Chapter 6: The Enemy Inside the Walls
The message on Adrian’s phone seemed to glow brighter than the lights in the room.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Because everyone understood what it meant.
Someone had been watching us.
Not from a distance.
Not from somewhere far away.
Close enough to take a picture through the window.
Close enough to know exactly where I was standing.
My stomach tightened as I stepped away from the glass.
Adrian immediately moved in front of me.
A protective instinct.
The same instinct I had been waiting to see all night.
But now it felt different.
Too late.
“I’m calling the police,” Adrian said.
Lucas shook his head.
“No.””
Adrian looked at him.
“What do you mean no?””
“Because if Victor has someone watching this house, calling the police tells him we know.””
“So what?””
“So he disappears.””
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t care if he disappears.””
His eyes moved toward me.
“I care that my wife and my child are in danger.””
The words caught me off guard.
My wife.
My child.
Two words I had wanted to hear hours ago.
Before he opened the door and told me to leave.
Before he chose Camille.
Before he broke everything.
I looked away.
Because part of me still wanted to believe him.
And another part knew trust didn’t return just because someone finally realized what they had lost.
Lucas walked toward the window.
“Turn off the lights.””
Everyone looked at him.
“What?””
“Turn them off.””
Adrian hesitated.
Then he did.
The room went dark.
Only the rain outside gave us any light.
Lucas slowly moved the curtain aside.
The black car was still there.
Waiting.
“They’re not hiding,” he whispered.
Camille wrapped her arms around herself.
“This isn’t supposed to happen.””
I looked at her.
“What isn’t?””
She didn’t answer.
“Camille.””
Her eyes met mine.
“I thought Victor wanted Adrian’s company.””
“And now?””
She looked toward the window.
“Now I think he wants something else.””
A cold feeling spread through me.
“What?””
Camille swallowed.
“You.””
The word landed like a stone.
“Me?””
She nodded.
“I didn’t understand why at first.””
Adrian looked at her.
“Explain.””
Camille’s voice shook.
“Victor never cared about your company as much as I thought.””
Lucas crossed his arms.
“He cared about control.””
Camille nodded.
“And Olivia is the one thing he couldn’t control.””
I felt confused.
“Why?””
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Lucas looked at me.
“Because you survived.””
The sentence made no sense.
“Survived what?””
Lucas’s expression became serious.
“The night of the accident.””
I frowned.
“But I wasn’t in the accident.””
Lucas shook his head.
“You were.””
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
“What?””
Adrian looked at him too.
“Lucas.””
He didn’t look away.
“Olivia, you weren’t just a witness.””
My heart began racing.
“You were involved.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“No, I remember everything.””
“Do you?””
The question froze me.
Because suddenly, I remembered.
Or rather…
I remembered what I had always believed.
The rain.
The road.
The car.
Adrian.
But there were pieces missing.
Small pieces.
Things I had never questioned.
Why was I walking near that bridge that night?
Why was I carrying a folder that wasn’t mine?
Why did Victor know my name?
I pressed my hand against my forehead.
“I don’t understand.””
Lucas softened his voice.
“That’s because someone made sure you didn’t.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“What are you saying?””
Lucas looked at him.
“Your accident and Olivia’s past are connected.””
The silence was overwhelming.
Adrian looked at me.
And this time, I saw something different.
Not suspicion.
Concern.
“Olivia…”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
My voice cracked.
“I swear I don’t know.””
Adrian opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
Because for the first time, he believed me.
Not because of evidence.
Not because someone convinced him.
Because he finally looked at me.
Really looked at me.
And saw the fear in my eyes.
A loud sound suddenly came from upstairs.
Everyone froze.
A door closing.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Adrian immediately grabbed the nearest object from the table.
“Stay here.””
I grabbed his arm.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“I’m not leaving you alone.””
The words were quiet.
But they mattered.
He looked surprised too.
Lucas moved beside him.
“I’ll go.””
“No,” Adrian said.
Lucas looked at him.
“You don’t even know what’s up there.””
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“I know what I lost because I wasn’t paying attention.””
Then he looked at me.
“I’m not making that mistake again.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he and Lucas walked upstairs.
Camille stayed with me.
The silence between us was unbearable.
Finally, she spoke.
“You hate me.””
I looked at her.
“Yes.””
She nodded.
“I understand.””
I didn’t expect that.
“You do?””
“Yes.””
She looked down.
“I deserve it.””
The honesty surprised me.
I leaned against the wall.
“Why?””
She looked toward the stairs.
“Because I was jealous of you.””
I said nothing.
“You had everything I wanted.””
A bitter smile appeared.
“A husband who loved you. A home. A family.””
I almost laughed.
“Loved me?””
She looked at me.
“Before me.””
The answer hurt.
Because maybe she was right.
Before everything changed.
Before lies.
Before betrayal.
Adrian had loved me.
Camille continued.
“I thought if I took your place, I would finally have the life I wanted.””
“And?””
She closed her eyes.
“And I destroyed everyone’s.””
For the first time, I saw the weight she carried.
But forgiveness was still far away.
“You hurt me.””
“I know.””
“You humiliated me.””
“I know.””
“You stood there while he threw me out.””
Tears filled her eyes.
“I know.””
The honesty was almost worse.
Because anger was easier when someone refused to admit what they did.
Then a crash came from upstairs.
Both of us jumped.
“Adrian!”” I shouted.
I ran toward the stairs.
Camille followed.
We reached the second floor just as Lucas came out of the hallway.
His face was tense.
“What happened?””
He looked at us.
“Someone was here.””
“Where’s Adrian?””
Lucas pointed.
“Inside.””
I rushed into the room.
Adrian stood near the desk.
The window was open.
Rain blew inside.
“What happened?””
He didn’t answer.
He was staring at something on the floor.
A small object.
A USB drive.
Beside it was a handwritten note.
I walked closer.
Adrian picked it up.
His face changed as he read.
“What does it say?”” I asked.
He handed it to me.
Three words were written.
*ASK YOUR WIFE.*
My heart dropped.
Adrian looked at me.
“What does that mean?””
“I don’t know.””
But then I noticed something.
A symbol carved into the corner of the paper.
A symbol I had seen before.
On the old documents.
On the envelope.
On the files about Victor.
My blood ran cold.
“Olivia?””
I stepped back.
Because I finally understood.
The person behind everything wasn’t just watching us.
They had been leaving clues.
Leading us.
Waiting for us to discover something.
Something they wanted us to find.
Adrian picked up the USB drive.
“We need to see what’s on this.””
Lucas immediately shook his head.
“Not here.””
“Why?””
“Because if someone left it here…”
He looked around the room.
“They want us to open it.””
The lights suddenly flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went out completely.
Camille gasped.
A second later, Adrian’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone stared.
He answered.
No one spoke.
Then a distorted voice came through.
“Adrian Whitmore.””
Adrian tightened his grip on the phone.
“Who is this?””
The voice laughed softly.
“You really don’t remember her, do you?””
Adrian looked at me.
My heart stopped.
“Remember who?””
The voice whispered:
May you like
“The girl you left behind.””
And then the call ended.
