Chapter 14

The whiskey glass in his hand was almost empty, but he didn’t care. The room was dark, save for the dim glow of his phone screen—the only light in the otherwise empty space. Adrian leaned back against the couch, scrolling through messages he had never deleted. Isabella: Don’t work too late. I miss you. Isabella: We should go away for a while, just us. No business. No calls. Just us. Isabella: I love you. His throat tightened. He had read these messages so many times in the past few days, but they always hit like a fresh wound. Because now? Now there would be no more messages. His grip on the phone tightened, his chest burning. She was gone. Not just physically. Not just as a name in the papers.But in every way that mattered. She had erased him. And he had let her. He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. No. He hadn’t let her—he had driven her away. Pushed her. Betrayed her. Lost her. His jaw clenched as he swiped to his photos, scrolling through the memories he had