Chapter 2 - THE KNOCK ON THE DOORThe walk up the gravel pathway felt like walking through a minefield. Every rustle of the wind sounded like a footstep; every shadow cast by the oak trees looked like a threat.
Adrian reached the porch steps. He paused, looking down at his own hand—the hand of a man who controlled half the shipping ports and financial institutions in the Northeast, yet was shaking as he raised his knuckles to rap softly against the wood.
Knock. Knock.
Inside, the chatter stopped. Footsteps approached the door—light, hesitant steps.
The brass knob turned. The door swung open.
Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. The color drained entirely from her face, leaving her pale as parchment. She gripped the edge of the doorframe so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Adrian..." she whispered, the name escaping her lips like a ghost from the past. "You... you're supposed to be dead. Or running."
"I was never dead, Sarah," Adrian said, his voice raw, stripped of all its usual cold authority. "And I'm done running."
Sarah stared at him, her eyes welling with sudden, furious tears. Before he could say another word, her hand flashed out and slapped him across the face with a sharp, echoing crack.
Adrian didn't flinch. He didn't step back. He took the blow, knowing he deserved every ounce of her anger, every year of sleepless nights she had endured alone.
"You left us!" Sarah sobbed, her voice breaking as she slammed her fist against his chest, right over his injured shoulder.
Adrian winced silently, letting out a sharp breath, but he didn't move away.
"You disappeared into the night with a briefcase and a bloodstain on your shirt, and you didn't call for three years!" Sarah wept, her knees buckling slightly as grief and rage collided. "Do you have any idea what it’s like to raise a child alone, wondering if every knock on the door is news that you're in a ditch somewhere?!"
"I know," Adrian said thickly, his own vision blurring as he gently reached out and caught her by her trembling shoulders. "I know I destroyed your life, Sarah. But I'm here now. And someone tried to kill me last week... which means my enemies are getting closer. I couldn't stay away another day."
May you like
At that exact moment, a small, curious voice piped up from behind the kitchen hallway.
"Mommy? Who's at the door?"
