Adrian stood at the airport watching me walk away.

For three years, he had imagined this moment.

He thought that when I returned, I would still be the same Lina who looked at him with admiration.

The same girl who waited for his messages.

The same girl who believed that one day he would choose her.

But the person standing in front of him now was someone completely different.

Someone who no longer needed his approval.

That night, at the funeral home, my mother cried when she saw me.

She held my face with trembling hands.

“My daughter…”

I hugged her.

But even while comforting her, I noticed something strange.

Adrian and Clara were not there.

I looked around.

“Where are they?”

My mother lowered her eyes.

“They left early.”

I frowned.

“Left?”

She hesitated.

Then she whispered:

“After Lucas was found, there were some questions about the accident.”

My heart tightened.

“What questions?”

Before she could answer, a man appeared at the door.

He was wearing a dark police uniform.

“Miss Montes?”

I turned.

“Yes?”

He looked at me seriously.

“My name is Daniel Reyes. I was part of the investigation team.”

My mother’s expression changed.

“Why are you here?”

The officer looked at me.

“Because there are things about your brother’s accident that were never explained.”

The room became silent.

For three years, everyone believed Lucas died because of a landslide.

A tragic accident.

A horrible coincidence.

But now…

someone was telling me there was more.

“What do you mean?”

The officer opened a folder.

“Your brother’s vehicle was not found for almost three years because it was located in an area that had been missed during the first search.”

He placed several photos on the table.

“But before the car fell, the brake system had already been damaged.”

I froze.

“Someone tampered with it.”

My mother’s hand covered her mouth.

“No…”

I looked at the photos.

Lucas.

My brother.

The person who protected me my entire life.

The person who trusted Adrian more than anyone.

“Who would do that?”

The officer looked at me.

“We don’t know yet.”

“But we found something else.”

He took out a small piece of paper.

“It was hidden inside the vehicle.”

My hands shook as I received it.

It was Lucas’s handwriting.

Only one sentence.

“If something happens to me, don’t trust the person closest to you.”

My breathing stopped.

Because I knew exactly who Lucas trusted most.

Adrian.

The boy my father brought home.

The brother who promised to protect us.

The man who held my hand when Lucas disappeared.

The man who married Lucas’s girlfriend ninety-nine days after his death.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Too many memories returned.

The way Adrian always protected Lucas.

The way Lucas trusted him.

The way Clara survived when my brother disappeared.

And the way Adrian immediately chose her afterward.

The next morning, I received a message.

From Adrian.

【We need to talk.】

I stared at the screen.

Three years ago, I would have answered immediately.

This time, I waited.

Then replied:

【Where?】

He sent the location of a private cafe.

When I arrived, Adrian was already there.

But something was different.

He looked exhausted.

Like he hadn’t slept.

He stood up when he saw me.

“Lina.”

I sat down without greeting him.

“What do you want to say?”

He looked at me for several seconds.

Then he asked:

“Did someone tell you about Lucas’s investigation?”

I didn’t answer.

His face changed.

“You know.”

“Yes.”

Silence.

Then Adrian lowered his voice.

“There are things I should have told you three years ago.”

I looked at him.

“Why didn’t you?”

His fingers tightened around the cup.

“Because I was afraid.”

The answer surprised me.

“Afraid of what?”

He looked down.

“Afraid that if you knew the truth…”

“You would hate me.”

My heart sank.

Because for the first time…

Adrian was not acting like my older brother.

He was acting like someone carrying a secret.

“What happened that night, Adrian?”

He slowly lifted his eyes.

And the next words made my entire body freeze.

“Lucas didn’t disappear because of an accident.”

“He discovered something about Clara.”

“And before he could tell anyone…”

“He vanished.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Adrian continued:

“But there is one thing you don’t know.”

“What?”

His voice became painful.

“The person Lucas called before the accident…”

“Was me.”

The cafe became completely silent.

The man I loved for seven years looked at me with regret.

And for the first time, I wondered…

Was Adrian the person who protected my family?

Or was he the reason my family was destroyed?

Because the truth about Lucas’s death…

was only beginning to come out.