The car ride home from the gala was deathly quiet.
Ariana sat stiffly, Evelyn's words echoing in her mind:
"You weren't supposed to survive."
Every syllable had sunk into her like a shard of glass.
Adrian glanced at her once but said nothing. His jaw was tight. His hands gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing keeping him in control.
"You knew she'd be there," Ariana finally said.
He didn't answer.
"You let me walk into that like a lamb to slaughter."
His voice came low. "You said you didn't remember anything. I assumed she wouldn't matter."
A bitter laugh escaped her. "She told me I replaced her. That she was your fiancée."
Silence.
Then, coldly: "She was."
"And you left her for me?"
He turned to her sharply. "No. You stole me from her."
Her stomach dropped.
"But that's not the full story," he added, almost as an afterthought.
She waited, but he didn't continue.
Of course he wouldn't.
Back at the mansion, Ariana wandered to the garden just after midnight, unable to sleep. The moon lit the path in silver, and everything smelled faintly of jasmine.
She sat on a stone bench, hugging her knees. Somewhere in this garden, she felt she had cried before. Or laughed. Or kissed someone under these stars.
And then—footsteps.
Adrian.
He paused a few feet away. For once, not in a suit. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his tie gone. He looked… human.
"I didn't think you'd be out here," he said.
"I couldn't sleep."
He nodded, then sat beside her—still not too close.
They sat in silence, surrounded by shadows and moonlight.
"I didn't lie about the contract," he said quietly. "Our marriage started that way. Business. Strategy. Revenge, even. But somewhere along the way…"
He trailed off.
Ariana turned to him. "What?"
He looked at her, and this time his eyes weren't cold—they were wounded. Torn.
"You changed," he said. "You stopped pretending. You made me stop, too."
Her heart thudded. "Then what happened?"
He looked away.
"You betrayed me," he said, barely a whisper.
She swallowed. "I don't remember that."
"I know," he replied. "And that's the worst part. Because part of me wants to believe you didn't."
Their eyes locked.
And for the first time since she woke up… he touched her.
His hand reached for hers, hesitant. A brush of fingertips. A flicker of electricity.
She didn't pull away.
But before she could speak, a light flickered in the mansion window above.
Someone was watching them.
A figure in the shadows. Gone before she could focus.
She stood suddenly. "Someone's out there."
Adrian followed her gaze, but saw nothing.
"Maybe it's the past," he murmured. "Coming back for both of us."