PART 1 — THE SHATTERED HOUSE
Adrian didn’t move for several seconds.
Elena was in his arms, trembling so violently it felt like she might break apart if he held her too tightly. Her face was pale, her breathing uneven, one hand instinctively protecting her swollen belly as if even now she didn’t trust the world around her.
Victoria stood a few steps away, perfectly composed.
Not surprised. Not afraid.
Just watching.
“You…” Adrian’s voice cracked as he slowly lifted his head toward his wife. “What did you do to her?”
Victoria tilted her head slightly, almost as if the question amused her.
“I cleaned up your mess,” she said calmly. “You were too blind to see it needed doing.”
Elena flinched at the sound of her voice.
Adrian felt something inside him shift—something final. The foundation of his marriage, his home, everything he thought he understood, cracked straight down the middle.
“You intercepted everything,” he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. “All those messages… the letters…”
Victoria didn’t deny it.
“That woman was clinging to you like a sickness,” she replied. “I removed the infection before it spread.”
Elena let out a broken sob.
“It wasn’t her place,” Adrian said sharply, rising to his feet while still supporting Elena. “None of it was her place.”
For the first time, Victoria’s expression hardened.
“She is carrying your downfall,” Victoria said quietly. “And I refused to let that child replace what I built with you.”
Silence fell so heavily it felt suffocating.
Adrian looked at her—really looked at her—and realized he was no longer seeing his wife.
May you like
He was seeing a stranger.
And that stranger had been living in his house all along.
