15. Eliana
Eliana
He looked tired from the day, but the moment his eyes met mine, his expression softened.
"Adrian… When did you come home?" I asked.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he crossed the room and pulled me into his arms. He lowered his face against my hair and breathed in slowly. "I missed you."
There was something almost desperate beneath those three words.
I smiled faintly. "I thought you wouldn't be coming t'night. It's quite late."
"I know." His arms tightened around me before he kissed my temple, then my cheek. "I didn't want another night away from you."
My heart stumbled. I looked up at him. "Let me cook you something."
He barely seemed to hear me. His attention remained fixed on me.
"Adrian..."
Adrian's mouth claimed mine with sudden hunger, his lips parting to taste me completely. His tongue slid past my teeth, stroking deep as his hands gripped my waist and drew me flush against his body. I felt his hard length pressing against my stomach through his pants, already thick and insistent.
"God, Eliana," he breathed against my lips, his voice thick with longing. "I missed you so much."
He walked me backward until my legs met the bed, then lowered me onto the mattress without breaking our kiss.
His weight settled over me, one knee gently parting my thighs.
His hands slid beneath my shirt, palms warm against my skin as he cupped my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples until they stiffened beneath his touch.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you," he murmured, his breath hot against my throat. "Every minute away from you felt like torture."
I sighed into his mouth as he rolled his hips, the friction of his manhood against my core making my body tremble with need. His fingers worked quickly at my buttons, easing my shirt open before he broke the kiss to trail his mouth down my throat, lips brushing over my pulse point.
"Adrian," I breathed as his tongue traced the swell of my breast, then closed around my nipple, drawing it into his mouth with slow, tender pulls.
My back arched off the bed, pressing more of myself into his warmth.
He moved to the other breast, nipping gently before soothing the sensation with soft, wet kisses.
"I love your scent," he whispered against my skin, inhaling deeply as his nose brushed along my collarbone. "It calms me down like nothing else. When I'm away from you, I can't think straight. I'm physically and mentally incapable of being without you, Eliana."
His hand slid between my legs, cupping me through my panties.
I was already wet, the fabric clinging to my folds.
Adrian groaned against my chest as he felt my arousal, then hooked his fingers into the waistband and slowly drew my panties down my thighs.
Cool air touched my exposed warmth, followed immediately by his fingers sliding through my slickness.
"You're everything to me," he said softly, two fingers easing inside me without haste.
My walls embraced the gentle intrusion as he moved them deeper, curling to stroke that sensitive place that made my thighs quiver.
His thumb found my most tender spot, circling slowly while his fingers moved within me with loving patience.
"I need you," I whispered, reaching for his belt, working the buckle until I could ease his pants down.
His manhood sprang free, hot and heavy in my hand, the tip already glistening.
I stroked him from base to tip, feeling him pulse against my palm as he added a third finger, stretching me with care.
"Now that I've found you, don't ask me to learn how to live without you again," Adrian whispered, his voice breaking slightly.
Adrian withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his manhood in one smooth motion, filling me completely. The sudden fullness drew a soft cry from my lips, my fingers clutching his shoulders as he began to move. Each stroke was deep and deliberate, his hips meeting mine with growing passion.
"Eliana," he groaned, lifting my legs over his shoulders, folding me gently as he drove deeper, the angle allowing his manhood to touch that perfect place inside me with every thrust. The intimate sounds of our joining filled the room—skin meeting skin, my body welcoming him, both of us breathing heavily with shared pleasure.
"I love you," he whispered, his voice raw with emotion. "I love you so much it hurts."
"Deeper," I whispered, and Adrian responded, moving into me with tender urgency that made the bed frame sigh beneath us.
His body met mine with each loving thrust, his manhood stretching me in the most beautiful way.
I could feel my release building, my inner walls fluttering around him as he maintained the passionate rhythm.
"Come for me, my love," he urged, his thrusts becoming more urgent. "Let me feel you."
"Adrian," I gasped between moans, "if you keep going like this, I'm going to need a wheelchair tomorrow."
He laughed softly against my neck, his thrusts never faltering. "Then I'll carry you everywhere. Consider it my romantic duty."
When I found my pleasure, it was with a broken sigh, my body clenching around his manhood as waves of ecstasy washed through me.
Adrian moved with me through it, his thrusts becoming more urgent until he buried himself deep and found his own release with a soft groan, his manhood pulsing as he filled me with his warmth.
"I love you," he repeated, remaining joined with me, lowering his forehead to mine as we breathed together, his manhood softening inside my warmth. His hands stroked over my thighs with gentle affection as we lay entwined in the afterglow. "I'll never leave you again. I can't."
"Good," I murmured, tracing lazy circles on his back. "Because if you try to leave again, I'm going to tie you to this bed."
Adrian chuckled, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Promises, promises. Though I wouldn't mind being your prisoner."
"Careful what you wish for," I teased, squeezing around him gently. "I might never let you go."
"That's the plan," he whispered, his voice growing husky again as he began to move slowly within me once more. "I'm counting on it.”
For once, I didn't think about Ethan's warnings.
I didn't think about Sophia.
I didn't think about the questions surrounding Adrian.
I only thought about the way he held me, as though letting me go was something neither of us could bear.
Later, with my head resting against his chest, I listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing. His fingers moved gently through my hair, and the silence between us felt more intimate than any words could have been.
"I love you," he whispered.
My heart stumbled.
I lifted my head and looked at him.
He smiled faintly, but there was no teasing in his expression this time. Only sincerity.
I didn't know whether I was ready to say those words back.
So instead, I placed my hand over his heart and whispered, "Stay."
His arms tightened around me.
"I will."
And for that night, I believed him.
