“It was never about money, was it?”
He didn’t answer.
Because we both knew the truth now.
I had gotten too close.
“You need to give me the files, Clara,” he said carefully. “My parents are willing to compensate you generously.”
June looked at me sharply from the driver’s seat.
Compensate.
Like I was a problem to settle quietly.
“You think this is about revenge?” I asked.
“No,” Adrian said immediately. “I think you don’t understand how dangerous this can become.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I finally realized he was.
Then his next words changed everything.
“My father already contacted the Commission this morning.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“They won’t take your claims seriously anymore. Not after today.”
And suddenly I understood the wedding perfectly.
They didn’t just abandon me publicly to humiliate me.
They destroyed my credibility before I could expose them.
A poor girl dumped at the altar.
Emotional.
Heartbroken.
Unstable.
Nobody trusts a woman they’ve already turned into gossip.
Mrs. Vale planned this beautifully.
For one dangerous second…
I almost admired her.
Then June suddenly cursed under her breath.
“Clara…”
I looked up.
A black Mercedes SUV had turned behind us.
Following closely.
Too closely.
My pulse slowed instantly.
Training.
Instinct.
The same instincts that made me survive rooms full of powerful men who smiled while lying through perfect teeth.
“Don’t go home,” I said quietly.
June gripped the wheel tighter.
The SUV accelerated.
Adrian’s voice sharpened through the phone.
“Clara, listen to me carefully. If you release those files, my father will destroy you.”
I stared at the SUV through the rain-streaked rear window.
Then smiled slowly.
“You should’ve thought about that,” I whispered, “before your mother tried to buy back my wedding dress.”
And I hung up.
The SUV surged forward suddenly.
June gasped.
“Oh my God—”
BANG.
Its bumper slammed into the back of our car hard enough to send us skidding across the wet road.
My bouquet flew onto the floor.
Glass shattered.
People screamed outside.
The Mercedes pulled alongside us for one terrifying second—
And through the tinted window…
I saw Mr. Vale staring directly at me.
Cold.
Expressionless.
