Chapter Twenty-Nine What They Dont Say Out Loud Adrians POV
Chapter Twenty-Nine: What They Don’t Say Out Loud
Adrian’s POV
The apartment was quiet when Elara let herself in.
Too familiar. Too dangerous.
She didn’t knock. She never had to.
---
Adrian shut the door behind her, locking it out of habit more than necessity.
Their eyes met immediately.
No small talk.
No pretending.
Just tension already waiting for them in the middle of the room.
---
“You saw it too,” Elara said first.
Not a question.
A confirmation.
---
Adrian didn’t answer right away.
He didn’t need to.
He nodded once.
Slow.
---
“Elara,” he said quietly, “she’s pulling away.”
---
Her jaw tightened slightly.
“Camille?” she asked, even though she already knew.
---
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then lower—
“And it’s not just her.”
---
That made Elara go still.
Because she understood exactly who he meant without him saying it.
---
“Mikhail,” she said.
His name came out sharper than intended.
Like it didn’t belong in their space.
Like it was already a problem.
---
Adrian ran a hand through his hair.
“He’s too involved,” he said. “Too present. Too intentional.”
---
Elara let out a short breath, pacing slightly.
“She’s working for him,” she said quickly.
Too quickly.
Like repeating it could keep it stable.
---
Adrian watched her.
“That’s not what this feels like,” he replied.
---
Silence.
Longer this time.
He could see it in her face now.
The same thing he felt but didn’t want to fully name.
---
Jealousy didn’t need proof.
Just perception.
---
“They’re spending too much time together,” Elara said finally.
Her voice was lower now.
Less certain.
---
Adrian nodded.
“And Camille isn’t telling me anything anymore.”
---
Elara stopped pacing.
That landed differently.
Not because it was new.
Because it confirmed what she didn’t want to admit.
---
“She used to talk to you about everything,” Elara said quietly.
---
“Used to,” Adrian repeated.
A beat.
Then—
“Not anymore.”
---
The room felt smaller after that.
Like the truth had taken up more space than it should have.
---
Elara crossed her arms tightly.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
---
Adrian looked at her for a long moment.
Not just as a partner in this situation.
But as someone who already understood the real fear underneath it.
---
“We get answers,” he said finally.
---
Elara frowned slightly.
“How?”
---
Adrian’s voice lowered.
“We put them in the same space,” he said. “No distractions. No escape.”
A pause.
Then—
“And we make them say it.”
---
Elara didn’t respond immediately.
Her expression shifted.
Not doubt.
Calculation.
---
“And if they deny it?” she asked.
---
Adrian exhaled slowly.
“Then we watch their reactions,” he said.
A beat.
“People don’t lie cleanly when they’re cornered.”
---
Elara nodded once.
Slow.
Reluctant.
---
“Fine,” she said.
Then quieter—
“But if there’s something going on…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
She didn’t need to.
---
Adrian stepped closer then.
Their space narrowing.
Familiar in a way that had nothing to do with comfort anymore.
---
“There is something going on,” he said softly.
Not accusation.
Not certainty.
Just belief.
---
Elara met his gaze.
And for a moment, neither of them spoke about Camille.
Or Mikhail.
---
Because what they were really afraid of wasn’t just betrayal.
It was being replaced in real time.
Without even noticing when it started.
---
Elara reached for his hand briefly.
A grounding gesture.
Not gentle.
Necessary.
---
“Then we’re careful,” she said.
---
Adrian nodded.
“We’re careful,” he agreed.
---
But neither of them let go of the thought that had already formed between them.
That whatever was happening…
They were already behind it.