Chapter 4: The Last Person He Trusted
Adrian didn’t speak.
Neither did anyone else.
The mansion had become completely silent except for Lauren’s voice coming through the phone.
“I wondered how long it would take,” she said.
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“How long what would take?””
“For the truth to find you.””
Maya looked at him.
She could hear the tone in Lauren’s voice.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
Confidence.
The kind of confidence only someone with a plan could have.
Adrian stepped away from everyone, keeping Noah secure in his arms.
“You knew.””
Lauren laughed softly.
“I knew you would find out eventually.””
“Then why call?””
“Because I wanted to talk to you before everyone else fills your head with lies.””
Adrian looked at Evelyn.
The irony almost made him laugh.
“Lies?””
“Yes.””
Lauren’s voice remained calm.
“Maya is very good at making herself look like the victim.””
Maya’s face fell.
Adrian’s eyes sharpened.
“Careful.””
The warning in his voice was immediate.
Lauren went quiet.
Because she knew that tone.
The tone Adrian used when someone crossed a line.
“You don’t get to talk about my son’s mother like that.””
A pause.
Then Lauren sighed.
“So he is yours.””
Adrian froze.
The way she said it.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Certain.
“You knew.””
“Yes.””
The answer came easily.
Maya covered her mouth.
Evelyn looked horrified.
Adrian felt his entire world narrow.
“How long?””
“Since the beginning.””
“Since when?””
“Since Maya found out she was pregnant.””
Adrian’s hand tightened around the phone.
“You knew she was carrying my child.””
“Yes.””
“And you let me believe he died.””
Silence.
Then Lauren said:
“I did what I thought was necessary.””
Adrian stared ahead.
No apology.
No denial.
Just a confession wrapped in excuses.
“You stole three years from me.””
Lauren’s voice softened.
“I saved you from a mistake.””
Adrian looked at Noah.
His sleeping son.
His son.
A mistake?
The rage that rose inside him was almost impossible to control.
“You don’t get to decide that.””
“I knew you better than anyone.””
“No.””
His voice was cold.
“You knew how to manipulate me.””
Lauren became quiet.
For the first time, her confidence slipped.
“I loved you.””
Adrian closed his eyes.
There it was.
The truth beneath everything.
Not business.
Not protection.
Not loyalty.
Obsession.
“You loved the idea of me,” he said.
“That’s not fair.””
“No?””
He looked around the foyer.
“At what point was taking my child away fair?””
Lauren didn’t answer.
Adrian continued.
“At what point was letting a woman raise my son alone fair?””
Nothing.
“Answer me.””
Her voice finally changed.
“You were happy before her.””
Adrian looked confused.
“What?””
“You were focused. Successful. Powerful.””
A bitter laugh came through the phone.
“Then Maya came along, and suddenly everything changed.””
Adrian shook his head.
“That’s what you hated?””
“No.””
Lauren’s voice became sharper.
“I hated watching you choose someone who didn’t understand what you sacrificed.””
Maya looked away.
Adrian understood now.
Lauren didn’t see herself as the villain.
That was the most dangerous part.
She believed she was right.
“You don’t love someone by destroying their life,” Adrian said.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
His voice dropped.
“I understand perfectly.””
He looked toward Maya.
Three years.
Three years of loneliness.
Three years of a child growing up without him.
“I trusted you.””
Lauren became quiet.
And that silence hurt more than anger.
Because it was the silence of someone who knew she had lost.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Adrian almost believed it.
Almost.
Then she added:
“But if you knew what I knew, you would understand why I did it.””
His expression changed.
“What does that mean?””
Lauren didn’t answer.
“Lauren.””
“You think this is only about me?””
The room shifted.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you talking about?””
“Maya didn’t tell you everything.””
Maya went still.
Adrian looked at her.
“What does she mean?””
Maya’s face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not guilt.
Not shame.
Fear.
Adrian noticed immediately.
“What aren’t you telling me?””
Maya opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Lauren’s voice returned.
“You should ask her what happened the night Noah was born.””
Adrian stared at Maya.
The phone remained against his ear.
But he barely heard Lauren anymore.
Because suddenly there was another secret.
Another missing piece.
Another person who had kept him away from the truth.
“Maya?””
Tears formed in her eyes.
“Adrian…”
His heart sank.
Because he had spent years believing everyone had lied to him.
But now he had to face a terrifying possibility.
Maybe the story was bigger than Lauren.
Maybe there were truths Maya had hidden too.
Noah shifted in his arms.
Still sleeping.
Still innocent.
Adrian looked between the woman he lost and the child he never knew.
Then he spoke quietly.
“What happened that night?””
Maya looked like she had been waiting three years for this question.
And terrified of answering it.
Because the truth she had buried was finally coming out.
And it could change everything.
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