Chapter 3 - Shadow of the Past
Z
The cool night air hit us the moment we stepped through the heavy glass doors of the winery, cutting through the suffocating heat of the drama inside. The quiet vineyard stretched out into the dark hills, illuminated only by small floor lamps lining the stone path. For a few long seconds, neither of us said a word. We just kept walking until the chaotic noise of screaming voices, broken glass, and gasping guests faded into a muffled hum.
"Well," Adrian said, breaking the silence as we reached his dark sedan parked near the fountain. He pulled out his key fob, unlocking the doors with a soft beep. "That was... somewhat more dynamic than our rehearsed script."
I leaned back against the passenger door, running a hand through my hair as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me. "Dynamic? Adrian, that wasn't dynamic. That was a localized nuclear strike. Are you really telling me you had no idea she was the bride?"
Adrian stopped, his posture straightening. He looked at me with an expression so earnest and stripped of his usual theatrical charm that I couldn't help but believe him. "Nora, I swear to you. When Felicity gave me your name and the details, I was hired to play the role of an attentive, successful partner to help you regain your pride. I didn't even look at the bride's name on the invitation because, frankly, my focus was entirely on helping you facing your ex. When I walked into that room and saw Evelyn—Chloe—standing there in that dress... my heart stopped."
I looked at him closely, taking in the subtle strain around his eyes, the slight clenching of his jaw. "How long ago did she steal from you?"
"Three years," he said, stepping closer and resting his hand on the roof of the car. "We were engaged for six months. I trusted her completely. She was smart, funny, brilliant... or at least, she played that character exceptionally well. Then one Tuesday, I came home to an empty apartment. My savings account was drained, my family heirloom was gone, and she had vanished off the face of the earth. The police told me she used fake identities and likely operated as a professional scammer targetting men in wealthy creative circles."
"And Adam was her next target," I realized slowly, the full scope of the situation dawning on me. "Adam loves to feel like a savior. He loves women who act fragile so he can play the successful, superior husband. She must have read him like an open book."
"Exactly," Adrian said quietly. "He thought he was winning a trophy. Instead, he invited a predator into his house."
Before I could answer, the heavy double doors of the reception hall burst open.
"Nora! Hey! Stop right there!"
Adam came sprinting down the stone steps, his bow tie completely undone, his tuxedo jacket gone, and his crisp white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He looked disheveled, frantic, and entirely unhinged—a stark contrast to the polished, arrogant man who had handed me divorce papers eighteen months ago.
He stumbled down the path toward us, heavy breathing echoing in the quiet night. "Nora, wait! What the hell was that back there? Who is this guy really?"
Adrian stepped smoothly between Adam and me, his tall frame blocking Adam's path. "I suggest you keep your distance, Adam. You've made enough scenes for one night."
"Get out of my way!" Adam yelled, trying to push past Adrian, but Adrian didn't budge an inch, standing like an unyielding wall. Adam glared at me over Adrian's shoulder, his eyes wild. "Nora, is this true? Did you bring a fraud investigator to my wedding? Who is this guy? Is he your boyfriend, or did you hire him?"
I stepped out from behind Adrian, holding my head high, keeping my expression entirely cold. "It doesn't matter who he is to me, Adam. What matters is who your wife is to the police."
"She's lying!" Adam insisted, though his voice wavered, betraying his internal panic. "She told me... she told me he's an abusive ex who stalked her years ago! She said he forged those documents to ruin her life!"
I couldn't help but let out a bitter, cold laugh. "Of course she told you that. And you believed her, didn't you? Just like you believed her when she told you that you were the most amazing man in the world while you were still married to me."
"Nora, please," Adam rasped, taking a step back, his arrogant facade completely shattered. "The police are inside right now. They're talking to her in the bride's suite. She's hysterical. My family is losing their minds. The press... someone from the local paper was at the reception! If this gets out, my firm..."
"Your firm?" I interrupted, my tone cutting through his rambling. "That's what you're worried about? Your reputation? You invited me here tonight to humiliate me, Adam. You wrote that condescending note on the invitation because you wanted me to sit in a corner, alone, watching you celebrate your upgrade. You wanted to prove to yourself that I was the failure."
Adam swallowed hard, unable to look me in the eye.
"You spent years telling me I was ordinary," I continued, stepping closer to him, feeling every ounce of lingering pain from our past transform into absolute strength. "You told me no successful man could build a life with me. But look at you now, Adam. You built a life on lies, with a woman who doesn't even use her real name. You did this to yourself."
"Nora..." he whispered, reaching out a hand, but I pulled away with disgust.
"Don't touch me," I said cleanly. "We are done. We've been done for a year and a half, but tonight, you finally get to live with the choices you made."
I turned away from him without waiting for a response and looked at Adrian. "Let me get into the car."
Adrian opened the passenger door for me with effortless grace. As I sat down, he looked back at Adam one last time. "If I were you, Adam, I'd check your private offshore accounts and safe deposit boxes before the night is over. Evelyn never stays in one place once the curtain falls."
Adrian closed my door smoothly, walked around to the driver's side, and got in. He started the engine, shifted into drive, and drove down the winding driveway of the vineyard, leaving Adam standing alone in the dim streetlights, a broken man surrounded by the wreckage of his own hubris.
As the vineyard vanished in the rearview mirror, I leaned my head back against the leather seat and let out a long breath.
"You handled that brilliantly," Adrian said softly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"I feel... light," I admitted, looking over at his profile. "For the first time in two years, I feel completely light."
"Good," Adrian smiled faintly. "Because I think our night is far from over."
He pointed toward his dashboard screen. A notification was flashing rapidly—an incoming call from an unknown, restricted number.
"Who is that?" I asked, my pulse quickening again.
May you like
Adrian tapped the steering wheel control to answer, putting the call on speaker.
"Adrian," a sharp, trembling female voice echoed through the car's speakers. It was Chloe. "I know you're with her. Listen to me very carefully. You think you won tonight? You have no idea what you've just started."
