Chapter 14
My phone rang as I headed for the departure gate.
Adrian’s voice crackled with excitement.
“Riley! I did it! I won Monaco!”
“Congratulations.” I meant it.
The airport announcement echoed through the terminal, betraying my location.
The line went dead silent. When Adrian spoke again, his voice was raw. “You’re at the airport?”
There was no point hiding anymore. “Yes, Adrian. I’m leaving.”
His breathing turned ragged.
“A vacation? Wait for me – we can go together.” His voice cracked.
“The surprise – I have a ring. I was going to propose on the podium, in front of everyone. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”
Once, standing in our tiny kitchen watching Rain burn yet another attempt at breakfast, I’d dreamed of forever.
Growing up without a real family had left me desperate to create my own, and Rain’s gentle chaos felt like home.
He’d talk about our future while trying to salvage burnt toast, making plans for a life neither of us could afford but both of us wanted.
But the man offering me a diamond ring today wasn’t Rain.
Adrian Chase could give me the perfect house, the perfect life, a marriage that would make headlines.
But I’d be marrying a stranger wearing the face of the man I’d loved. A man who’d erased our humble beginnings like they were shameful secrets.
“Adrian, whatever happened between us…” I paused, trying to separate my feelings for these two different men who shared the same body.
“Thank you for those three years with Rain. They were beautiful. But we both know he died in that crash, and I can’t keep pretending you’re him.”
“Riley, please…” Panic crept into his voice. “Tell me where you are. I’ll leave the track right now.”
“Don’t leave me alone.” The last words came as a whisper, thick with tears – more Rain than Adrian Chase.
I ended the call.
15:42
F1 Champion’s Dexte
Chapter 14
Before boarding, I dropped my SIM card in the trash.
I wasn’t worried about him finding me.
His mother had arranged this escape – she’d make sure I disappeared completely.
