CHAPTER 1
ADRIAN
The first time I saw Elena Parker after ten years, she looked at me like I was a stranger.
And somehow, that hurt more than watching her die.
ELENA
The rain always made New York feel lonely.
Most people loved it. The yellow taxis. The lights reflect on wet streets. The smell of coffee drifting from cafés.
I hated it.
Because rain always made me remember things I couldn’t actually remember.
For ten years, I had lived with missing pieces.
The doctors called it selective memory loss. My father called it a blessing. I called it torture.
Because somewhere inside me, I always felt like I had forgotten someone.
Someone important.
Someone I loved.
I stood beside the large office windows overlooking Manhattan.
People rushed through the rain.
Umbrellas opened.
Cars moved.
Life continued.
And yet— mine always felt incomplete.
“You’re doing it again.”
I turned.
Sophia entered my office holding two coffees.
“What?”
“Looking depressed.”
I smiled slightly.
“Thank you.”
She handed me a coffee.
“You barely slept.”
“I never sleep.”
She studied me.
“Nightmares?”
I nodded.
Always.
The same rain.
The same road.
The same voice.
But every morning it disappeared.
Like smoke.
Like someone stealing the memory before I could reach it.
Sophia sat down.
“So.”
“So?”
“The new owner.”
I frowned.
“What new owner?”
Her eyes widened.
“Oh my God.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“The company was sold.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
I stared.
“What?”
She blinked.
“I thought you knew.”
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
The company where I had spent six years building my career had been sold without anyone informing me.
“Who bought it?”
She shrugged.
“Some billionaire.”
Perfect.
Exactly what every woman wants to hear before nine in the morning.
Billionaire.
I rolled my eyes.
At exactly ten o’clock, everyone gathered in the conference room.
People whispered.
People smiled.
People worried.
I sat beside Sophia.
My fingers tapped nervously against the table.
“Relax.”
“I am relaxed.”
“No. You look like you’re planning a murder.”
The doors opened.
Three men entered.
An older man.
Another file carrying.
And then— him.
Everything stopped.
He was tall.
Dark hair.
Blue eyes.
Black suit.
No tie.
Beautiful.
But that wasn’t what made my heart stop.
No.
It was the way he looked at me.
As if he knew me.
As if he had spent years searching for me.
As if seeing me hurt him.
He stopped walking.
His entire body became still.
And the colour drained from his face.
Because he looked at me— like he had seen a ghost.
My chest hurt.
Actually hurt.
Why?
I had never met him.
Had I?
The older man began speaking.
Something about investments.
Growth.
Expansion.
I heard none of it.
Because the stranger never looked away.
Not once.
His eyes remained on me.
And somehow—
They looked broken.
Eventually, the older man smiled.
“It is my pleasure to introduce our new CEO.”
The stranger stepped forward.
“My name is Adrian Moreau.”
His voice.
My fingers tightened around my pen.
Because suddenly, my body remembered him.
Not my mind.
My body.
My breathing became uneven.
My chest tightened.
My heart hurt.
Impossible.
Completely impossible.
The meeting continued.
People asked questions.
Adrian answered.
Calm.
Professional.
Controlled.
But every few minutes, his eyes returned to me.
Always me.
As if he couldn’t stop.
As if he didn’t want to.
The meeting finally ended.
People slowly left.
Sophia talked beside me.
I heard nothing.
Because Adrian was walking toward me.
Every step looked difficult.
Painful.
When he finally stopped in front of me, I noticed something.
His hands were shaking.
Very slightly.
But enough.
He looked exhausted.
Heartbroken.
Like someone who had spent years grieving.
He studied my face.
Searching.
Hoping.
Terrified.
And finally— he spoke.
His voice barely reached me.
“You really don’t remember me.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Pain crossed his face.
Real pain.
Not disappointment.
Not anger.
Grief.
Actual grief.
“Should I?”
Silence.
The entire world seemed to disappear.
His eyes searched mine.
Desperately.
And then— he smiled.
The saddest smile I had ever seen.
“No.”
His voice broke.
“No, Elena.”
My chest tightened.
He stepped backwards.
“You shouldn’t.”
I stared at him.
Because for some reason, I suddenly wanted to cry.
Because for some reason, this stranger looked like someone who had lost everything.
And somehow—
I felt like that everything had been me.
Adrian looked at me one final time.
His eyes filled with tears.
And then— he whispered something so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.
“Thank God you’re alive.”
And then he walked away.
Leaving me standing there. Completely frozen.
Because one thought repeated inside my head.
Who are you— and why does it feel like I already broke your heart?
