Chapter Eleven: The Lies Between Us
Eliana wasn't sure what she expected when she followed Adrian back into his penthouse.
Maybe more arguments.
Maybe another carefully crafted explanation.
Maybe regret.
But instead, there was only silence.
The air was thick with unspoken words as she stepped inside. The large glass windows framed the city skyline, the twinkling lights stretching endlessly into the night. But the beauty of it all was lost on her.
Because at that moment, everything felt like a lie.
Adrian loosened his tie, tossing it onto the nearest chair before turning to face her.
His expression was unreadable.
But his eyes?
Stormy. Searching. Restless.
Like he was fighting a war within himself.
Eliana crossed her arms. "So?"
Adrian ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. "So what?"
She shot him a sharp look. "Don't play dumb, Adrian. You said you'd tell me the truth. Start talking."
His jaw clenched.
For a long moment, he didn't say anything.
Then, finally—
"You were never part of the plan."
Eliana frowned. "What?"
Adrian sighed, moving toward the bar and pouring himself a drink. He didn't offer her one. Maybe he knew she wouldn't take it.
"When I made the deal with you, I told myself it was just another business arrangement. A contract. A simple, clean solution to a problem."
Her stomach twisted. "And Cassandra?"
His lips pressed into a thin line. "Cassandra was… different."
Eliana forced herself to stay calm, but the anger simmering beneath her skin was close to breaking through.
"Different how?" she pushed.
Adrian didn't look at her as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass. "She wasn't a contract."
Eliana's breath caught.
He wasn't making this easier.
He wasn't sugarcoating it.
And somehow, that made it worse.
"She was a mistake," Adrian continued, his voice low. "A mistake I should have seen coming."
Eliana inhaled sharply, trying to suppress the sting of his words. "And me? What am I?"
Adrian's gaze finally met hers, and for the first time that night, he looked… vulnerable.
"You're not a mistake," he said firmly.
She let out a humorless laugh. "No? Then what am I?"
"A contract?"
His hands curled into fists. "Eliana"
She shook her head. "Tell me the truth from the beginning, Adrian"
Adrain exhaled sharply before moving to the bar and pouring himself a drink. He didn't offer one. Maybe he knew she wouldn't take it.
"Cassandra and I were together years ago" he began, "it wasn't supposed to be serious. It was convenient just like everything else in my life, but she wanted more".
Eliana stayed silent
Adrain swirled the amber liquid in his glass before continuing. "I should have ended it sooner but I didn't. And when I finally did, she didn't take it well". He set the glass down without drinking from it. " she thought if she waited long enough, I'd come back. That I realized, she was what I needed".
Eliana swallowed hard. "And did you?"
His head snapped up. "No"
Adrain took a step closer, his gaze locked into hers. "She wasn't what I needed, Eliana". His voice dropped. "And neither was a contract"
Eliana's heart pounded. "Then why did you do it?"
His expression hardened. "Because I did not have a choice"
She blinked. "Everyone has a choice, Adrain"
"Not when you are me"
Eliana frowned watching as tension rolled through his shoulders. She had seen Adrian angry before. She had seen him in control, calculated and unreadable.
But this?
This was different
This was a man who has spent his whole life carrying a weight no one else could see.
"You wanted the truth? Adrian said, his voice rough. "Fine. The board wanted me married. They wanted stability. They wanted a perfect polished woman by my side. Someone who could play the part. Someone who could secure my position.
Eliana felt chill run through her.
Secure his position
"So that was all I was to you?"
Adrian eyes burned into hers. "No"
Adrian set the glass down with a sharp clink, his patience visibly wearing thin. "You think I don't care about you?"
Eliana scoffed. "I think you care about control. I think you care about your reputation, your company, your precious board members. But me?" She shook her head. "No, Adrian. You don't care about me. Not the way I thought you did."
Adrian exhaled through his nose, his hands braced against the counter. "You have no idea what I feel for you."
Eliana's chest ached at the weight of his words.
She wanted to believe him.
God, she wanted to believe him.
But how could she, when every part of their relationship had been built on lies and half-truths?
Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "Then tell me."
Adrian hesitated.
And that hesitation?
It shattered her.
She let out a shaky breath, blinking against the burning in her eyes. "You can't, can you?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "It's not that simple, Eliana."
She laughed bitterly. "It's always simple, Adrian. You either love me, or you don't."
His eyes flashed with something she couldn't quite place—something dark, something desperate.
"Eliana, don't do this."
She shook her head, backing away. "I already have."
Adrian took a step forward. "I won't let you walk away."
Her pulse spiked. "You don't get to decide that."
"Like hell I don't," he growled.
Eliana's hands curled into fists at her sides. "You had one chance, Adrian. One chance to prove to me that this wasn't just another deal to you." Her voice cracked, but she kept going. "And you failed."
Adrian's breathing was ragged, his entire body tense. "You don't understand what's at stake."
"No," she whispered. "You don't understand what you've already lost."
His lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something.
But she didn't wait.
She turned on her heel and headed for the door, her heart pounding so loudly she could barely hear anything else.
But just as her fingers touched the handle—
Adrian grabbed her wrist.
"Eliana."
Her breath caught.
His touch was firm, warm, familiar.
And yet—
She wrenched her arm free.
Her eyes burned as she looked at him one last time.
"Goodbye, Adrian."
Then she walked out the door, leaving him standing alone in the penthouse.
This time, she didn't stop.
This time, she didn't look back.
And this time?
She wasn't coming back.