Chapter Seven – An Unspoken Understanding

Elysia sat motionless long after James had left, staring at the ring Adrian had slipped onto her finger. It felt foreign, heavier than it should, as if it carried the weight of a thousand unsaid words. The cool metal burned against her skin, not with pain, but with an awareness she couldn’t shake.

She had been stripped of everything—her dignity, her baby, her trust—but here Adrian was, filling the void with something else. Something powerful.

Was it protection? Ownership? Or something deeper she wasn’t ready to name?

The room felt suffocating, and she exhaled slowly, trying to process the mess that had become her life.

Adrian, who had remained still beside her, finally let out a low breath. “You did well,” he said, his voice quiet but firm.

Elysia scoffed, shaking her head. “Did I?” she whispered bitterly, her fingers tightening around the sheets. “I lost everything, Adrian. My child, my family, my home—” her voice cracked, but she swallowed down the lump in her throat. “And now, I wear your ring as some declaration of war against a man I should’ve never trusted in the first place.”

Adrian watched her carefully, his face unreadable. “It’s not just about revenge, Elysia,” he said after a moment, his voice carrying something softer this time. “It’s about reclaiming what was stolen from you.”

She turned to him, her gaze searching his. “And what do you get out of this?” she asked, her tone edged with skepticism.

Adrian smirked, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I told you, didn’t I? I want the company.” His gaze flickered toward her ring, the smirk fading into something else. Something almost hesitant. “And maybe… I don’t want to see you crumble like my mother did.”

Elysia stiffened at his words. There was something in his tone, something deeply buried beneath his usual confidence. She had seen it earlier, in the way his eyes softened just before he left her last night. In the way he had given her flowers and chocolates, as if trying to remind her that life still held sweetness, even when everything tasted bitter.

He understood her pain.

And for some reason, that terrified her.

Before she could respond, Adrian pushed himself off the chair. His movements were effortless, controlled, as if he had mastered the art of masking emotions. “Get some rest,” he said. “We have a lot to do.”

He turned toward the door, and for a moment, she thought he would leave without another word. But then, at the last second, he stopped.

Without facing her, he said, “That ring… it’s not just for show. If you ever need to hold onto something—” he hesitated for the briefest moment “—hold onto that.”

And then he was gone.

Elysia exhaled, her chest aching in ways she didn’t understand.

She looked down at the ring again, her thumb brushing over the smooth surface. It should’ve felt cold. But strangely… it didn’t.

Maybe—just maybe—it was the first thing in a long time that felt real.