Chapter 5: The Room That Was Never Safe
I don’t remember leaving the coffee shop.
I remember standing up.
I remember Adrian saying my name.
I remember the sound of my chair scraping against the floor.
After that, everything blurred.
Because there are moments when your brain refuses to accept what is happening.
A hidden camera.
In my apartment.
The place where I slept.
The place where I changed clothes.
The place where I cried over wedding stress and danced around the kitchen while making dinner.
My home was supposed to be the one place in the world where I was safe.
Now it felt like a crime scene.
Adrian drove faster than I expected.
Not recklessly.
Not carelessly.
Just with a focus that made me realize he had done this before.
He kept both hands on the steering wheel.
His eyes stayed on the road.
But I could see the tension in his jaw.
“You knew something like this could happen,” I said.
He didn’t answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
“Adrian.””
“I knew Cole was capable of manipulating people.””
“That’s not what I asked.””
He exhaled.
“No. I didn’t know he would put a camera in your apartment.””
The word still felt impossible.
Camera.
Like I was talking about someone else’s life.
I looked out the window.
The city passed by in pieces.
People walking.
Cars stopping at lights.
A couple laughing outside a restaurant.
Everyone was living normally.
Meanwhile, my entire reality was falling apart.
“Why would he do this?””
Adrian’s grip tightened.
“I don’t know.””
“You keep saying that.””
“Because I’m trying not to guess.””
I turned toward him.
“Guess.””
He glanced at me.
“Sometimes people collect information because they’re afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
“Losing control.””
I looked away.
That sounded exactly like Cole.
The man who always needed plans.
The man who hated surprises.
The man who once rearranged our vacation itinerary because he didn’t like not knowing what restaurants we would visit.
But a hidden camera?
That was something else.
That wasn’t control.
That was obsession.
When we arrived at my apartment building, I saw Tessa standing outside.
She looked nothing like the confident woman from the hotel.
Her hair was messy.
Her face was pale.
She was holding her phone with both hands like it was the only thing keeping her standing.
The second she saw me, she started crying.
“Emma.””
I stopped several feet away.
A week ago, I would have run to her.
A week ago, I would have hugged her.
A week ago, she was my sister.
Now I didn’t know what she was.
“What happened?””
She wiped her face.
“I’m sorry.””
I stared at her.
“Not yet.””
She looked down.
“I know.””
Adrian walked past us toward the building entrance.
“Tessa, show me exactly where you found it.””
She nodded.
I followed.
The elevator ride was silent.
The four of us stood inside that small metal box.
Me.
My sister.
The man who had uncovered my fiancé’s lies.
And the person who had helped create them.
I watched Tessa’s reflection in the elevator mirror.
She looked broken.
Part of me wanted to feel satisfied.
I wanted to see her hurt.
I wanted her to feel even a fraction of what I felt.
But instead, I just felt tired.
The elevator doors opened.
My apartment door was slightly open.
My stomach dropped.
I knew I had locked it.
I always locked it.
“Did you leave it like this?”” Adrian asked.
Tessa nodded.
“Yes.””
“Don’t touch anything.””
He stepped forward.
I stayed behind him.
The apartment looked normal.
That was the worst part.
The couch was exactly where it had been.
The blanket I kept folded on the armrest was still there.
The framed photo from our engagement trip was still on the shelf.
Everything looked peaceful.
Like nothing had happened.
Like my life hadn’t been invaded.
“Where?”” Adrian asked.
Tessa pointed.
“Bedroom.””
I didn’t want to go in there.
But I followed.
My bedroom.
The place where Cole and I had spent countless nights talking about our future.
The place where I had packed and unpacked wedding magazines.
The place where I kept the dress I was supposed to wear in three days.
The closet door was open.
My heart started pounding.
“The camera was there,” Tessa said.
She pointed toward the bookshelf.
Adrian crouched down.
After a few seconds, he looked up.
“It’s gone.””
I felt confused.
“What?””
“The camera isn’t here.””
Tessa shook her head quickly.
“No, it was.””
“Where did you see it?””
“Behind the books.””
She walked closer.
Adrian stopped her.
“Don’t.””
She froze.
“I saw a tiny light.””
“Did you touch it?””
“No.””
“Did you remove it?””
“No.””
He looked around the room.
“Then whoever installed it came back.””
The silence afterward was terrifying.
I felt a cold wave move through me.
“Someone was here.””
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.””
“When?””
“I don’t know.””
I looked at Tessa.
“How did you find it?””
She swallowed.
“Because I was looking for something.””
“What?””
She hesitated.
“A letter.””
I frowned.
“What letter?””
Tessa looked away.
“The one Cole wrote me.””
The room went silent.
“You had a letter from him?””
“Yes.””
“Where is it?””
“I don’t know.””
I stared at her.
“What do you mean you don’t know?””
“After I found the camera, I searched his messages. I thought maybe there was something else.””
“And?””
“I found out he deleted our conversations.””
Adrian looked at her.
“All of them?””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
I almost laughed.
Everyone kept saying those words.
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
But I was starting to understand something.
The truth wasn’t hidden because it was impossible to find.
It was hidden because everyone around me had been lying.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I looked at the screen.
A message.
*You should have listened to Cole.*
My blood went cold.
Adrian saw my face.
“What is it?””
I handed him the phone.
He read it.
Then his expression changed.
“Do you recognize this number?””
“No.””
He typed something into his phone.
A few seconds later, he looked up.
“It’s blocked.””
“Meaning?””
“Meaning whoever sent it doesn’t want you to trace it.””
Tessa stepped closer.
“Is it him?””
I looked at her.
“Who?””
She swallowed.
“The person who put the camera there.””
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Then another message appeared.
This time, there was a photo attached.
My hand moved before my brain could stop it.
I opened it.
And immediately wished I hadn’t.
It was a picture of me.
Taken inside my apartment.
Not today.
Not recently.
A month earlier.
I was sitting on my bedroom floor surrounded by wedding invitations.
I remembered that night.
I had been crying because the guest list was too complicated.
I remembered calling Cole.
I remembered him telling me he was too busy to talk.
I remembered feeling alone.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had captured that moment.
Below the photo was a message.
*Ask your sister why she wasn’t the first one I recorded.*
I looked at Tessa.
She went completely still.
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
Her face changed.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
“Tessa.””
She didn’t answer.
“Tessa, what does that mean?””
She stepped back.
“I…”
Her voice shook.
“I thought it was just Cole.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
She looked at Adrian.
Then at me.
“I thought he was only watching me.””
The room became silent.
“What are you talking about?””
Tessa covered her mouth.
“I thought he installed something because he didn’t trust me.””
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“Where?””
Tessa looked toward the living room.
“His office.””
I frowned.
“Cole doesn’t have an office here.””
She nodded slowly.
“Not anymore.””
A chill ran through me.
“What does that mean?””
Tessa looked terrified.
“Emma…”
She whispered:
“Cole had another apartment.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
She closed her eyes.
“He kept it hidden from you.””
Adrian immediately picked up his phone.
“Address.””
Tessa hesitated.
Then she gave it.
Adrian typed quickly.
And stopped.
“What?””
He looked at me.
His face had gone pale.
“Because that apartment…”
He turned the phone around.
On the screen was a property record.
The owner’s name.
The location.
And the date it was purchased.
My stomach dropped.
The apartment had been bought five months ago.
The exact same month Cole started sleeping with my sister.
And the owner listed on the document wasn’t Cole.
It wasn’t Tessa.
It wasn’t even a Marston.
It was me.
Emma Bennett.
May you like
Except I had never bought an apartment.
And I had never signed the paperwork.
