Chapter 2 - My Ex-Husband Finally Admitted He Knew About Adrian Long Before We Ever MetMark looked nothing like the man I had married.
His expensive shirt was torn.
His cheek was bruised.
One side of his mouth was swollen.
But what frightened me wasn't his appearance.
It was his eyes.
He looked terrified.
“Start talking.”
He swallowed.
“Your father.”
I stared.
“My father?”
“He knew about Adrian.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“He knew who Adrian was.”
“I already know who Adrian is.”
“No.”
Mark shook his head.
“You don't.”
Adrian stood silently behind me.
Mark looked at him.
“You didn't tell her.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“Be careful.”
“Tell her.”
Mark's voice cracked.
“Tell her what your father did.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Enough.”
Mark laughed bitterly.
“He deserves to know.”
I turned toward Adrian.
“What is he talking about?”
Adrian remained silent.
I looked at Mark.
“My father died when I was sixteen.”
“Yes.”
“You said he knew Adrian?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Mark took a breath.
“He worked for him.”
I stared.
“My father worked for Adrian?”
“No.”
Mark shook his head.
“Adrian's father.”
The room became silent.
Adrian's expression changed.
“My father?”
Mark nodded.
“He knew your father.”
I looked at Adrian.
He seemed shocked.
Mark continued.
“Your father and mine worked together.”
I frowned.
“Doing what?”
“Security.”
“That's all?”
Mark looked at me.
“No.”
I knew there was more.
“What?”
“Your father wasn't a normal businessman.”
“I know.”
“No.”
He looked at Adrian.
“He was part of the Vale network.”
Adrian's face darkened.
“What network?”
Mark hesitated.
“The protection network.”
I didn't understand.
Mark explained.
Powerful families.
Witnesses.
Financial records.
People who needed to disappear.
Adrian's father had created a network designed to protect people from criminal organizations.
But over time, the system had been corrupted.
Some people used it to hide crimes.
Some used it to blackmail others.
My father had been involved.
So had Mark's father.
And someone called The Keeper controlled the whole thing.
I stared.
“Who is The Keeper?”
Mark looked at Adrian.
“Someone you failed to kill.”
Adrian froze.
I looked at him.
“Is that true?”
“No.”
Mark laughed.
“Ask him about the warehouse.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“You don't get to rewrite history.”
“Then tell her.”
Silence.
I looked between them.
“What warehouse?”
Adrian didn't answer.
I raised my voice.
“What warehouse?”
He finally said:
“Your father died there.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He didn't die in a car accident.”
I could barely breathe.
“What happened?”
“An explosion.”
“And you were there?”
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No.”
“Who did?”
Adrian looked at me.
“We never found out.”
Mark interrupted.
“The Keeper did.”
Adrian turned.
“You don't know that.”
“I know enough.”
Mark's eyes filled with fear.
“He was there.”
“Who?”
“The man who has been watching Emma.”
I felt sick.
“Why Emma?”
Mark didn't answer.
I walked toward him.
“Why?”
He finally looked at me.
“Because Emma has your blood.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Your father had a genetic condition.”
“What condition?”
“Rare memory processing.”
I stared.
“My daughter inherited it?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“The Keeper wants children like her.”
I felt cold.
“Why?”
“To remember.”
“Remember what?”
“Everything.”
Adrian stepped in.
“Enough.”
Mark looked at me.
“You don't understand what your daughter can do.”
“She is eight.”
“I know.”
“She is not a weapon.”
“No.”
He looked terrified.
“She is the opposite.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“She can expose the people who built everything.”
I looked at Adrian.
He closed his eyes.
“What have you been hiding?”
He finally answered.
“More than I wanted.”
“Tell me.”
He looked at Emma.
“Not here.”
“Where?”
“A place no one can reach.”
I looked at Mark.
“And him?”
“He comes too.”
Mark shook his head.
“No.”
Adrian turned.
“You're coming.”
“I'm dead if I go with you.”
“You're dead if you don't.”
Mark went silent.
We moved to another safe location.
That night, Adrian sat with me.
Emma slept beside me.
“You knew about her?”
“No.”
“You knew about me.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since before you met Mark.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Because your father asked me to protect you.”
“What did he know?”
“He knew The Keeper would eventually come for you.”
“So why did he send me away?”
“Because he thought you were safer.”
“You let me marry Mark.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I believed normal was safer than my world.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Normal almost killed my daughter.”
“I know.”
I looked at him.
“Did you love me?”
His jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
“Do you still?”
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
I already knew.
Then Emma cried out in her sleep.
“Mommy…”
I rushed to her.
She was sweating.
She opened her eyes.
“I remembered.”
“What?”
“The man in the house.”
“Who was he?”
She whispered:
“Grandpa.”
My heart stopped.
“My father?”
May you like
She nodded.
“He was there.”
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