Clara's letter, with its chilling warning – "Never trust him" – burned in Élisa's bag. Every glance at Adrien, every word exchanged, was now tinged with bitter suspicion. Who was he really? And why had Clara warned her, from beyond the grave? Élisa's thirst for truth transformed into an obsessive quest.
She spent the following days buried in university archives, enrollment records, even old local newspapers. She searched online, on social media, everywhere a trace of Adrien might exist. But nothing. Not a single student file under his name before this year, no profile, not the slightest mention in directories. He didn't exist. Or at least, not under that identity, not officially. He had hidden himself, with terrifying efficiency. Tension mounted within her, a cold dread mixing with a new determination. Who was this man who seemed to be nothing but a shadow, and yet possessed her?
One rainy afternoon, desperate for answers, Élisa headed to the library. The familiar scent of old books couldn't calm her. She wandered between the shelves, her mind clouded, when her gaze was drawn to a distant, almost hidden table. A familiar silhouette was sitting there, bent over an object. Her heart skipped a beat.
It was Adrien. And in his hands, open, was... Clara's journal. Hers. The one Élisa kept so carefully. A cold fury seized her. He had broken into her home again. He was reading her sister's intimate thoughts, perhaps even her own.
Élisa strode forward, rage propelling her. Without hesitation, she snatched the journal from his hands. Adrien looked up, surprised for a moment, then a slow, enigmatic smile spread across his lips. A smile that showed no kindness, just a dark satisfaction.
"You're not ready for what she left you, Élisa," he murmured, his deep voice breaking the library's silence. He stood up, closing the distance between them, his imposing presence enveloping her. He moved closer still, his warm breath on her cheek. "You always knew," he whispered, his gaze fixed on hers, heavy with innuendo. "Even when you said no."