The Sinful Confession

Isabella

____

I had always dreamed of this moment: to surprise my friend. Years had passed since Adrian and I had seen each other, and this was my chance to surprise him. I would show up unannounced and give him a hug that would make up for all the birthdays and holidays we’d missed—the kind of hug that would make everything feel right again.

As the plane touched down in Miami, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. The warm air hit me as soon as I stepped out of the terminal, and I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. After my family relocated to Australia, I hadn’t been to the U.S. in years. It had been even longer since I’d been here with Adrian, roaming the streets, laughing about everything and nothing.

I fumbled with my phone as I made my way to baggage claim. My thumb hovered over Adrian’s name, and then I hit dial. I was excited to break the news that I arrived.

He answered after a few rings.

“Adrian, I’m here!” I said, practically bursting with joy. I ignored the onlookers now gazing my way, wondering what I was screaming and squeaking about.

“Izzy?” His voice came through the phone.

“I’m at the airport. I’m here.”

Silence settled for a while. I let him process it as I laughed at him. He then regained himself. “What do you mean you are at the airport? Miami?”

“Yes. Surprise!!” I laughed. “God, I love this. I imagined surprising you, and from the sound, I see you are well surprised. I’m dying to see you.”

“Silly, why would you just show up unannounced?” He yelled.

“I know! I thought I’d surprise you. Come pick me up. Or should I find my way to your place?”

He groaned. “Izzy, I left for the UK. I’ll be gone for about three weeks.”

I stopped on my heels. My heart sank, and I blinked, trying to process what he had just said. “What?”

He sighed. “I was to send you pictures as a surprise. God.” He laughed. “I feel so bad, yet I want to laugh.”

“You’re not in Miami? I’ve been planning this for months.” I raked my hair. “Why the fuck would you go to the UK without informing me?”

“I know, I’m sorry, I should have told you, but it was last minute,” he explained quickly. “But how the fuck would you show up after five years unannounced.” He shot back, and I let out a long sigh. Everything was ruined. “Look, I don’t want you to be stuck at the airport. Stay there. I will have my friend come pick you up.”

“I—Adrian, I don’t know anyone else here. I—”

“Just stay there, okay? He will take care of you. Just wait at the airport. You need to rest, and then we will talk. I feel bad, fuck.”

The line went dead before I could protest. I stood there for a moment, staring at my phone like it had betrayed me. I had flown halfway across the world for nothing. Well, not for nothing, but it wasn’t the reunion I had imagined. I had no other choice but to wait.

An hour later, I spotted a man holding a sign with my name on it. I approached him hesitantly, feeling awkward, but he smiled and nodded.

“Miss Adams?”

“Yes, Isabella. You are Adrian’s friend?”

“No, I’m a driver. I’m here to take you to Mr. Cruz’s residence,” he said, his tone businesslike but polite.

That sounded like a fancy one.

I nodded back. “Mr. Cruz?” I repeated, feeling a strange curiosity rise. I presumed he was Adrian’s friend, but the name didn’t register. Adrian hadn’t mentioned anyone named Cruz.

The driver led me to a sleek black car, and I slipped inside, trying to quell the discomfort bubbling up inside me. I stared out the window, the lights of Miami passing by, but my thoughts were a million miles away. How could Adrian not have told me he’d be gone? This was supposed to be our moment.

When we arrived at the mansion, the sky had darkened completely. The house loomed in front of me—modern, elegant, and imposing. It looked like something out of a movie, the kind of place I had only ever seen in magazines. The driver didn’t say much as we pulled up outside the mansion. He opened the door for me and nodded as I exited the car.

I could already feel chills all over my body. The house itself was quiet. I followed the driver inside, where he handed me off to another man—tall, dark-haired, and wearing a tailored suit that screamed wealth. I presumed it was the Mister Cruz guy.

“This is Miss Adams,” the driver said. “The Boss’s guest.”

Oh, it wasn’t him either?

I gave a small smile, unsure what else to do. The man nodded and led me through the grand hallway without much of a greeting.

“This way.”

I followed him down a hallway, then up a flight of stairs. The house was beautiful—stunning, really. Modern and warm, with touches of old-world luxury. But it felt... sterile. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing, or maybe I was too out of place to fully appreciate it.

When we reached the top of the staircases, the man stopped in front of a door and opened it, revealing a large guest bedroom. It was lavish, the bed enormous, the linens crisp white and fresh. There was a sitting area in the corner and a massive television mounted on the wall. Everything was perfectly arranged and neat, almost as if no one ever actually lived here.

“You can stay here,” he said, almost robotically. “Mr. Cruz is upstairs. He’ll be busy, so feel free to make yourself comfortable. If you need anything, just let me know.”

I nodded, unsure what else to say. “Thank you,” I said quietly, but he was already turning to leave. The door closed behind him with a soft click, and I was left alone in the room.

I didn’t want to admit it, but the loneliness hit me harder than I expected. It wasn’t just that Adrian wasn’t here. It was the silence—the stillness.

But there was no time to dwell on that now. I had to call Adrian again. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail.

Frustrated, I dropped my phone on the bed and walked to the window. I pulled back the curtains, looking down at the city. The lights were dazzling, but they only reminded me of how far away everything familiar was. I hadn’t come here to stay with a stranger. I came to reunite with Adrian. And now, I was stuck in a mansion with a man I hadn’t met.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally heard footsteps approaching. I turned, and the man who had shown me to the room stepped in again, this time with someone else.

The other guy was tall. His dark brown hair was neatly styled, and he wore a suit that looked like it belonged to a man with everything. His gaze swept over me without a word, his brown eyes sharp and calculating. Except for his serious face, the man was straight from a magazine. He was tall and well-built, with shoulders held firm and fit. Behind his suit, I could easily tell he was perfect. Men like him were rare, especially back in Sydney.

“This is your guest, sir.” The earlier guy said to his boss.

The said boss gave him a simple nod before dismissing him. He stepped in, just one step. “You must be Isabella?”

“Yes. And you are Mister Cruz?”

He stared blankly for a few seconds before dismissing my question unapologetically. “Adrian said you’d be staying here for a while.”

I blinked, taken aback by his emotionless voice, almost cold. “I came to surprise him.”

He didn’t react. He just stood there, looking at me like I was another inconvenience in his day. “My assistant will be around if you need anything,” he said, his tone clipped.

Before I could utter anything else, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared down the hallway.

“The fuck?”

I stood there, stunned. What had just happened? I wasn’t sure if it was the coldness of the mansion or the coldness of the man, but I felt more alone than I had ever felt in my life.

I sank into the plush chair by the window and stared at the Miami skyline, unsure of what I was supposed to do now.

And why would Adrian have such an emotionless person as a friend?

I texted Adrian, ensuring my messages were yelling on my behalf, and all I got was...

-Alexander is cool.

He must have had another definition of ‘cool’ because the man I saw was nothing close to cool. If any word would suit him, it would be cold, emotionless, and maybe uninterested in anything in this life.