Chapter 3: The Woman Who Was Never Supposed To Return
I had spent years believing the hardest thing in life was losing someone you loved.
I was wrong.
The hardest thing was realizing the person standing beside you every day might have been holding the truth in their hands the entire time.
The wedding hall slowly emptied after Clara’s revelation.
Guests whispered as they walked out.
Some avoided looking at Victoria.
Others looked at me with sympathy.
I hated that.
Because I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy.
I wanted answers.
I stood near the altar, still wearing the suit I had chosen weeks ago.
The same suit I thought I would wear when I promised Victoria forever.
Now it felt like a costume.
Victoria sat alone on one of the front-row chairs.
Her wedding dress spread around her like a beautiful lie.
“Everyone is gone,” I said.
She looked up.
Her eyes were red.
“Adrian…”
I raised my hand.
“Don’t.””
She stopped.
For the first time since I met her, Victoria looked unsure of what to say.
The woman who always knew exactly what she wanted.
The woman who could control any room.
She looked lost.
“I need to know who those children are,” I said.
Victoria looked toward the doors where Clara had left.
“They’re not mine.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you looking at me like I betrayed you?””
I stared at her.
“Because you did.””
The words hurt her.
I saw it.
But I couldn’t take them back.
“You knew Clara,” I continued.
“You knew her sister. You knew about those children. You knew that necklace.””
Victoria looked down at her hands.
“I was trying to protect someone.””
“Who?””
She didn’t answer.
That silence was becoming a pattern.
And every unanswered question made me trust her less.
Finally, she whispered:
“Her name was Elena.””
I sat down across from her.
“Clara’s sister?””
Victoria nodded.
“She worked for my family when I was younger.””
“What happened to her?””
Victoria’s eyes moved toward the wedding decorations.
Like she was trying to escape the memory.
“She disappeared.””
“That’s what Clara said.””
Victoria swallowed.
“But she doesn’t know everything.””
I leaned forward.
“Then tell me.””
For several seconds, the only sound was the soft hum of the empty room.
Then Victoria spoke.
“Elena was supposed to leave town.””
“Why?””
“She found something.””
“What?””
Victoria looked at me.
And I noticed something strange.
She wasn’t afraid of me.
She was afraid of the answer.
“Documents.””
“What kind of documents?””
She stood up suddenly.
“I can’t do this here.””
I almost laughed.
“Where would you like to do it? Somewhere more comfortable? Somewhere you can control the story?””
Her face tightened.
“That’s not fair.””
“Fair?””
I pointed toward the door.
“There are two children outside who think you’re their mother.””
Victoria closed her eyes.
“I never wanted them involved.””
“But they are.””
Before she could respond, my phone rang.
I looked at the screen.
It was my attorney.
I almost ignored it.
But something told me not to.
“Hello?””
His voice sounded serious.
“Adrian, are you still at the venue?””
“Yes.””
“You need to listen carefully.””
I walked away from Victoria.
“What happened?””
“I received a message from someone claiming to have information about your wedding.””
My expression changed.
“What information?””
There was a pause.
Then he said:
“About Victoria’s family.””
I looked back.
Victoria was watching me.
She knew.
“Who sent it?””
“I don’t know. It was anonymous.””
“What did they say?””
Another pause.
Then my attorney lowered his voice.
“They said the children at your wedding are not the only ones Victoria has been hiding.””
My heart stopped.
I looked at Victoria.
She immediately knew something had happened.
“Adrian?””
I ended the call.
Victoria took a step toward me.
“What did they tell you?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I already knew.
The children were not the secret.
They were proof that something much bigger had been buried.
“Who else don’t I know about?”” I asked.
Victoria’s face went pale.
Then someone knocked on the wedding hall doors.
Both of us turned.
A man stood outside.
Older.
Gray hair.
Holding a folder.
Victoria froze.
“No…”
The man looked directly at her.
“I think it’s time Adrian knows what happened seven years ago.””
Victoria whispered his name.
“Richard.””
May you like
And the fear on her face told me one thing.
She had been hoping I would never meet him.
