Chapter 31 Elena
ELENA
It's been an hour since Lucian made the phone call, and the world stopped making sense for the second time in my life.
I’ve got to stop having these moments.
Nicolae is finishing up some business in Bucharest, Lucian said. He'll be en route this evening. He expects to arrive by nightfall.
The words echo in my head, looping endlessly like a broken record.
Nicolae ordered it. Paid for it. Nicolae did this, to me and my baby, his future grandchild.
Lucian and Victor left us alone twenty minutes ago, their faces stern and silent as they shut the office door behind them. They didn't say much. Just that they'd give us time to process.
I'm sitting on the couch, trying to do just that.
But I am finding it really hard to process the fact that Adrian's father orchestrated everything and paid fifty million dollars to have me essentially removed, and then allowed Adrian to knowingly mourn an empty coffin. Shit, my family too, for that matter.
I look over at Adrian, who's doing the same kind of thinking I'm doing, and more. He hasn't said a word since his brothers left us.
He's standing by the window with his back to me. His injured arm hangs in the sling, motionless; all of him is motionless for that matter.
He isn't pacing or yelling. He isn't breaking things or slamming his fists into walls.
And that terrifies me more than anything, because I know Adrian.
I know the way his rage works. I've seen him explode, fists flying, voice raw, blood on his knuckles. I've watched him fight, throw chairs across rooms, shatter glass, and most recently, kill.
So seeing him like this. It's different. It is worse.
This calm is the most dangerous thing I've ever seen from him.
I exhale slowly, wiping my palms on my jeans. My own emotions are a mess, anger, betrayal, grief, but underneath all of it is something sharper, like fear.
Not for myself, but for Adrian and what he'll do.
Either way, I can't let him think he's alone, because he's not. Not as long as I'm breathing.
I push myself off the couch and walk toward him. The wood floor creaks under my feet, but Adrian doesn't turn. He doesn't flinch. He just keeps staring out the window.
I stop a few feet behind him and clear my throat.
"Would you like to talk?" I ask, keeping my voice soft, like it'll help. Like it'll somehow pull him back from wherever his mind has gone.
He doesn't move, and for a few moments, I think he's not going to answer.
Then, finally, he speaks.
"He's never been a good father, you know." His voice is flat and detached.
I step closer, my heart racing.
Adrian exhales slowly, still facing the window.
"Never said I love you. Never said he was proud. Just barking fucking orders while his old-school communist mindset almost destroyed this family," he says and stops, shaking his head.
"And when our mom died," he continues, "he just got worse."
The words hang in the air, and I'm not too sure what to say.
I watch the tension in his back.
"Fuck," he says, turning to face me.
He looks down, and his dark eyes lock onto mine.
"Our family would be in the ground if it wasn't for all of us going against him.
Matei's work with the Killaneys and our expansion in LA.
Victor's surge in politics. Lucian and my work with families our father hated.
All of it done without his approval. And all of it helping this family be stronger than it ever has been or ever could be under him. "
His voice is rising now, the calm slipping just slightly.
I nod, my throat tight, having no idea what to say.
"I'm sure he cared about you," I offer timidly.
Adrian's jaw muscles flex.
"No. Bullshit. He's always been some misfocused, abusive piece of shit. How many times have I complained about him to you throughout my life? How many times has he treated me or my brothers like trash?"
"Yes, I know, but—"
"But nothing!" he yells, his voice thunderous through the room.
I flinch, and he sees it.
His face relaxes, and he reaches for me, his good hand gripping my arm gently.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he says quickly, his voice softer now. "It's just… what he did, it can never be forgiven. And he knew how I felt about you."
Adrian releases me and starts pacing. The calm is gone now, replaced by frustration and anger.
"Two days before you disappeared, I told him I was going to marry you."
My breath catches.
Adrian stops and rubs his cheek.
"And he encouraged it. He smiled. He fucking smiled and told me I'd make a good husband."
He scoffs and continues pacing.
"And then he stood by my side when I buried you," he continues and stops in front of a chair.
"Motherfucker," he yells and kicks it, sending it flying across the room.
I stare at him, my mind spinning.
We could have been married and with our first baby in our arms if it weren't for his father.
I can't process that. Not now. Not with everything else crashing down around us.
"You're mad, and I understand," I say, stepping toward him. "But I don't want you to think irrationally or," I pause, struggling to find the words, "I don't know. Just don't make your arm worse."
Adrian looks at me, slightly confused by that last part.
"Well, fuck. I don't know what to say. I just wish none of this was happening."
He nods.
"I fucking hate him, Leni. And the shit part about me saying that is it's not the first time I've ever said or felt that way. You know better than anyone. Hell, the same can be said for my brothers. We all feel that way."
"I know, Adi, but he's your dad. Deep down, he has to love you."
Adrian's expression hardens.
"No. No way would someone with an ounce of love do half the shit he's done to us. And that's not even including the terrible thing he did to you."
We sit in the silence of his words for a few moments. It's true. Adrian's dad has always been a little much with them. Often physically abusive to all the brothers. Cold, and things always needing it to be his way, but I just thought it was his old way of thinking about the world.
I open my mouth to speak, but a knock at the door cuts me off.
I look at Adrian, who stares at me.
"Come in," he says.
The door swings open, and standing in the doorway is the last brother I haven't seen yet.
"Matei," Adrian says, his voice stern. "What are you doing here?"
Matei doesn't answer right away. He's just staring at me.
His face is relaxed, his dark eyes wide, like he's seeing something impossible.
"Elena. I…" he says.
"I know," I say, stepping forward. "Like you're seeing a ghost."
Matei nods.
I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug.
He's tall just like Adrian, with broader shoulders, and for a moment, he just stands there, frozen. Then his arms come up slowly, wrapping around me, his grip tight.
"Yeah. Kinda," he says. "I knew, of course. But seeing you with my own eyes, it's…"
I pull back, giving him a small smile.
"It's good to see you too, Matei."
He nods, his gaze flickering over me like he's checking to make sure I'm real.
Then he steps inside and shuts the door behind him.
"How are you doing?" he asks, looking at Adrian.
Adrian scoffs, turning back to the window.
"Fucking great, brother."
Matei glances at me, then back at Adrian.
"Have you heard?" I ask quietly.
Matei nods. "Yes. All of it."
He pauses and then looks at Adrian.
"I don't know where your thoughts are right now, brother, but you know none of us knew."
Adrian turns slowly, his eyes locking onto Matei's.
"I never for a moment thought otherwise. It's him I want to speak to."
Matei nods.
"Well, whatever you do," he says, taking a deep breath, "I'm here with you."
The two of them share a look. It's something I can't quite name.
Then Matei turns to me.
"I'll leave you two for now," he says softly. "I just wanted to see you. Say hello and let you know I'm here. I'll let you know when he arrives."
He opens the door and steps out, and then it's just us again.
I walk over to Adrian, wrapping my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against his back.
He grabs my hand and gently rubs it with his finger.
And we both just stand there, waiting for whatever is about to happen.