Chapter 3 Truth in the Shadow

The moment Sophia stepped out of the bar, her body swayed to the rhythm of her unstable thoughts. Sharp night air clashed with the skin sober against the raging warmth from alcohol running riot in her system. Yet, she wasn't drunk, just a little tipsy enough to drop inhibitions.

Adrian was beside her in an instant, his hand out to steady her elbow lightly. "Careful there," he said low, almost teasing.

She turned to him, her gaze longer on his features than it ought to be. In the fading light of street lamps, Adrian Grayson was impossible to compose, his sharp features unreadable. There was a sense wherein the rest of the world melted into soft focus, and just the two were in focus.

"I'm fine," she said. Her voice had somehow picked up just a hint of defiance.

"Obviously," Adrian said, his lips curling with a slight smirk. "Let me walk you wherever you're going. It's late out."

Sophia shook her head, tugging her arm out of his grasp. "I don't need anyone's help. I have been fine on my own for quite a long period."

There it was again-that defiance, that invisible armor she wore like a second skin. Adrian studied her further, his curiosity deepening. There was more to this woman than her sharp tongue and light brown-colored guarded eyes.

"Fine," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "But humor me. At least tell me why someone like you would spend a night drinking alone."

She froze at the sound of his voice; her eyes slitted. "Someone like me?"

Adrian shrugged, his face as serenely clear as his perceptive eyes. "You seem... complicated. Not the kind to end up in a place like this by accident."

A bitter laugh escaped before she could catch it. "Complicated," she echoed. "That's putting it mildly."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched, heavy and charged, until Sophia looked away, her gaze drifting to the darkened street ahead.

"You really want to know why I'm here tonight?" she asked, her voice softer now, almost vulnerable.

Adrian hesitated, sensing the weight of her question. "Yes."

With a second breath, she felt the booze now loosen her tongue to say things that make her be both unreckless and unwary. Sharing isn't her thing, but tonight, something about this stranger provokes her to do so. Most likely, it's because of his quiet disposition or maybe those eyes holding her gaze.

"Today would have been my parents' wedding anniversary," she began, the cracking in her chest not once faltering in her voice. "They were everything to me. The kind of people who made you believe the world wasn't such a terrible place. And then, one night."

Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard, forcing herself not to cry. Adrian watched her with an unflinching gaze, his jaw clenching as if he already knew the direction this tale was taking.

"They were killed in a car accident," Sophia went on, the tone cold now. "Hit-and-run. The driver never stopped, never looked back. Just.... Just left them there."

Adrian felt his stomach drop, a cold sweat forming at the base of his neck. His mind raced, fragments of a memory he had long buried threatening to resurface. But he pushed it down, forcing himself to stay composed.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Then Sophia laughed hard. "Yeah, well, sorry's not gonna bring them back." She turned to him then, her eyes flashing like knives. "The worst part? That wasn't even the end of it. My brother-

She caught herself, abruptly aware of how much she'd said. Not Caleb. She didn't want to discuss Caleb and the spiral he'd given in to once their parents died. That was one wound she wouldn't reopen.

She shook her head, "You don't need to hear my sob story."

Adrian's eyebrows furrowed, interested. "Maybe I do. You don't seem like the type to spill your guts with just anyone, so if you're talking to me, it's for a reason."

Sophia stared at him, taken aback by his perceptiveness. "Why do you care, anyway? You don't even know me."

Adrian hesitated. He didn't know why he cared. Maybe it was the way her vulnerability shone through her tough exterior, or the way her story stirred something deep within him-something he didn't want to face.

"Let's just say I'm not a fan of walking away from things that matter," he said finally, his voice quieter now.

She gave a trembling breath; her defenses buckled just a smidge. "Well, you're wasting your time with me. I've got more baggage than an airport terminal."

Adrian drew closer, not his eyes having strayed once from hers. "Everyone's got baggage, Sophia. The question is, who's gonna help you tote the baggage?"

Sincerity clung to every word in surprise, making her feel that strange and utterly foreign warmth-scarily akin to hope.

She glanced away, clutched at the strap of her bag, nerves tingling through the tips of her fingers. "I don't need anyone carrying it," she muttered.

He tipped his head to study her face. "Perhaps not. Still doesn't hurt letting someone try."

The words died on Sophia's lips as her mind went into overdrive. So open, so vulnerable-she hadn't let herself be in years. Yet she couldn't force herself to turn and walk away from him.

Adrian was fighting his own devils; her story had stirred the ashes of some very old wounds, which were almost non-existent now that he had grown to accept they hadn't really happened. The hit-and-run accident. The fear, the guilt, the shame. He'd never stopped thinking about it, though he did all he could to forget.

But it couldn't have been the same accident. Could it?

He shook it off, forcing his thoughts to dwell on the present. "You shouldn't be alone tonight," he finally said, a certain firmness in his voice.

Sophia looked up into his face in surprise at his certainty. "Why do you care?"

Adrian didn't answer; instead, he took a step closer, his eyes now burning with that intense gaze that made her heartbeat speed up instantly.

"Because you deserve better than this," he whispered softly.

The sharp intake of Sophia's breath was evident, and for an instant, everything around them just faded. The air surrounding them vibrated with unsaid words and emotions none of them were quite aware of.

And then, before she knew it, before her mind could say no, she leaned in.

Adrian's hand came instinctively to her waist, steadying her as their faces moved closer. Tension snapped between them like a bowstring pulled full, and their lips met in an electrifying kiss.

For one very small moment, there was nothing else around them.

Then, as his kiss deepened, one word seared its way across his brain: truth. "I have to find the truth," even if it killed him.