Chapter 5: His Last Apology
Adrian stopped when he saw me sitting beside my father.
For the first time, he looked at me like he was meeting me for the first time.
Not Claire Hart.
Claire Ellison.
The woman he never bothered to know.
“Claire.””
My name sounded strange in his mouth.
I didn’t respond.
My father did.
“Mr. Mercer.””
Adrian looked at him.
“Mr. Ellison.””
The respect in his voice was almost painful.
Because I remembered how differently he spoke about my father before.
He used to say Richard Ellison was the only investor who understood his vision.
He used to joke that one day he would sit at the same table as him.
He never imagined he would stand there begging.
“I need to speak with Claire.””
My father looked at me.
The choice was mine.
I stood.
“Five minutes.””
Adrian nodded.
We walked into a private office.
The door closed behind us.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he said the words I expected.
“I’m sorry.””
I stared at him.
That was all?
After everything?
After the accusations?
After the belt?
“I know that sounds meaningless.””
“It does.””
His face tightened.
“I made the biggest mistake of my life.””
“No.””
I interrupted.
“The biggest mistake of your life was believing Vanessa.””
His eyes dropped.
I stepped closer.
“The mistake was trusting her more than me.””
Silence.
Because he couldn’t deny it.
“I was angry.””
“You were cruel.””
“I thought you betrayed me.””
“And you punished me before you knew the truth.””
His eyes filled with shame.
“I hate myself for that.””
I looked at him.
“I don’t want you to hate yourself.””
He seemed surprised.
“Then what do you want?””
I thought about that.
For months, I imagined this moment.
I imagined screaming.
I imagined making him feel the pain I felt.
But standing there, I realized something.
Pain didn’t disappear when it was shared.
It only multiplied.
“I want you to understand.””
He looked at me.
“What?””
“I want you to understand that I trusted you with the most vulnerable parts of me.””
My voice lowered.
“And you used that trust against me.””
Adrian closed his eyes.
A tear slipped down his face.
I had never seen him cry before.
Not when his company struggled.
Not when his grandfather died.
Not even when we almost lost our home.
But now he cried.
And somehow, it didn’t make me happy.
It just made me tired.
“I love you.””
The words landed heavily.
Because once, they were everything.
Now they were just sounds.
I shook my head.
“You love the person you thought I was.””
“That’s not true.””
“Isn’t it?””
He looked away.
Because he knew.
He loved the simple wife.
The woman who didn’t challenge him.
The woman who cooked dinner and smiled beside him.
He didn’t know what to do with the woman standing in front of him now.
A woman who could destroy his empire.
A woman who no longer needed him.
His phone suddenly rang.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed.
“What?””
I watched his face lose color.
“What happened?””
He listened.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
“What is it?””
He looked at me.
“Vanessa disappeared.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“She took files from Mercer Dynamics before leaving.””
My stomach tightened.
“What files?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me more.
“Adrian.””
He looked at me.
“The original acquisition documents.””
I froze.
“Why would she take those?””
His voice became quiet.
“Because they contain something she never wanted us to find.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What?””
Adrian looked toward the window.
“She wasn’t just trying to steal my company.””
He swallowed.
“She was trying to hide who she was working for.””
And then his phone received another message.
One line.
May you like
One name.
A name that made even my father stop talking when Adrian showed it to us.
