Unwritten Desires-Chapter 49

Alex

The tires hummed against the asphalt, a monotonous drone that did little to drown out the storm brewing in my head. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles whitening as I replayed the day’s events for the umpteenth time.

We had been so close.

Adrian and I had spent hours poring over Simon Hart’s case files, dissecting every cryptic note and redacted line. It was clear Simon had known more than he’d documented.

Buried within the margins of his notes, we found a name: Professor Leonard Whitaker. A former criminology professor at our college back then, Whitaker had been a mentor to Hart and a witness of what had happened during the investigation. If anyone knew the truth Hart had concealed, it was him.

But fate had a sick and twisted sense of humor.

After a series of dead ends and digital breadcrumbs, Adrian finally tracked down his address in a quiet suburb. We found out that he was retired now and living in a small house with his grandson, who had lost his parents in an accident when he was younger.

Apparently now, the only thing he was doing to make a living was selling gardening equipments and plants. At the time I had arrived at his house, everything looked normal—just as I expected.

But what I hadn’t expected was the shocking news that reached my ears when I had asked to see Leonard.

According to his grandson—and a young woman with him, who was probably his guardian—the old hag had passed away a few months ago, succumbing to a heart attack.

I guess Adrian’s intel wasn’t always spot-on.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips at the chance to rub that in his face, but it vanished just as quickly as it came when I the reality of my situation sank in.

I even stood there, staring at them and spooking them out as I felt the weight of yet another door slamming shut in my face.

Now, I was pulling into the garage, the frustration simmering just beneath the surface. I killed the engine and sat in silence for a moment, the cool air of the evening doing little to soothe my frayed nerves.

Reaching over, I grabbed the grocery bags from the passenger seat—ingredients for the dinner Adrian and I had planned. Cooking had become our ritual, a semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos.

Entering the house, I was greeted by an eerie stillness. The usual hum of the television was absent. Adrian was a creature of habit; by this time, he’d typically be sprawled on the couch, engrossed in some obscure documentary.

"Adrian?" I called out, my voice echoing slightly.

No response.

That’s weird.

I set the groceries down in the kitchen, the paper bags crinkling loudly in the silence and I couldn’t shake off the strange feeling in my chest.

Something felt...off.

Very off

Ascending the stairs, I noticed a faint light spilling from the gap in Adrian’s bedroom door, which was ajar.

Maybe he was sleeping in his room.

As I approached his room to check on him, a murmur of voices reached my ears.

"Oh I get it now..." Adrian’s smug tone cut through the air. "But isn’t that a bit too much for a stupid prank?"

Oh so he was on the phone.

I turned around, deciding to go back to my room since there was clearly no reason to check on him anymore.

Well that explains why he wasn’t glued to the TV like he usually was.

But still...who the hell could he actually be...

"Mmm let’s just say I wanna find out who did it. That’s not so bad." A familiar voice cut through my thoughts, halting me in my tracks. "But please don’t tell Liam okay? I don’t like him sticking his nose in my business."

I whipped around.

That voice.

She couldn’t possibly be here, could she?

My feet were already carrying me to Adrian’s door before I could even register the thought and as I peered through the narrow opening, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Adrian lay sprawled on his back on his bed, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, and across from him was Theadora, sitting with her legs crossed and her gaze completely focused on him.

My heart pounded in my chest with a mix of confusion and something else I couldn’t quite place rushing through me.

What the fuck was she doing here?

Adrian let out a hearty laugh, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling and I was suddenly interested in their conversation. "I know Alex can be such a pain most times, but he’s actually sweet you know?"

"Yeah right." She scoffed. "He couldn’t even thank me for helping him out yesterday, and to top it all off, he just had to go tell my best friend that we were on a romantic date," she drawled the words with air quotes before shuddering in disgust.

And I felt hot rage course through me.

To think I actually did that out of good will.

I even lied to her about what had happened in the car just so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed for trying to kiss me and doing so much more.

I should have just told her the real thing and let her deal with it, but of course it would be completely stupid and childish if I brought that up again.

"So you wanted him to tell your friend what really happened?" Adrian turned to her with a small smile and an arched brow.

"Well no..." She hesitated. "But at least he would have come up with something else." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Are you forgetting that you guys are supposed to be in a relationship?"

"Fake relationship, Adrian. Fake. And so is every other thing between us." She huffed, rolling her eyes. "I just want out..."

"Well you should have thought about that before choosing to blackmail me."

Both heads snapped towards me, wide with surprise and a small smile cracked across my lips.

I mean I had to say, the look on Theadora’s face was priceless as I stepped into the room.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Everytime I thought about that very moment I had given in and helped her, I felt utter regret running through my veins.

If only I had been more careful.

"Wha...Liam?" Theadora stuttered, her face paling as Adrian sat up abruptly, tilting his head slightly with a half shocked half amused look on his face. "What are you...how long have you been standing there?" She tried to sound composed.

"What? So now I can’t stand wherever I want to in my own damn house?" My voice cut sharper than I had intended. "What the fuck are you doing here Theadora?"

"I...I came to see Adrian." She sounded terrified now.

Good. I needed her to be.

It was clear that she wanted nothing to do with me, so I might as well make things miserable for her.

"You came to see Adrian." I echoed, my voice low, eyes flicking between them.

And for the some reason the room suddenly felt too small.

I had overheard her telling Adrian not to tell me what they were talking about so if I were to ask now, she was obviously going to lie to me. Which meant I had to wait until she was gone before Adrian and I could talk.

Which meant I had to be chill—just this once.

I was about opening my mouth to say something to them, when Adrian spoke up. "Yeah man. She just seems to love my company so much that she couldn’t resist the urge to come over." He said with a lopsided grin.

"Mhmm."

I let the sound roll off my tongue, not bothering to hide the bite behind it. My eyes lingered on Theadora a second too long—just enough to make her shift uncomfortably on the bed—before I finally tore my gaze away.

"I guess I’ll let you two enjoy your little bonding session," I said, slowly backing toward the door, causing Adrian’s smirk to falter just slightly.

Theadora on the other hand said nothing as I turned and walked away, each step deliberate and calm.

A complete contrast to the thoughts spiraling in my head.

I knew what I’d heard. I knew she didn’t want me involved. And that only made me want to dig deeper.

Let her have her secrets.

For now.

Because once she walked out that door, I was going to find out everything.

One way or another.

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