The door to the interrogation room opened again but Cortez didn’t wait for pleasantries this time.“You hurt my son” Cortez yelled the moment Adrian stepped in. His voice cracked through the room like a gunshot, “You hurt my son and almost killed him!”Adrian stopped just inside the doorway while the guards behind him stayed alert but Adrian lifted a hand slightly signaling calm, he closed the door himself slowly and deliberately as if shutting out the noise of the world.“Now tell me” Cortez continued with his voice rising, “why you expect me to sit quietly and watch my name dragged through the mud? Why I should just accept humiliation like a fool?”Adrian turned smiled faintly and walked toward the chair opposite Cortez and sat down unhurried and relaxed, he adjusted his sleeves, leaned back and crossed one leg over the other “Continue” Adrian said softly, “I’m with you.”The lack of aggression unsettled Cortez more than shouting ever could “You think this is funny?” Cortez scoffed.

Adrian stood in front of Seraphina’s door longer than he intended, his hand lifted once but hesitated, and then fell back to his side.This felt strangely unsettling for a trained military officer who had faced bullets, ambushes, and death without blinking.Then he knocked.“Coming” Seraphina’s voice came from inside soft but alert.The door opened and her eyes widened, and then softened immediately “Adrian” she said, surprise melting into relief, “You came.”“Yes” he replied quietly, “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”She shook her head quickly “No. No, you’re not. Please, come in.”He stepped inside the house which was modest, warm, and lived-in, with nothing extravagant and nothing cold but it smelled faintly of tea and something sweet baking - comforting in a way Adrian hadn’t felt in a long time.Seraphina closed the door behind him “You look tired” she said gently.“So do you” Adrian replied.She smiled faintly “Pregnancy does that” she said while resting a hand on her stomach unc

Adrian returned from Seraphina’s house with his mind louder than the streets around him while the night air brushed against his face as he stepped out of the car and shut the door slowly as if any sudden sound might shatter the fragile balance he was holding onto, with his heart still warm from the time spent with Seraphina- the laughter, the honesty and the calm that seemed to come so naturally when he was with her but beneath that warmth lay something darker, heavier and more unsettling.Too many things no longer made sense and too many pieces refused to fit and he stood there for a moment staring at nothing in particular while replaying Seraphina’s words in his head “Not only them want me away”That sentence alone had cracked something open in him as he walked toward the house slowly with his steps measured and deliberate while each step felt like he was walking deeper into a truth he wasn’t sure he was ready to face.The lights were on inside while Everything looked normal.Adrian

“She’s pregnant… and it’s mine?” Victor’s voice was barely above a whisper but it wasn’t directed at Adrian and wasn’t even directed at the room but it was the kind of sentence a man says when his thoughts escape before his caution can catch them.The words hung in the air slow, poisonous, and irreversible while Adrian’s head snapped up instantly “What did you just say?”Victor froze and the silence that followed was sharp enough to cut skin.Adrian took one step forward “Victor” he said too calmly, “repeat what you just said.”Victor swallowed hard while his eyes darted away, then back and then down to the table “I didn’t say anything” Victor replied quickly, “You heard wrong.”Adrian laughed once short and humorless “No” Adrian said, “I heard you perfectly.”Victor shook his head “You’re reading into it” he insisted, “I was just thinking out loud.”Adrian moved closer planting both hands on the table again leaning forward until Victor had no choice but to look at him “Thinking out l

“Elena”The sound of her name coming from the hallway froze her in place.Adrian’s voice was calm and controlled but it carried weight that didn’t invite refusal.Elena inhaled sharply “Yes?” she answered forcing steadiness into her tone.“Come to the study” Adrian said, “Now.”The line went dead while Elena stood still for a moment with her heart racing wildly in her chest and panic surged up her throat threatening to choke her but she pressed her palm lightly against the side of the couch steadying herself ‘He knows something’ her mind screamed, How much does he know?’She smoothed her dress with trembling hands, lifted her chin, and practiced a neutral expression in the mirror reflection of the hallway glass ‘Calm down’ she told herself, ‘You’ve survived worse.’She walked toward the study while each step felt heavier than the last and she knocked softly when she reached the door.“Come in” Adrian said.She opened the door and stepped inside.The room was dimly lit with curtains ha