Chapter 219.

The room had gone quiet.

There were too many things sitting between them now.

Dante was alive. Her father had lied about his death.

Adrian had known.

Ethan had been working for Dante. And somewhere inside all of that was a history Emilia had never known existed.

She sat on Adrian’s couch with her legs tucked beneath her, staring at the thick folder resting on the coffee table.

Adrian sat beside her.

He had spent the last several minutes saying very little. Not because there was nothing to say, but because there was too much.

He reached forward and opened the folder again.

Emilia’s eyes dropped to the papers.

She rubbed her palms together. "There’s more?"

Adrian glanced at her. "Yes."

She let out a small breath. "I don’t know if I can take any more."

"We should stop then."

Emilia sighed softly. "But I need to know."

Adrian studied her face. "You’re sure?"

Emilia nodded. "I spent my whole life thinking my father was dead." Her voice was quiet.

"Then I found out he’s alive. Then I found out you knew. Then I found out he was connected to Blackwood."

She swallowed. "I need to know what happened."

Adrian didn’t argue.

He picked up another photograph. The edges were slightly worn. He turned it around and placed it in her hands.

Emilia stared at it.

Two men stood beside a black car.

One was younger than she remembered her father being in the photographs from her childhood.

The other man stood beside him.

Emilia’s eyes moved between the two faces.

"This..."

Adrian nodded. "This was your dad." He pointed at the man on the left. "And my adopted dad."

His finger moved to the other man. "Fifteen years ago."

Emilia stared at the photograph.

They stood outside what appeared to be a hotel or office building, dressed in expensive suits.

There was something unsettling about seeing them together. Her father had always existed in her mind in fragments.

A photograph on an old shelf, and a voice she remembered from childhood.

Emilia’s fingers tightened around the photograph. "Where was this taken?"

"London."

She looked at him. "Why were they there?"

Adrian leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees. "They were meeting about a company your father was using at the time."

"What company?"

"Belmont Holdings."

Emilia’s eyebrows pulled together. "Your dad company?"

Adrian nodded.

Her eyes dropped back to the photograph. "Your father knew?"

"No." Adrian shook his bead softly. "They simply knew each other."

"How well?"

"Well enough to trust each other with money."

Emilia swallowed.

Adrian picked up another document. "This is the incorporation record for one of the shell companies."

He handed it to her.

She looked down.

The name was unfamiliar. She scanned the document, and then she stopped.

Her eyes moved back up. "What is this?"

Adrian pointed to a section near the bottom. "Partners."

Emilia read the names. Her father’s name was there. Then another name, and more. Her breath caught when she saw a particular name.

She stared at the page. "Adrian?"

Adrian said nothing.

She read it again. Her mother’s name.

Selena Andrea Hayes.

Emilia’s lips parted. "My mum?" She sharply turned to Adrian. "My mum was a partner?"

"On paper."

Emilia shook her head immediately.

"Emilia—"

"No." She pushed the paper away. "My mother didn’t do this."

Her voice rose. "My mother would never—"

"She did not." Adrian’s voice remained calm. "I know she didn’t knowingly do it."

Emilia stared at him. "Then why is her name there?"

"Your father used it."

"How?"

"I don’t know yet."

She looked down again.

Adrian continued. "But I know enough to tell you that your mother wasn’t moving the money herself."

Emilia’s fingers trembled slightly.

Adrian noticed. He reached over and gently covered her hand.

"The transactions were what made me realize something was wrong."

She looked at him.

"I found your mother’s name while tracing the transfers."

Adrian hesitated.

"Large enough that if the authorities had found the records before I did, they wouldn’t have assumed she was innocent."

Emilia’s face went still.

Adrian’s thumb moved slowly over the back of her hand. "They would have investigated her and they could have charged her."

The words landed heavily.

Emilia stared at him. Her lower lip trembled. "For what?"

"Money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy. Depending on what they believed she knew."

Her lips parted. "My mother could have gone to prison?"

"If the evidence had been found without the context I uncovered?" Adrian nodded. "Yes."

Emilia looked away.

Her eyes moved around the room. She seemed to be searching for something stable.

"My mum..." She whispered the words. "She didn’t know."

"It’s fine now, Sweetheart. I found the transactions first," he continued. "And because I found them, I had time to follow the trail instead of looking at one document and deciding what it meant."

He reached for another file, and placed the file in front of her.

Emilia stared at the document. A small, exhausted laugh escaped her.

"I thought finding out my father was alive was the worst thing that could happen."

Adrian’s expression softened.

"And now you’re telling me my mother could have gone to prison for something she didn’t even know she was involved in."

She picked up another document. This one contained a list of transactions. She stared at the numbers. "Why would my father do this?"

"That’s enough for tonight, Emilia."

Emilia lowered the paper. She understood. She didn’t need him to explain every detail. There were some things she could feel without being told.

Her father had hurt Adrian’s family. And yet Adrian had fallen in love with her? The thought made her stomach twist.

"Adrian."

He looked at her. "How are you really in love with me?"

His face changed.

Emilia continued. "I keep thinking about it."

She shook her head.

"My father did all of this. Your family was affected by him. You spent months investigating him. You came into my life."

Her eyes glistened.

"And somehow..." She gave a small, broken laugh. "You still love me. How is that true?"

Adrian moved closer. "Emilia."

"How?"

He looked directly into her eyes. "You are not your father."

She swallowed.

"You are not your father, Emilia." His voice was quiet. "You never were."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

Adrian wiped it away with his thumb. "I didn’t fall in love with your last name."

Another tear followed.

"I didn’t fall in love with your family." His hand remained against her cheek. "I fell in love with you. I still am."

Emilia closed her eyes. "I don’t know how to separate myself from him anymore."

"You don’t have to."

She opened her eyes.

"You don’t have to carry his sins just because you carry his blood."

Her lips trembled. "I wish I could believe that."

"You can."

"How?"

"Start with me."

She stared at him.

Adrian leaned closer. "I know who you are." His forehead rested against hers. "I’ve watched you when nobody was looking."

Her breath caught.

His fingers moved gently through her hair. "For starters, your hair is so pretty."

A tiny smile appeared on Emilia’s lips.

"I’ve seen you fight with me."

She laughed through her tears. "That’s not exactly a good quality."

"It is when you’re fighting me."

She rolled her eyes.

Adrian smiled. His expression softened again. "I know you, Sweetheart."

Emilia stared at him.

"And I love you."

The words settled between them.

Emilia reached for him. Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt.

Adrian looked down at her hand. Then back at her face.

Emilia tiptoed, and kissed him.

Adrian responded immediately, one hand settling against her cheek while the other rested at her waist.

Emilia leaned closer.

The kiss deepened, but remained tender. There was no urgency in it. Only reassurance.

Emilia’s hand slipped beneath his shirt. Adrian smiled in the kiss, and softly pulled away. Emilia returned the smile, and kept her forehead against his.

"I love you."