Time Fractured Under Weightless Truths by Kael Drift 2

Adrian Cole climbed the stairs slowly, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. When he reached the small room at the end…which was barely larger than a closet, with a narrow bed and a single window…he sat down on the edge of the thin mattress.

 

He pulled out his phone again. His fingers moved quickly across the screen, pulling up his contact list.

 

“Marcus , it’s me,” he said when the call connected. “You’ve all done a great job—everyone’s year-end bonus will be doubled. As for the officials who helped process the IPO… make sure they’re taken care of. Give them generous bonuses, gifts, whatever’s appropriate. Don’t let anyone think we’re ungrateful.”

 

“Of course, sir. I’ll handle it personally.”

 

“And one more thing.” Adrian Cole paused, staring at the wall. “I want you to start the transfer paperwork for SunCore Publishing. Put everything under Victoria’s name. All of it.”

 

Marcus hesitated. “SunCore? Sir, are you for real? That was the very first company you built with your own hands—it means everything to you. You’re really going through with this?”

 

“I’m certain. She finally achieved the dream she’s been chasing all these years. As her partner, I’m willing to support her—one company doesn’t mean that much. Just make it happen, Marcus .”

 

“Understood. I’ll have the documents ready by next week.”

 

Adrian Cole hung up and felt something like relief wash over him. Maybe this would show her. Maybe she’d finally see how much he believed in her, how much he’d always believed in her.

 

And tonight he will finally be able to tell her about his true identity. There will be no more secrets between them.

 

He checked his watch. Six-thirty. If he hurried, he could still make something special.

 

……

 

Two hours later, the dining room looked different.

 

Adrian Cole had pulled out the good china…the set Mrs Stone   only used for important guests. Candles flickered on the table, casting soft shadows across the white tablecloth. He’d cooked everything himself: pasta and roasted chicken the way Victoria liked it, and also fish with chips and ketchup.

 

The house was quiet. Mrs Stone   had left an hour ago with her friends, they said something about an emergency meeting at someone’s salon. Adrian Cole didn’t care. For once, he was grateful for her absence.

 

He set the last dish down and stepped back to look at everything. It was perfect.

 

He pulled out his phone and called Victoria.

 

The phone rang. And rang. And rang. Then it went to voicemail.

 

He frowned and tried again.

 

Still nothing.

 

On the third attempt, he paced across the kitchen, listening to the endless ringing. Pick up, he thought. Please just pick up.

 

On the fourth call, someone answered.

 

“Hello?” A man’s voice. It sounded deep and amused.

 

Adrian Cole stopped mid-step. “Who… who is this?”

 

“Who’s this?” the man shot back, laughing. Then, away from the phone: “Victoria! There is a man calling for you.”

 

Again?

 

Adrian Cole’s hand tightened around the phone. “This is Victoria’s number. Why are you…”

 

“Adrian Cole.” Victoria’s voice came through, sharp and irritated. “What do you want?”

 

His chest loosened slightly at the sound of her voice, but something felt wrong. “I’ve been trying to reach you. I wanted to…”

 

“I’m working,” she interrupted. “Do you understand what that means? I don’t have time for this right now.”

 

“I know, I know you’re busy. I just…” He took a breath, tried to steady himself. “I prepared dinner for us. Your mother’s out for the evening, so it’s just the two of us. I thought we could celebrate together. When will you be home?”

 

There was a pause. He could hear voices in the background, music, and laughter.

 

“I can’t come home tonight,” she said flatly. “There’s a celebration banquet for the company. I have to be there. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

 

“Victoria, wait…”

 

The line went dead.

 

Adrian Cole stood there in the kitchen, phone still pressed to his ear, listening to the silence. Around him, the candles continued to flicker. The food was getting cold.

 

He set the phone down on the counter and just stood there, staring at all of it. The fancy dishes. The effort. The stupid hope he’d let himself feel.

 

His phone buzzed.

 

A message. From an unknown number.

 

He opened it without thinking.

 

It was a video.

 

The screen showed a crowded room…elegant, expensive-looking, full of people in suits and cocktail dresses. And there, in the center of it all, was Victoria.

 

She was laughing, her head tilted back, her hand resting on a man’s chest tangled in a passionate kiss. It was the same man from the press conference photo. Vincent .

 

Adrian Cole’s stomach dropped.

 

The video continued. Vincent pulled something from his pocket…a small box. The crowd around them started cheering, phones out, recording everything. He opened the box, revealing a ring that caught the light like a tiny star.

 

“Victoria,” Vincent’s voice came through clearly, confident and smooth, “will you marry me?”

 

The room erupted.

 

And Victoria…his wife, his Victoria…smiled. Not the polite smile she gave to business partners or the tired smile she gave him when she came home late. This was different. It was genuine and radiant.

 

“Yes,” she said.

 

Vincent slid the ring onto her finger, then pulled her close and kissed her again. The crowd cheered louder, champagne glasses clinking, people shouting congratulations.

 

The video ended.

 

Adrian Cole’s hands were shaking. How was this even possible? The woman he’d loved for three years—the wife he’d given up an entire business empire for, the one he’d shrunk his world down to this tiny apartment for, cooking and building a life with her—how could she agree to marry someone else?

 

This couldn’t be real. It had to be some kind of mistake, some misunderstanding. Maybe it was just a publicity stunt. It had to be—nothing else made sense.

 

He grabbed the phone again and called her number.

 

The number you have dialed is currently switched off.

 

He tried again.

 

The number you have dialed is currently switched off.

 

And again.

 

The number you have dialed…

 

He threw the phone down.

 

For a long moment, he just stood there in the flickering candlelight, surrounded by the meal he’d spent hours preparing, trying to breathe through the crushing weight in his chest.

 

………-

 

Across the city, in a hotel suite with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the skyline, Victoria lay tangled in silk sheets.

 

Vincent traced a finger along her shoulder, his touch lazy and possessive. “You accepted the ring,” he murmured against her neck, “but you’re not wearing it.”

 

Victoria’s eyes were half-closed, her breathing still uneven. “It’s not appropriate yet.”

 

“Not appropriate?” He propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at her with that slight smile. “We’re engaged now. What’s inappropriate about wearing your engagement ring?”

 

“I’m still married, Vincent.” She reached for the ring box on the nightstand, opening it to admire the diamond that caught the city lights. “But not for much longer. I’m giving him the papers tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow?” His smile widened. “Finally.”

 

“The IPO is done. I don’t need to keep up appearances anymore.” She snapped the box closed with a satisfied click. “Three years of playing the dutiful wife was more than enough.”

 

Vincent laughed, pulling her back against him. “And here I thought you were getting sentimental.”

 

“Sentimental?” Victoria’s laugh was cold. “About Adrian? He’s been useful, I’ll give him that. Cooking, cleaning, keeping my mother entertained. But let’s be honest…I outgrew him the moment my company took off.” Victoria smiled, completely unbothered.  “You helped make my IPO possible. You’re powerful, successful, connected. That’s what I need. Not some house husband who thinks moping floors is a career.”

 

“After everything I did for you,” Vincent murmured, his fingers tracing her collarbone, “I certainly deserve more than pretty words.”

 

“You’ll get everything you deserve,” Victoria said, her smile razor-sharp. “Once I’m officially free.”

 

“What if he refuses?”

 

Victoria’s laugh was dismissive. “He won’t. He’s too pathetic to fight back. He’ll sign them, cry about it, and disappear. Just like he’s done with everything else in his miserable life.”

 

She settled back into Vincent’s arms, feeling nothing but satisfaction.

 

Tomorrow, she’ll end it.

 

And she wouldn’t waste a single moment feeling guilty about it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​