Chapter 6: The Desperate Man

Adrian was unraveling faster than I expected.
By the end of the second week, his company had placed him on indefinite leave. The ethics investigation into his conduct was expanding, and several employees had come forward with complaints about his behavior toward female staff. His once-spotless reputation was cracking in real time.
He tried everything to reach me.
He sent flowers to my apartment with long, handwritten letters begging me to “talk things through.” He showed up at my nonprofit’s office twice, only to be turned away by security. He even tried contacting my parents, telling them I was “having a breakdown” and needed help.
My mother called me, confused and worried.
“Evelyn, Adrian says you’re not well. He’s very concerned about you. Maybe you should talk to him?”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Mom, Adrian got his housekeeper pregnant and tried to force her to have an abortion. I have video proof. That’s why I canceled the wedding.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Then my mother said quietly, “I see.”
She didn’t defend him after that.
Adrian’s parents were a different story. His mother called me repeatedly, leaving voicemails that ranged from pleading to furious. She accused me of destroying her son’s life over “a misunderstanding.” I stopped listening after the third message.
Meanwhile, Adrian’s lawyer reached out to Priya, offering a settlement if I agreed to delete the recording and stop cooperating with the ethics board.
Priya laughed when she told me.
“They’re terrified,” she said. “The merger is hanging by a thread. If the ethics board finds Adrian in violation, the entire deal could collapse. His company is already looking for ways to distance themselves from him.”
I nodded.
“Good. Let them be terrified.”
That evening, Adrian sent me one final message from a new number.
Adrian: You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Watching me lose everything. You were always jealous of my success. This is your revenge.
I stared at the message for a long time.
Then I replied with only four words.
Evelyn: You did this to yourself.
I blocked the number.
May you like
Adrian Cole was finally learning what it felt like to have no control.
And I wasn’t even close to finished.