Chapter 3: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Marry Adrian
“Give me your phone.””
Adrian's request was quiet, but Isolde heard the fear beneath it.
She looked at the message again.
Ask Adrian what happened to the woman he was supposed to marry before you.
“What does this mean?”” she asked.
Adrian's face had gone pale.
“Isolde, I can explain.””
The words struck her harder than Corisande's slap.
Not because he sounded guilty, but because he had answered before she had even asked him what the message meant.
“You know something.””
He glanced toward his father.
“Not everything.””
“That isn't an answer.””
“I know.””
Around them, the wedding reception had dissolved into chaos. Guests whispered over untouched dinners. Several people had already left, while others lingered near the doors, hoping to discover how the evening would end.
Marcus approached with two security officers.
“Adrian, I've arranged for the guests to move into the smaller reception room. We can keep the press out if we close the east entrance.””
“Do it,” Adrian said.
Marcus looked at Isolde.
“I'm sorry this happened.””
She managed a small nod.
“Thank you, Marcus.””
He hesitated.
“And for what it's worth, I don't believe a word Corisande says.””
Corisande, who stood several feet away, gave a sharp laugh.
“Of course you don't. You're Adrian's loyal little shadow.””
Marcus turned toward her.
“I've known Adrian since we were twelve. I've also watched you throw a glass at him because he wouldn't cancel a business trip to spend your birthday with you.””
Corisande's face flushed.
“That was years ago!””
“And you've been harassing him ever since.””
“That's enough,” Adrian said.
Marcus fell silent, but the damage was done. A few guests were now looking at Corisande with open contempt.
She adjusted her dress and lifted her chin.
“Believe whatever you want. None of you know what happened.””
Isolde stepped closer.
“Then tell us.””
Corisande's eyes flicked toward Mr. Vale.
He gave the slightest shake of his head.
It was barely noticeable.
Isolde noticed it anyway.
“You're afraid of him,” she said.
Corisande snapped her gaze back.
“Don't be ridiculous.””
“You were brave enough to slap me in front of three hundred people. You threatened to expose my family. But every time Mr. Vale looks at you, you stop talking.””
“I am not afraid of anyone.””
“Then why did you look at him before answering?””
Corisande's lips pressed together.
Adrian watched her carefully.
“Corisande,” he said, “what happened before I met Isolde?””
She laughed without humor.
“You really want to know?””
“Yes.””
“Fine. Your father arranged for me to marry you.””
Adrian blinked.
“What?””
“Not officially, of course. Your family would never admit something like that. But we had an understanding.
Your father wanted a woman who knew how to behave in your world. Someone with the right connections. Someone he could trust.””
Mr. Vale's voice thundered across the room.
“Stop lying!””
Corisande flinched.
Then she turned toward the guests.
“He introduced me to his business partners. He invited my family to private dinners. He told my mother that one day I'd be the woman standing beside Adrian at every important event.””
Adrian looked at his father in disbelief.
“Did you promise her that?””
“I never promised her a marriage.””
“But you encouraged her.””
Mr. Vale's silence was answer enough.
Isolde folded her arms carefully across her gown.
“And what does this have to do with my mother?””
Corisande's expression changed.
She seemed to struggle with whether to continue.
Then she took a breath.
“Because Elena Marlowe was the woman Adrian was supposed to marry before you.””
Isolde stared at her.
“No.””
The word came out before she could stop it.
“My mother was married to my father.””
“Eventually,” Corisande replied.
“But not before she was engaged to Adrian's older brother.””
For the second time that evening, the ballroom went silent.
Adrian looked as if someone had struck him.
“My brother?””
Isolde had never heard of an older brother.
Not once.
She had spent months learning about the Vale family. Adrian had told her about his childhood, his late grandmother, his father's business empire, and the lonely years after his mother died.
But there had been no brother.
No mention of an engagement involving her mother.
Nothing.
She turned to Mr. Vale.
“Is this true?””
He rubbed a hand over his mouth.
“Your mother was a complicated woman.””
“That's not what I asked.””
“Isolde, please.””
“Was my mother engaged to Adrian's brother?””
Mr. Vale looked away.
Adrian stepped closer to Isolde.
“Whatever happened before we met, it doesn't change how I feel about you.””
She pulled her hand from his.
“Don't.””
He froze.
“I haven't accused you of anything yet,” she said.
“But if you knew something about my mother and chose not to tell me, you don't get to ask me to trust you simply because you love me.””
His face tightened with pain.
“I understand.””
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
“Then tell me the truth.””
Adrian glanced at his father.
“My brother's name was Julian.””
Mr. Vale closed his eyes.
Adrian continued.
“He died before I turned eighteen. Our family never discussed him because...”” He stopped, swallowing hard.
“Because my father said talking about him would only hurt us.””
“Died how?””
“A car accident.””
Isolde felt the blood drain from her face.
Rain on a country road.
A car accident.
Her mother's death.
She gripped the edge of the table.
“My mother died in a car accident, too.””
Adrian looked at her sharply.
“When?””
“Twenty years ago.””
His father made a strangled sound.
Isolde turned toward him.
“You know something.””
“Isolde, please.””
“Did Julian die in the same accident as my mother?””
Mr. Vale said nothing.
Adrian's expression changed from confusion to horror.
“Father?””
The older man lowered himself into a chair.
For a moment, he looked much older than he had an hour earlier, when he had stood proudly beside his son at the wedding ceremony.
Finally, he whispered, “They were together that night.””
Isolde's knees weakened.
She caught the table before she could stumble.
“No.””
“Isolde—”
“No. My father told me my mother was driving home from work.””
Mr. Vale looked up.
“Your father told you what he believed was necessary.””
“My father would never lie about something like that.””
“Everyone lies when they think the truth will destroy the people they love.””
Adrian stepped forward.
“What happened that night?””
Mr. Vale stared at his son.
Then he looked at Isolde.
“Julian and Elena were engaged. They planned to marry, but your mother's family discovered something about our business that could have ruined us. Julian wanted to expose it. My father wanted to stop him.””
“Your grandfather?”” Adrian asked.
“No,” Mr. Vale replied.
“I did.””
The confession hung in the air.
Adrian stared at his father as though he no longer recognized him.
“You were involved?””
“I was trying to protect the company.””
“You let me believe my brother died in an ordinary accident.””
“I was twenty-eight years old! I had a business to save, employees to protect, and a family that depended on me.””
“And what about Julian?”” Adrian demanded.
“What about Elena?””
Mr. Vale's voice cracked.
“I didn't know they would die.””
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Isolde's fingers went numb.
For twenty years, she had believed her mother's death was a tragedy without an explanation.
