Chapter 6: You Were There That Day
The photo glowed dimly on the old phone screen, pixelated and raw.
A younger version of her, eyes still unsure, a half-smile frozen in time.
But it wasn't her face that haunted Selena now—
It was the watch.
Sleek, matte black with a thin silver lining. Timeless. Unmistakable.
The exact same one Daniel Knight wore.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, as if touching it would make the truth vanish.
But it didn't.
The phone vibrated in her hand—battery warning.
She let it die without plugging it back in.
Her mind was already louder than the device.
Downstairs, the penthouse was dark except for the faint glow of city lights bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She moved through the hallway like she was walking through someone else's home.
Like she didn't belong here.
Not anymore.
Julian was asleep. For once, she was glad.
She poured herself a glass of water but didn't drink it.
Instead, she stared out over the skyline and whispered the words she hadn't dared say in years.
"Adrian."
The name left her lips like a bruise. Like an apology.
Miles away, Adrian sat in a silent room with no lights on—just the screen of his phone and the flicker of an old flame that had never quite gone out.
He hadn't moved in an hour.
Just waited.
Watched the tracker.
Watched her name blink once and then go still.
"She saw it," he murmured to himself.
Not with pride. Not with victory.
But with precision.
Every move she made now—every question, every heartbeat out of rhythm—meant the mask was cracking.
He didn't need her to remember everything yet.
Just enough to hurt.
The next morning, Selena didn't speak much.
She dressed quietly. Wore flats instead of heels.
Chose the gray coat instead of the white one Julian liked.
Skipped breakfast.
Julian noticed, of course. But he didn't push.
He only watched her the way he used to watch market dips—
As if waiting for when to sell.
"I'll meet you at the office," he said, checking his watch. "Lunch meeting with the Alaric group. You're joining, right?"
"Maybe."
He looked up. "Maybe?"
"I need to check on something first."
He didn't ask what.
She didn't offer.
She didn't go to the office.
She didn't go anywhere familiar.
Instead, she found herself standing outside the city's court archive building—
The same one from four years ago.
It looked smaller now.
Inside, everything smelled like old paper and stale heat.
The clerk raised an eyebrow as she approached.
"I need case records," she said. "A trial from four years ago. Adrian Wolfe."
The name felt foreign in her mouth.
Like she was borrowing someone else's past.
The clerk tapped keys, looked at her. "Public record?"
She nodded, unsure if that was still true.
Twenty minutes later, she sat at a dim-lit table, file in hand.
The documents weren't graphic. Just cold.
Dates. Charges. Trial schedules. Dismissed evidence.
But on the last page, her breath caught.
A list of names.
Witnesses who withdrew.
Her name was there.
Selena Hayes.
She stared at it for a long time, as if she could will it away.
The memory wasn't fully back—but it was there now, pounding at the edge of her mind like fists on a locked door.
Why had she walked away?
Why had she abandoned him?
Back in his apartment, Adrian stood in front of a wall lined with photos, documents, maps.
Strings ran from one to another.
At the center: a burned photo of his old self—
And beside it, Selena's face.
He stared at her image now.
"Soon," he said quietly. "You'll remember everything."
But even as he said it, his hand lingered on the edge of her photo longer than it should've.
At the Ward & Hayes tower, Selena returned without warning.
Ava blinked in surprise. "You didn't say you'd be back—"
"Cancel my afternoon meetings."
Ava hesitated. "Julian won't like that."
"I don't care."
She walked into her private office and locked the door.
The silence hit like a wave.
She paced. Sat. Stood again.
Then finally, she pulled out her tablet and searched one more time—
Adrian Wolfe.
She tried every variant. Every spelling.
Nothing new came up.
He was a ghost.
But ghosts didn't wear the same watch.
They didn't say your name like they'd once bled for it.
They didn't know things only two people in the world had shared.
A message arrived a few hours later.
No number.
No subject.
Just a line.
"You said you had to survive too."
Selena froze.
Her own words.
Words she'd forgotten. Words that had cost someone their life.
She stared at the screen like it had just torn something out of her.
She didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She just whispered again, this time without doubt:
"It's him."
That evening, as the city bled into night again, Selena stood on the balcony alone.
Same spot.
Same skyline.
But everything inside her had shifted.
Behind her, Julian walked up silently.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said.
She didn't turn. "Maybe I have."
He narrowed his eyes. "If this is still about Knight—"
"It is."
Julian stepped forward. "Then I'll make a few calls. Find out who he really is."
She finally turned to face him. Calm.
"You won't find anything."
"Try me."
She stepped closer.
"He's not just another threat, Julian. He's not after money. Or deals."
"Then what the hell is he after?"
Selena looked straight into his eyes.
"Me."
Across the city, Adrian stood at the rooftop of a tall building.
The wind sharp, the sky darker than usual.
He lit a cigarette he wouldn't smoke, held it between his fingers, and said to no one:
"She said my name."
Then he smiled. Just once.
[To Be Continued...]