Chapter 7 - THE PERSON WHO KNEW MY NAME BEFORE I DID
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Adrien stared at the message my mother had written twenty years ago.
The person who betrayed us is someone you trust most.
Those words sat between us like a loaded gun.
I looked toward the closed office door.
“Who is outside?”
No one answered.
That frightened me more.
Adrien slowly reached for the weapon hidden beneath his jacket.
Marco moved silently toward the door.
The room felt like it had stopped breathing.
Then the handle turned.
The door opened.
And the person standing there made my entire body go cold.
“Uncle Alessandro?”
Adrien froze.
The older man smiled calmly.
“I see you finally found her.”
My heart dropped.
“Found who?”
Alessandro Viscari looked directly at me.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Like he had been waiting for this moment.
“You.”
I stepped backward.
“How do you know me?”
He ignored the question.
Instead, he looked at Adrien.
“You were never supposed to discover this.”
Adrien’s voice became dangerous.
“How long have you known?”
Alessandro sighed.
“Long enough.”
The silence that followed was terrifying.
I looked at Adrien.
“Your uncle knew about me?”
Adrien didn’t answer.
Because he was already realizing the truth.
“How many years?” Adrien asked.
Alessandro adjusted his suit.
“Twenty.”
My stomach twisted.
Twenty years.
My entire life.
Someone had known where I was.
Someone had watched me grow up.
Someone had decided I was better off believing a lie.
“Why?” I whispered.
Alessandro looked at me.
“Because your mother made a mistake.”
My eyes narrowed.
“What mistake?”
“She trusted the wrong people.”
Adrien stepped forward.
“You were the one who betrayed my father.”
Alessandro smiled.
“You still believe your father was the victim?”
Adrien stopped.
That sentence hit him harder than any weapon.
Alessandro continued.
“Your father built an empire on secrets. Your mother discovered those secrets. She wanted to expose him.”
“Then why protect me?” I asked.
His eyes turned cold.
“I didn’t.”
A chill went through me.
“I wanted to make sure you could never expose what she knew.”
The room became silent.
Adrien’s expression changed.
“You were the one hunting her.”
Alessandro said nothing.
But his silence was an answer.
I felt sick.
“My whole life…”
My voice broke.
“You knew where I was.”
“Yes.”
“And you did nothing?”
A small smile appeared.
“I did exactly what was necessary.”
Adrien moved forward.
“You’re done.”
Alessandro laughed.
“Do you really think you can stop this?”
He looked at me.
“You still don’t know the truth about yourself.”
“What truth?”
His smile disappeared.
“The night your mother died…”
He paused.
“She didn’t run away.”
My heart stopped.
“She was running because she discovered who your real father was.”
The room went completely silent.
I looked at Adrien.
Because somehow…
I already knew this was going to hurt.
Alessandro turned toward the door.
“Ask him.”
Then he walked away.
Nobody stopped him.
Because everyone was frozen by the same question.
The one I was too afraid to say.
“Adrien…”
My voice shook.
“What did he mean?”
Adrien looked at me.
May you like
And for the first time…
He looked scared.
