Adrian smiled without humor.
“Money wasn't enough for him.”
“What did he want?”
“Protection.”
“From whom?”
“People more powerful than him.”
I remembered Damian's confidence.
He had always acted untouchable.
Suddenly, I realized confidence and safety were not the same thing.
Adrian's phone rang.
He answered.
“Black.”
A voice came through.
I couldn't hear everything.
Adrian's expression remained cold.
“No.”
Pause.
“I don't care what Voss owns.”
Pause.
“You will not touch her.”
Pause.
“No.”
His voice became quieter.
“You misunderstood.”
He looked at me.
“She is under my protection.”
The call ended.
I stared.
“Who was that?”
“Damian.”
My heart jumped.
“What did he say?”
“He offered me money.”
“How much?”
“Enough to buy this building.”
“Why did you refuse?”
Adrian looked at me.
“Because I don't sell people.”
That sentence stayed with me.
We arrived at a private residence outside the city center.
It wasn't a mansion.
It was larger than most houses, but understated.
Security was everywhere.
Men watched from discreet positions.
Doors opened automatically.
I turned to him.
“Where are we?”
“Home.”
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
“Why bring me here?”
“Because Damian knows your usual destinations.”
“And this?”
“He doesn't.”
I stared.
“You're hiding me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Adrian paused.
“Because I know what happens when men like Damian decide a woman belongs to them.”
I looked away.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
No smile.
No expectation.
That made it easier to trust him.
That evening, a woman named Sofia brought me clothes.
“Adrian told me you needed something comfortable.”
I looked at the bags.
“These are expensive.”
“Everything here is.”
I laughed.
“I don't want expensive.”
She smiled.
“Then tell me what you want.”
“Jeans.”
“Easy.”
“Shoes.”
“Of course.”
“And something Damian never bought me.”
She looked curious.
“What?”
“A lock I can close from the inside.”
Sofia's expression softened.
“I'll make sure you have one.”
She left.
I stood alone in the guest room.
I locked the door.
Then I sat on the floor.
For the first time in years, I cried.
Not quietly.
Not carefully.
I cried until my chest hurt.
Because nobody was coming through the door.
Nobody was shouting.
Nobody was demanding an explanation.
Nobody was telling me I belonged to them.
I slept for twelve hours.
The next morning, I found Adrian downstairs.
He was reading a report.
“You slept.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
He pushed a cup of coffee toward me.
I took it.
“Why are you helping me?”
He didn't answer immediately.
“Because I owe your family a debt.”
“My family?”
“Your father.”
I frowned.
“You knew my father?”
“Yes.”
“What did he do?”
Adrian looked at me.
“He saved my life.”
The answer stunned me.
“How?”
“Years ago, before you married Damian, your father discovered a network trying to eliminate me.”
“Why would he help you?”
“Because your father believed everyone deserved one chance to walk away.”
I stared.
“He never told me.”
“He never told many people.”
Adrian closed the report.
“Your father was a good man.”
“You sound like you respected him.”
“I did.”
“What happened?”
“He died.”
I nodded.
“I know.”
“Do you know how?”
“A heart attack.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“No.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He was murdered.”
My cup shook in my hands.
“That's impossible.”
“You were told a lie.”
“By whom?”
“Damian's father.”
I stared at him.
“Why would Damian's father kill mine?”
“That is the question.”
Adrian's phone rang.
He answered.
His security chief spoke quickly.
Adrian's face became unreadable.
“Where?”
A pause.
“Bring him in.”
He ended the call.
“What's wrong?”
“We caught one of Damian's men.”
“What?”
“He was trying to plant a tracker.”
Adrian stood.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
His eyes met mine.
“I want to know.”
He nodded.
Minutes later, the man was brought into a secure room.
He looked terrified.
Adrian questioned him.
“Who sent you?”
“Mr. Voss.”
“Who else?”
“No one.”
“Who gave you the tracker?”
“I don't know.”
Adrian looked at me.
I stared at the man.
Something felt wrong.
“Ask him about the basement.”
Adrian looked at me.
“What basement?”
I didn't know why I said it.
“I heard Damian talking once.”
“What did he say?”
“A basement beneath the east wing.”
The man's face changed.
Adrian saw it.
“What's there?”
The man broke.
“Records.”
“What records?”
“Financial.”
“Whose?”
The man looked at me.
“Mrs. Voss's.”
My blood ran cold.
Adrian stepped closer.
“Explain.”
“He keeps everything.”
“What?”
“Bank transfers.”
“Contracts.”
“Photographs.”
“Everything.”
“Why?”
The man swallowed.
“Because Mr. Voss was afraid she would find out.”
“Find out what?”
The man looked at me.
“That the marriage was never supposed to end.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
He whispered:
“Mr. Voss never planned to let you leave.”
Adrian went still.
The man continued.
“He has a private agreement.”
“What kind?”
“A lifetime ownership agreement.”
My stomach turned.
Adrian looked at me.
“Did you ever sign anything unusual after the wedding?”
I remembered.
A document.
Damian said it was a financial form.
He had told me to sign it quickly.
I hadn't read it.
My blood turned cold.
Adrian ordered the man removed.
Then he looked at me.
“We're going back.”
“To the mansion?”
“Yes.”
I stared.
“I just escaped.”
“We won't stay.”
“Then why?”
“To find out what Damian has been hiding.”
I nodded.
Adrian picked up his coat.
“This ends tonight.”
But he was wrong.
May you like
It wasn't going to end.
It was going to reveal the reason Damian had chosen me in the first place.
Related Stories
