Title: “Tangled Fates: His Sinful Promise”

Chapter 4: The Secret Room

The storm didn’t stop until dawn.

When Lia finally fell asleep, it wasn’t because she felt safe — but because exhaustion had won over fear.

When she woke, the rain had washed the world clean, leaving a fragile kind of calm hanging over the mansion. Adrian was nowhere to be seen. The servants avoided her gaze as usual, speaking in careful, clipped tones.

But her mind refused to rest.

That voice she’d heard last night — the way he said “I won’t lose again.”

Who had he already lost?

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By afternoon, Lia wandered the hallways, pretending to be lost, though every step was a quiet rebellion. The west wing called to her again — a place she’d been warned to avoid.

When she reached it, she paused at the tall wooden doors. One was locked, but the other stood slightly ajar.

She slipped inside.

The air was colder here. Dust floated like whispers in the sunlight. Old portraits lined the walls — faces of the Black family, their expressions distant and proud.

But at the far end of the room stood a single framed photograph, half-hidden behind a torn curtain. Lia pulled it free, brushing away the dust.

It was Adrian… younger, smiling, his arm around a man who looked like his father.

Beside them stood another man — her father.

Her breath hitched.

What is this?

On the back, faint writing:

> “Black Corporation — Fire Safety Partnership, Year 2013.”

A partnership.

Not enemies.

She stumbled backward, her heart pounding. If their fathers worked together… then everything Adrian believed about that night might be wrong.

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“Curiosity suits you,” came a voice behind her.

Lia froze.

Adrian stood in the doorway, sleeves rolled up, eyes unreadable.

“How long have you been watching me?” she demanded, clutching the photo.

“Long enough,” he said, walking closer. “You don’t listen well, Mrs. Black.”

“You lied to me.”

His jaw tightened. “About what?”

“About our fathers. They weren’t enemies, Adrian. They were partners. I saw it in the photo—”

He snatched the frame from her hand, his eyes darkening. “You shouldn’t have seen this.”

“Why? Because it doesn’t fit your revenge story?” she shot back, her voice trembling. “Because it proves your hate is built on a lie?”

Something in his expression cracked — just for a second.

Then he laughed, low and bitter. “You think one photo changes twelve years of truth?”

“No. But maybe it changes what you’ve become.”

Silence.

Only the rain outside dared to speak.

Adrian’s hand curled around the photo until the glass cracked. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then tell me,” Lia whispered. “Tell me what happened.”

For the first time, he looked… unsure. His mask slipped, and behind it, she saw not anger — but pain.

He turned away. “Leave, Lia.”

“Adrian—”

“Leave!” His voice thundered through the hall. The sound of the frame shattering followed, shards of glass scattering across the floor like pieces of a broken memory.

Lia flinched, then ran — her heartbeat echoing in the corridors, matching the rain that began again outside.

Behind her, Adrian sank to the floor, the torn photo in his hand.

Her father’s smile haunted him.

And for the first time since the fire, he wasn’t sure who the real villain was.

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💔 End of Chapter 4

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💬 Author’s Note:

The truth is beginning to crack through the lies.

Lia’s courage is waking the ghosts Adrian tried to bury — and one of them is about to reveal the real secret behind the fire.

⚠️ Warning: The next chapter will uncover emotional trauma and obsession — read with care 💔

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