* * *
The next morning, Adrian left earlier than usual.
He had barely finished his coffee when he checked his phone, slipped it into his pocket, and told me he had an important meeting across town. He kissed my forehead before heading for the door, offering no details beyond the usual promise that he would see me later.
I watched him leave through the window.
The moment his car pulled away, I made my decision.
I grabbed my handbag, slipped my phone inside, and hurried downstairs. I had already dressed for school, but I had no intention of going there that morning. Not when the unanswered questions had become impossible to ignore.
A cab was waiting near the entrance. I climbed into the back seat and gave the driver a quick instruction.
"Follow that black car."
He glanced toward Adrian's vehicle as it turned onto the main road, then looked at me through the mirror.
"That one?"
"Yes. Please don't lose it."
The cab pulled into traffic.
I kept my eyes on Adrian's car as it moved farther ahead, my heart beating faster with every turn.
He was going to meet someone.
I didn't know who.
I didn't know why.
But after everything I'd heard about Doctor Lara, the unknown messages, and Sophia's warning, I couldn't convince myself that this meeting was ordinary.
If there is nothing to hide, then I have nothing to be afraid of.
At least, that was what I told myself as the cab followed him deeper into the city.
I had no idea where Adrian was taking me.
I only knew I had to find out.
I kept several cars between us as the cab followed Adrian across the city, my heart beating harder with every turn. I had no idea what I expected to find, but the closer we got to our destination, the more certain I became that Adrian wasn't heading to an ordinary business meeting.
His car eventually turned onto a quieter street and stopped in front of a private medical clinic.
I stared at the building through the cab window.
A medical clinic.
My stomach tightened.
“Wait here,” I told the driver as I paid him. “I'll be back.”
I stepped onto the pavement and watched Adrian enter through the clinic's glass doors. He didn't look around. He simply walked inside as though he had been there many times before.
I waited several seconds before following.
The reception area was small and discreet, with pale walls, comfortable chairs, and the faint scent of antiseptic in the air. A receptionist looked up when I entered, and I gave her an apologetic smile.
“I'm here to meet someone,” I said, hoping my voice sounded convincing.
She nodded and returned her attention to her computer.
I moved farther inside, pretending to look around while keeping my eyes on the hallway Adrian had disappeared through.
Then I saw him.
He was standing near the end of the corridor with a woman in a white coat.
My breath caught.
Doctor Lara.
I recognized her from the description I'd received and from the private number that had appeared on Adrian's phone.
They were standing close together, speaking in voices too low for anyone across the reception area to hear.
There was something familiar about the way they interacted.
Adrian wasn't behaving like a man meeting a doctor for the first time.
He looked as though this conversation had happened many times before.
I moved behind a partially open door leading toward another waiting area, giving myself enough cover to watch them without being noticed.
Doctor Lara said something.
Adrian looked toward the hallway before answering. Then his gaze moved toward the reception desk.
My heart stopped for a second.
Had he seen me?
I lowered my head immediately, pretending to search through my handbag. When I looked again, he had turned back to Doctor Lara.
I strained to hear them.
Most of their conversation was impossible to make out, but a few words reached me clearly.
“...she can't know...”
My fingers went cold.
Doctor Lara answered, but I couldn't hear her.
Adrian spoke again.
“...not yet...”
My breathing became shallow.
Doctor Lara's expression changed. She said something that made Adrian look away.
Then I heard it.
“...it's getting worse...”
I stared at them, trying to understand what I was hearing.
Who can't know?
What was getting worse?
My mind immediately began connecting every strange piece of Adrian's life.
Sophia's warning. Ethan's accusations. The mysterious phone calls. The clinic. Doctor Lara.
And now those words.
I couldn't stay there. I quietly stepped away from the doorway and made my way toward the reception area, keeping my head lowered so no one would notice how shaken I was.
My fingers tightened around the strap of my handbag as I walked through the clinic, every step taking me farther from the conversation I wasn't supposed to hear.
I pushed through the glass doors and stepped outside.
The sunlight felt too bright after the dim interior, and I stood on the pavement for a moment, trying to steady my breathing.
My thoughts were racing so quickly that I couldn't separate one from another.
He lied to me. The realization hurt more than I wanted to admit.
I had trusted Adrian despite everything I'd heard.
I'd defended him when Ethan questioned his character, and I'd dismissed Sophia's warning because I believed there had to be another explanation. But now I wasn't so certain.
Something about that conversation had frightened me, not because I'd heard enough to understand the truth, but because I'd heard just enough to know there was a truth I didn't know.
I started walking away from the clinic, but the questions followed me with every step.
Why was Adrian here? Who was Doctor Lara to him?
What couldn't I know? The thoughts became louder until I could barely focus on anything else.
Then the familiar pounding began behind my eyes.
I pressed my fingers against my temple and tried to keep walking, telling myself it would pass like the others had. Instead, the pain intensified until my vision blurred. I stopped beside the pavement and reached for the nearest wall, squeezing my eyes shut as my balance faltered.
"No," I whispered, struggling to breathe normally. "Please, not now."
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
For one terrifying second, the clinic disappeared from view, replaced by flashes that made no sense.
A familiar hand holding mine. A man's voice calling my name.
White lilies resting against someone's chest. I tried to grasp the images, but they vanished before I could understand them.
My heart slammed against my ribs as another wave of dizziness swept through me. I reached for the wall, but my fingers slipped against the surface. My knees weakened, and the pavement seemed to rush toward me.
I never felt myself hit it.
Strong arms caught me before I could fall, pulling me against a solid chest as darkness swallowed my vision. Just before everything disappeared, I heard a familiar voice close to my ear, filled with sudden alarm.
"Eliana?"