Chapter 7: The Man Who Knew Too Much
The church doors locked behind us with a heavy click.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
The guests who had come to celebrate a marriage were now trapped inside a room filled with secrets.
I looked toward the back of the church.
The man standing there didn’t look like someone who had come to cause chaos.
That was the terrifying part.
He looked calm.
Controlled.
Like he had been waiting for this exact moment.
The woman beside me grabbed Lily’s hand tighter.
Her entire body shook.
“Marcus,” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“Who is he?””
She didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Her fear already had.
The man slowly walked down the aisle.
His shoes tapped against the wooden floor.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Every step made the silence heavier.
Brielle backed away.
The man noticed.
And he smiled.
“Interesting,” he said.
“I thought you’d be happier to see me.””
Brielle’s face went pale.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
The guests looked between them.
I stared at Brielle.
“You know him?””
She didn’t respond.
The man laughed quietly.
“Of course she knows me.””
He stopped near the altar.
“She’s the reason everything happened.””
My fists tightened.
“What does that mean?””
The man looked at me.
“You’re Marcus, right?””
I stared at him.
“You know my name?””
“I know everything about you.””
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
“Who are you?””
He smiled.
“My name is Adrian.””
The woman beside me took a step back.
“No.””
Adrian looked at her.
“You’re still scared of me after all these years?””
Lily hid behind her mother.
I moved between them.
“Stay away from my family.””
Adrian tilted his head.
“Your family?””
His eyes moved to Lily.
Then to the woman beside me.
Then to Brielle.
“You really don’t know anything, do you?””
I stepped forward.
“Tell me.””
Adrian smiled.
“That’s what everyone says before they regret hearing the answer.””
The woman grabbed my arm.
“Marcus, don’t listen to him.””
Adrian looked at her.
“You never changed.””
She stared back.
“You ruined everything.””
“No,” he replied calmly.
“I revealed what was already broken.””
Brielle suddenly spoke.
“Leave.””
Everyone turned.
Adrian looked at her.
“You’re giving orders now?””
“I said leave.””
He laughed.
“After everything you did?””
My eyes moved between them.
“What did she do?””
Nobody answered.
Adrian reached into his jacket.
Several guests gasped.
I stepped forward immediately.
But he only pulled out a small folder.
He placed it on the altar.
“Open it.””
I didn’t move.
“What is it?””
“Proof.””
“Of what?””
He looked at Brielle.
“Of why your wedding was never supposed to happen.””
My heart pounded.
Brielle whispered:
“Marcus, don’t.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
She looked terrified.
“Because he’s not here to help you.””
Adrian smiled.
“She’s right.””
The honesty surprised me.
“I’m not here to help.””
He stepped closer.
“I’m here because she broke our agreement.””
I looked at Brielle.
“Agreement?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
Adrian continued.
“She promised she would keep your wife away.””
The church exploded with whispers.
I turned slowly toward Brielle.
“What agreement?””
Brielle looked at the floor.
“Marcus…”
“No.””
My voice shook.
“Answer me.””
The woman beside me closed her eyes.
“She knows.””
I looked at her.
“She knows what?””
“She knows who took me.””
The air disappeared from my lungs.
I looked at Brielle.
“No.””
Brielle started crying.
“I didn’t take her.””
“Then explain.””
She covered her mouth.
“I found her.””
“When?””
“Seven years ago.””
The same answer.
But this time, something was different.
The way Adrian watched her.
The way she avoided looking at the woman beside me.
“You found her,” I repeated.
Brielle nodded.
“And?””
“I wanted to bring her back.””
The woman laughed sadly.
“You wanted to control what happened next.””
Brielle shook her head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
The woman stepped forward.
“You were afraid Marcus would choose me.””
Brielle’s face broke.
“I loved him.””
Nobody spoke.
Even Adrian stopped smiling.
Because for the first time, Brielle sounded like a person who had lost something.
Not someone hiding something.
I looked at her.
“You loved me enough to erase my past?””
She cried.
“I thought I could give you a better future.””
I looked at Lily.
“A future without my daughter?””
Brielle couldn’t answer.
Adrian opened the folder.
“Enough.””
He pulled out a document.
“Marcus, read this.””
I took it.
The paper was old.
Official.
My eyes scanned the page.
Then stopped.
It was a custody agreement.
But the names weren’t mine and Lily’s mother.
They were mine.
And Brielle’s.
My hands shook.
“What is this?””
Adrian smiled.
“The reason Brielle needed your wedding to happen.””
I looked up.
“What are you talking about?””
He leaned closer.
“Because once you married her, she would have had legal control over something your wife left behind.””
The woman beside me whispered:
“The account.””
I looked at her.
“What account?””
She stared at Brielle.
“The one she hid from you.””
Brielle looked horrified.
Adrian smiled.
“Now you’re finally asking the right questions.””
May you like
Then every light in the church went out.
And in the darkness, I heard Lily scream.
