The Tangled Truth: Between Betrayal and Belief

ch : 4

Adrian pov

I pressed the accelerator to the floor, the engine's roar barely drowning out the cacophony of my thoughts. The speedometer needle was climbing, reckless and unrestrained—much like the turmoil within me. My breaths were shallow, rapid, as if trying to keep pace with the beat of my racing heart. My grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled, a lifeline in the chaos of my mind.

I reached for my phone, Jule's number already on the screen. The call connected, only to be met with the sterile voice of an automated message: "The number you have dialed is currently switched off." A curse escaped my lips, and the phone became a casualty of my frustration, tossed carelessly onto the passenger seat.

"Why can't I see her car?" I muttered to myself. "Why the hell isn't she picking up?"

In a moment of desperation, I dialed Vuk, my right-hand man. The one I trust among the few. The line rang twice before his voice came through, steady and calm. "Hello, boss."

"Vuk," I said, my voice a command, "do what I told you. Find Jule. Trace her location, the location of her car. Alert all our men—she must be kept safe. If anyone gets too close, if they pose a threat, shoot them. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," he replied without hesitation, and the line went dead.

Next, I called Sam. "Boss," he answered promptly.

"Did Jule come to the house?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"No, Mrs. Volkova hasn't been here since morning," Sam reported.

"If she comes, call me," I instructed before ending the call. I doubted she would return home—not after what she had witnessed. I knew Jule; she wouldn't run to familiar places for comfort.

Where could she have gone? I should have stopped her, explained everything. I know I didn't sleep with that woman, but how did she end up in my room? How did I end up there?

I remembered the previous night, the meeting at the hotel with my half-brother Luka. It was business—nothing more. But after that, my memory was a void, a black hole that swallowed the rest of the evening.

This mess, how did it spiral so out of control? I prayed Jule wouldn't make any rash decisions based on a misunderstanding.

I could still feel the sting of her slap—not the physical pain, but the look in her eyes as she did it. The tears she shed, the ones she hates to show, they wounded me more deeply than any blade could. She despises weakness, and yet, in that moment, vulnerability was all I saw.

She has to believe me. I didn't cheat on her. I don't even know that woman. And if she doesn't believe me... No, she has to. I'll make her understand. I didn't betray her. That's the truth. That's all there is to it.

The phone's shrill ring cut through the silence of the car, and I glanced at the caller ID—Hunter. I answered, my voice laced with a mix of urgency and command. "Did that girl say anything, Hunter?"

"No, boss, she didn't. She's just crying and begging for help," he replied, his voice a mixture of frustration and determination.

"I don't care how you do it, Hunter, but get the truth out of her. I need to know what she was doing in my room and how I ended up there. Use whatever methods you need, just get it done," I ordered, the weight of my authority clear in my tone.

"On it, boss," he said, and I ended the call, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.

I looked out the window; the evening was creeping in, casting long shadows across the road. My mind raced with thoughts of Jule—was she safe? The idea of her driving recklessly, possibly even thinking of leaving me over this lie, this misunderstanding... it was unbearable.