Chapter 6: The Secret Hidden in the Hospital Room
The video stopped.
But nobody moved.
The image remained frozen on Nathan’s phone screen.
A dark hospital room.
Clara sitting beside Adrian’s unconscious body.
A shadowy figure standing near the door.
And a voice Adrian had spent years trusting.
A voice that had promised to protect him.
The ballroom felt smaller now.
The air felt heavier.
Adrian stared at Nathan.
“Play it again.””
Nathan watched him carefully.
“Are you sure?””
Adrian’s eyes hardened.
“Play it.””
Nathan pressed the screen.
The video restarted.
The hospital room appeared again.
The timestamp showed the night after Adrian’s accident.
Seven years ago.
Adrian remembered that night.
Pain.
Confusion.
The smell of antiseptic.
The sound of machines.
He remembered waking up and seeing Clara beside him.
He remembered her crying.
He remembered believing that somehow, if she was there, everything would be okay.
But now he saw something he never knew.
Someone else had been there too.
The door opened.
A person entered.
The camera angle was poor.
The face remained hidden.
But the voice was clear.
“Is he awake?””
Adrian’s breathing stopped.
The voice.
He knew it.
The figure stepped closer.
Clara immediately stood.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
The person laughed quietly.
“You still think you can stop this?””
Clara’s expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not sadness.
Not worry.
Fear.
“What did you do?”” Clara whispered.
The figure moved closer.
“Nothing that wasn’t necessary.””
Adrian watched the screen.
His hands slowly tightened.
Nathan looked at him.
“Keep watching.””
The video continued.
Clara moved between the person and Adrian’s hospital bed.
“You said you only wanted control of the company.””
“I wanted everything.””
“You tried to kill him.””
A pause.
Then the voice answered.
“He was never supposed to survive.””
The ballroom filled with gasps.
Adrian looked away from the screen.
His face had gone pale.
Nobody noticed the tears forming in his eyes.
Not because he was weak.
Because he was finally seeing the truth.
The accident.
The wheelchair.
The years of pain.
All of it had been planned.
Clara’s voice trembled in the recording.
“If you touch him again, I’ll expose you.””
The figure laughed.
“You won’t.””
“Why?””
“Because if you speak, Adrian dies.””
The video froze again.
Nathan lowered the phone.
Silence.
Adrian slowly looked up.
“Who was it?””
Nathan didn’t answer.
“Who was it?””
His voice shook the room.
Nathan looked toward the entrance.
Then at Daniel.
Then finally back at Adrian.
“You already know.””
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“No.””
Nathan’s face became serious.
“Yes.””
A terrible feeling moved through Adrian.
Because somewhere deep inside, before anyone said the name, he already felt it.
The truth was approaching.
And he hated that part of him already understood.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Adrian…”
Adrian looked at him.
“Don’t.””
Daniel stopped.
“You knew.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“I knew something was wrong.””
“You knew who.””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
Adrian noticed.
“You’re lying.””
Daniel looked broken.
“I knew who was involved.””
“Who?””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“I was trying to find proof.””
Adrian’s voice became cold.
“You had seven years.””
“I know.””
“You had seven years while I sat in that chair.””
Daniel’s eyes filled with regret.
“I know.””
“You watched me believe I was abandoned.””
Daniel whispered:
“I know.””
Adrian looked away.
The betrayal hurt more than the accident.
Because injuries could heal.
But trust was different.
Sofie quietly stepped forward.
“Adrian.””
He looked down.
The little girl’s face was filled with sadness.
“You’re hurting.””
He forced a small smile.
“I’m fine.””
Sofie shook her head.
“No.””
The simple answer surprised him.
“You don’t have to pretend.””
For the first time that night, Adrian had no response.
Because everyone else had always expected him to be strong.
The billionaire.
The leader.
The man who never broke.
But this child looked at him like he was just a person.
Not a name.
Not a fortune.
Just Adrian.
Marcus cleared his throat.
“There’s something else.””
Everyone turned.
Adrian looked at him.
“What?””
Marcus hesitated.
“The person in that video wasn’t alone.””
Adrian frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“There were two people involved.””
Nathan’s expression changed.
Adrian noticed.
“Nathan.””
His brother looked away.
“You knew.””
Nathan didn’t answer.
“Nathan.””
Finally, Nathan spoke.
“I knew there was someone else.””
Adrian stared.
“And you didn’t tell me?””
“I was trying to find them.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
Nathan looked at him.
“Yes.””
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“After everything?””
Nathan stepped closer.
“I know what it looks like.””
“It looks like you’re protecting yourself.””
Nathan’s face tightened.
“Maybe I was.””
The honesty surprised Adrian.
Nathan continued.
“But I wasn’t the one who caused your accident.””
The room went quiet.
Adrian studied him.
For years, he knew Nathan as a liar.
But this time…
Something was different.
Not innocence.
Not forgiveness.
Something more complicated.
Nathan looked exhausted.
“I made mistakes.””
Adrian said nothing.
“I was jealous.””
Nathan admitted it.
“I hated feeling like I would always be second.””
The confession hung in the air.
“But I never wanted you dead.””
Adrian stared.
“Then why?””
Nathan looked down.
“Because I made a deal.””
Everyone froze.
Adrian’s expression changed.
“What deal?””
Nathan swallowed.
“Someone approached me before the accident.””
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
Nathan shook his head.
“They never showed their face.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“What did they offer you?””
Nathan looked ashamed.
“Control.””
The word echoed.
Adrian’s face hardened.
“And what did they want?””
Nathan looked directly at him.
“They wanted you gone.””
A cold silence followed.
“But when the accident happened,” Nathan continued, “I realized I had made a mistake.””
Adrian laughed quietly.
“A mistake?””
Nathan’s voice broke.
“Yes.””
For a moment, the anger disappeared from his face.
“I thought I wanted your life.””
He looked around the room.
“But I never wanted your pain.””
Nobody spoke.
Then a sudden sound interrupted them.
A phone vibrating.
Everyone looked around.
This time, it wasn’t Daniel’s.
It was Adrian’s.
The unknown number.
Again.
Adrian stared at the screen.
Nobody breathed.
Slowly, he answered.
“Hello?””
No voice came immediately.
Only silence.
Then a woman whispered:
“Adrian.””
His entire body froze.
Clara.
“I need you to listen carefully.””
He closed his eyes.
“Where are you?””
“Not important.””
“It is.””
“Adrian…”
Her voice trembled.
“I made a mistake.””
His heart tightened.
“What mistake?””
A pause.
Then:
“I trusted the wrong person.””
Adrian looked around the room.
At Nathan.
At Daniel.
At Marcus.
At Sofie.
“Who?””
Clara breathed in.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
Her voice cracked.
“But I was actually bringing the danger closer.””
Adrian’s face changed.
“What are you saying?””
Before Clara answered, a sound came through the phone.
A door opening.
Someone entering.
Clara whispered:
“He found me.””
Adrian stood completely still.
“Who?””
The line became filled with static.
Then Clara said the words that made Adrian’s blood run cold.
“The person who has been controlling everything…”
A pause.
A frightened breath.
“…is inside your mansion right now.””
The call ended.
Adrian slowly lowered the phone.
Everyone watched him.
Marcus spoke first.
“What did she say?””
Adrian looked toward the people standing around him.
Toward the people he thought he knew.
Then he whispered:
“She said the person behind everything…”
His eyes moved to the hallway.
“…is here.””
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At that exact moment, the mansion’s security alarm began screaming.
And from upstairs came the sound of glass breaking.
