Sofia arrived at the Rose Garden Café fifteen minutes early.
Her fingers tightened nervously around the strap of her handbag as she stepped inside the quiet restaurant.
The soft piano music, warm lights, and scent of coffee should have felt comforting.
Instead, her stomach twisted with anxiety.
She spotted Selena immediately.
The woman sat near the window wearing a simple black dress, stirring her coffee absentmindedly.
Even without makeup, she was stunning.
Beautiful in a soft, effortless way.
The kind of woman people naturally stared at.
The kind of woman Adrian loved.
Selena looked up the moment Sofia approached.
Sofia sat across from her carefully.
“You said we needed to talk.”
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then Selena finally spoke.
“I didn’t know Adrian was getting married.”
Sofia looked at her quietly.
“You still came to the wedding.”
Pain flashed across Selena’s face.
“Because I only found out that morning.”
The entire city believed Selena died years ago.
Even Adrian clearly believed it too.
Selena lowered her eyes toward her coffee cup.
“The accident was real,” she whispered. “My car went off the bridge during a storm.”
“I survived,” Selena continued softly, “but I lost my memory for a long time.”
Shock crossed Sofia’s face.
“When I finally remembered who I was… I came back.”
Her voice trembled slightly now.
“But everything had already changed.”
Sofia didn’t know what to say.
Part of her pitied Selena.
Another part of her resented her deeply.
Because this woman’s return had destroyed Sofia’s marriage before it even started.
Selena suddenly looked directly at her.
The question caught Sofia off guard.
A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips.
Selena’s expression darkened sadly.
“He loved me once,” she whispered.
The word echoed painfully inside Sofia’s chest.
Because judging by the way Adrian looked at Selena yesterday…
It didn’t feel like the past at all.
The waitress arrived with drinks, interrupting the tension briefly.
But the silence afterward became even heavier.
Finally, Selena spoke again.
“You seem like a good person.”
“It means you deserve honesty.”
Sofia’s heartbeat quickened instantly.
“There are things about the Knight family you don’t know.”
A strange feeling crept into Sofia’s stomach.
Before Selena could answer—
A deep familiar voice interrupted them.
“What exactly are you trying to tell my wife?”
Adrian stood beside their table.
His dark eyes were cold with anger.
Selena’s face paled immediately.
“How did you know I was here?” Sofia asked softly.
Adrian ignored her completely.
His attention remained fixed on Selena.
“You shouldn’t have contacted her.”
“I just wanted to explain things.”
“There’s nothing to explain.”
The coldness in his voice hurt even Sofia.
Selena looked genuinely heartbroken now.
“After everything we went through… you won’t even listen to me?”
Something dangerous flashed across Adrian’s eyes.
Sofia suddenly realized their story ran far deeper than she imagined.
Adrian finally spoke through clenched teeth.
Selena’s eyes filled with tears.
“And I almost destroyed myself looking for you!”
The café fell silent around them.
Several customers had already started staring openly.
Sofia sat frozen between them, feeling invisible.
Like she was watching two people trapped inside a love story she never belonged in.
Selena’s voice broke softly.
Adrian looked away bitterly.
“You came back too late.”
The words hit Sofia strangely.
Because despite everything…
Selena wiped her tears quickly before looking toward Sofia.
Then she grabbed her purse and hurried out of the café.
Sofia watched her leave in silence.
The moment the doors closed behind Selena, Adrian finally sat down heavily across from Sofia.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Then Sofia asked quietly—
“Did you really track my phone?”
Adrian rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“You’re my responsibility now.”
Sofia looked down at the untouched coffee in front of her.
“Do you regret marrying me already?”
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
That hurt more than hearing yes.
Finally, he leaned back in his chair.
“You don’t understand how complicated this is.”
But before he could speak, Sofia’s phone suddenly rang.
She frowned slightly at the unknown number.
A terrified male voice answered immediately.
“Sofia… it’s your brother.”
Fear shot through her instantly.
