Chapter 4 Layla stayed frozen in place

The door slammed so hard the picture frame beside it rattled on the wall.

Layla stayed frozen in place. She just couldn't make herself move. In the living room, she her arms around herself, thinking it might keep her from falling apart. She heard Adrian's footsteps passing away as he walked down the hall.

Each one felt like a goodbye.

And still-she didn't chase him.

Maybe because she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to let go again.

The folder lay on the table, its contents half-spilled like the truth had finally vomited itself across her life. Her mother's letters. The black-and-white photo. The paternity test request she'd never sent.

She didn't know if Adrian was her brother. She didn't know if Elliot Blackwell was truly her father. All she knew was that nothing would ever be the same again.

A sob clawed its way up her throat-but she swallowed it. Sat down. Pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes like that might shove the memories back in.

The way Adrian had looked at her.

Like she was poison. Like she'd ruined something neither of them had the words to name.

Her phone buzzed beside her.

She didn't look right away.

But when the screen lit again with a second buzz, she reached for it-half-hoping, half-dreading.

It wasn't Adrian.

Unknown Number: You're getting too close. Stay away from the Blackwells or you'll regret it.

Her blood ran cold.

A third message came seconds later.

Unknown Number: You think Adrian will forgive you when he finds out everything? He won't. Just like his father never forgave yours.

Her dad never forgave you. Layla's hands vibrating as she stared at the screen, her heart pounding like it was about to burst.

The fear was sharp. Immediate. But underneath it, something else unfurled.

Rage.

Not the hot, destructive kind. No, this was colder. Quieter. A fury that came from knowing she was being watched. Threatened. Controlled.

Again.

No.

Not this time.

Layla stood.

She wasn't going to run.

If the Blackwells thought she was a problem now-good.

Because she wasn't done with them either.

And the truth?

It was only just starting to surface.She walked back and forth in the room, each step feeling heavier than the one before. Anger surged inside her, and she was breathing quickly, her chest tight with a sense of betrayal-not just from Adrian, but from all the lies tied to her last name over the years.

All the half-truths her mother had told, all the silences that now screamed.

How long had she lived with a shadow version of her life?

How long had her mother protected her from the truth-or hidden her from it?

And now, someone else knew. Someone watching her. Someone digging into her past and Adrian's, trying to pit them against each other before they even had a chance to understand what they were.

The anonymous messages weren't random. This was orchestrated. Deliberate. The timing too precise.

Someone wanted this to blow up.

Someone who didn't want Adrian to know the truth.

Her fingers hovered over her phone before she pulled up Eden's number. Her best friend would know what to say. She always did.

But just before she hit call, another thought stopped her cold.

What if Eden was in danger, too?

She dropped the phone back onto the couch.

She couldn't involve her. Not yet.

Layla picked up the envelope with the test request, folded it up with unstable hands, and squeeze it into her purse. She wasn't quite sure why she was doing this, but sitting still just didn't feel right anymore. She had to move. She had to do something before this spiraled even further out of control.

Her mind flicked to Adrian. His face when he'd read the message. The way he'd looked at her like she'd broken something sacred.

The worst part? She still missed him. Still wanted to call him. Still wanted to believe the connection they shared on that balcony had been real.

But there was no space for softness now. Not when her entire life was turning inside out.

She grabbed her coat, picked up her keys, and stepped outside. The chilly night air hit her and shook off any sleepiness. The concrete was all around her, tough and frigid, much like the reality she was about to confront.

If Adrian wouldn't believe her, fine.

She'd prove it to herself first.

No more running. No more waiting.

It was time to find out who she really was.

And why the Blackwells had spent twenty years pretending she didn't exist.