C2 The past he buried

“Prove it.”

Those two words didn’t just hang in the air—they wrapped around Amelia’s chest and squeezed.

Her heart was racing too fast. Too loud. Too exposed.

She hated this.

Hated how easily Adrian could still get under her skin like nothing had changed.

Like he hadn’t destroyed her.

Amelia straightened her shoulders, forcing strength into her posture. “You really think I owe you anything?”

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

He just watched her.

That same intense, unreadable gaze that used to make her feel special… and later, completely worthless.

“You owe yourself honesty,” he said finally.

Her laugh was sharp this time. “Honesty? From you?”

That hit.

She saw it.

A flicker—quick, but real.

Good.

Let him feel something for once.

“Three years, Adrian,” she continued, her voice steady but laced with emotion. “Three years and not a single explanation. You disappeared like I meant nothing.”

“I had my reasons.”

The calmness in his voice only made it worse.

“Oh, of course you did,” she snapped. “You always do.”

Silence stretched between them again, thick with everything unsaid.

Then—

“Come with me.”

Amelia blinked. “What?”

“I’m not having this conversation here.”

He reached for her wrist.

Big mistake.

Amelia pulled back instantly. “Don’t touch me.”

His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t force it.

Instead, he leaned closer, lowering his voice.

“If you walk away now,” he murmured, “you’ll never get the answers you’ve been pretending you don’t want.”

Her breath caught.

Damn him.

Because he was right.

She had spent three years trying to forget.

But the questions?

They never left.

Why did he leave?

Why did he cut her off like she was nothing?

Why did he look at her now like she still belonged to him?

Amelia hesitated.

Just for a second.

But Adrian noticed.

Of course he did.

“Five minutes,” he said. “That’s all I’m asking.”

She stared at him, searching his face for lies… for manipulation… for anything she could use to say no.

But all she saw was control.

And something deeper.

Something dangerous.

“Fine,” she said finally. “Five minutes.”

---

The night air hit her skin as soon as they stepped outside, cool and grounding—but it did nothing to calm the storm inside her.

Adrian led her toward a sleek black car parked a few meters away.

Of course.

Everything about him screamed power.

Wealth.

Control.

“Talk,” Amelia said, crossing her arms. “I’m listening.”

Adrian didn’t speak immediately.

Instead, he took a slow breath, as if choosing his words carefully.

“I didn’t leave because I wanted to.”

Her brows furrowed. “Then why did you?”

A pause.

Then—

“My father found out about you.”

Her heart skipped.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything,” Adrian said quietly. “You don’t understand the kind of world I come from, Amelia.”

She scoffed. “Try me.”

His gaze hardened slightly.

“My family doesn’t do… love. Everything is business. Alliances. Control. And you—”

He stopped.

Amelia’s chest tightened. “What about me?”

“You were a weakness.”

The words hit like a slap.

Her face fell, but she quickly masked it with anger. “Wow. So you left because I was inconvenient?”

“No.”

His voice was sharper now.

“I left because staying would have destroyed you.”

She froze.

“What?”

“My father made it clear,” Adrian continued, his tone darker now. “If I didn’t end things with you… he would.”

A chill ran down her spine.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” he stepped closer, his voice low, “you were never safe with me.”

The world seemed to tilt slightly.

For a moment, Amelia didn’t know what to say.

Didn’t know what to feel.

This wasn’t the story she had told herself for three years.

This wasn’t the version of Adrian she had tried to hate.

“You expect me to believe that?” she whispered.

“You don’t have to believe anything,” he said. “But it’s the truth.”

Her heart was confused now.

Angry.

Hurting.

Hopeful.

And she hated that last one the most.

“Then why now?” she asked. “Why come back?”

Adrian’s eyes locked onto hers.

Intense.

Unyielding.

“Because I’m not the same man I was three years ago.”

Her pulse quickened.

“And what does that mean?”

“It means,” he said slowly, “I don’t walk away from what’s mine anymore.”

There it was again.

That word.

Mine.

Amelia swallowed hard. “I’m not something you can claim, Adrian.”

His gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Her breath hitched.

This wasn’t just about the past anymore.

This was something else.

Something deeper.

Something far more dangerous.

Because Adrian Blackwood wasn’t here to apologize.

He was here to take control.

And Amelia was starting to realize something terrifying—

A part of her still wanted to let him.