Her entire body went cold.
“The loan sharks came back,” her brother said shakily. “They said the debt was never fully paid.”
The marriage agreement was supposed to clear everything.
Then she heard something even worse.
“They said if we don’t pay tonight…”
Her brother’s voice broke.
Adrian’s expression changed instantly the moment he heard the panic in Sofia’s voice.
Sofia slowly lowered the phone, her hands trembling badly.
“My father…” she whispered. “They took him.”
Adrian stood up immediately.
“The men he owed money to.”
A dangerous look crossed Adrian’s face.
“That debt was supposed to be cleared.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Sofia said shakily.
Her breathing became uneven as fear consumed her completely.
What if something happened to her father?
What if this marriage had all been for nothing?
Adrian grabbed his car keys instantly.
Sofia looked up in surprise.
He frowned slightly, almost annoyed by the question.
The words should have comforted her.
But somehow they sounded more like duty than care.
At least he wasn’t walking away.
The ride across the city felt endless.
Rain continued pouring heavily while Sofia kept trying to call her brother again.
Her heart pounded harder every second.
Adrian remained silent while driving, but Sofia noticed the tension in his jaw.
Finally, they arrived outside Sofia’s family home.
The front gate was wide open.
Two black SUVs were parked outside.
Sofia’s stomach dropped instantly.
She rushed out of the car before Adrian could stop her.
But she was already running toward the house.
The moment she entered, she froze.
The living room was destroyed.
Broken glass covered the floor.
Furniture had been overturned.
And her mother sat crying uncontrollably while Sofia’s younger brother tried to comfort her.
Her mother immediately grabbed her tightly.
“They took him!” she cried. “They said we still owe money!”
Sofia looked around desperately.
Her younger brother looked pale.
“They beat him when he tried to stop them.”
Rage flashed across Adrian’s face as he entered the house behind her.
One of the broken tables caught his attention immediately.
A symbol had been carved into the wood.
Adrian’s eyes darkened instantly.
“What is it?” Sofia asked nervously.
He didn’t answer immediately.
“These aren’t ordinary loan sharks.”
Fear crept into Sofia’s chest.
Adrian stared coldly at the symbol.
“They work for someone much more dangerous.”
Before Sofia could ask another question, Adrian’s phone rang.
His expression became colder with every second.
Then he ended the call and looked directly at Sofia.
Her mother burst into tears again.
Sofia stepped closer desperately.
Adrian hesitated slightly.
Fear flashed across everyone’s faces.
Everyone in the city knew the docks were controlled by violent criminal groups.
People disappeared there all the time.
Sofia grabbed Adrian’s arm immediately.
Adrian looked at her carefully.
Her voice came out stronger than expected.
For a moment, Adrian and Sofia stared at each other silently.
Then Adrian sighed heavily.
Twenty minutes later, Sofia sat beside Adrian again as they drove toward the dark industrial area near the harbor.
The city lights slowly disappeared behind them.
Everything around them became darker.
Sofia’s hands trembled slightly in her lap.
Without saying anything, he reached over and handed her a small black object.
She stared at it in shock.
“I don’t know how to use this!”
“Hopefully you won’t need to.”
That definitely did not comfort her.
The car finally stopped near an abandoned warehouse surrounded by shipping containers.
Several armed men stood outside.
Sofia’s heartbeat nearly stopped.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
Adrian’s expression remained calm.
The moment they stepped out of the car, one of the men approached them.
“Well,” the man smirked, “the billionaire husband actually came.”
Sofia immediately spotted her father tied to a chair inside the warehouse.
Her father looked bruised and terrified.
Adrian stepped forward coldly.
“You already got your money.”
His eyes shifted toward Sofia slowly.
“Your wife’s family owes much more now.”
Sofia felt fear crawl down her spine.
Something about the way he looked at her felt wrong.
Then the man smiled darkly.
“Unless,” he continued slowly, “Mr. Knight wants to make another deal.”
