Chapter 41

The remnants of their uneasy dinner lingered in the air as Adrian and Jane sat in silence, a fragile truce forged between them. Just as Adrian began to revel in the delusion of a newfound understanding, the discordant melody of a message notification pierced the silence, causing Jane's heart to skip a beat.

She reached for her phone, her fingers trembling as she glanced at the screen. The name that appeared, Ryan, sent a jolt of both nervousness and anxiety coursing through her veins. A message glowed on the screen.

" Are you on the way?"

Jane gulped remembering she needed to attend his birthday party. That's what he told her aunt before leaving.

Adrian's curiosity piqued when he saw her deeply invested in her phone.

"Who is it ?" he asked, his tone laced with a mix of suspicion and desire for control.

Jane's throat tightened, her mind racing to find a plausible explanation. She gulped nervously, her voice strained,

"It's from home. I need to go immediately."

The words left her mo