Rain fell as they left the mansion on Friday afternoon.
Elise stood beneath the canopy, waiting for the driver to bring the car around. She only intended to go to the Laurent Design studio to check on the design changes. But Adrian was heading to the same office, so they were forced to share the ride.
“You don’t need to come with me,” Elise said.
“I’m not coming with you.”
“You’re heading to my office.”
“I’m heading to my office.”
“It’s the same building.”
“Because Blackwood owns the building.”
Elise looked at him. “You’re truly insufferable.”
“I hear that often.”
The car stopped. Adrian got out first, but he didn’t go inside right away. He walked around to the other side, opened the black umbrella stored in the trunk, and held it over Elise’s head.
Elise froze.
The umbrella was old. Its fabric wasn’t truly black anymore, but dark gray from age. One of its ribs curved outward, making the left side hang lower than the right.
It was the umbrella from her dream.
Not just the shape. Not just a vague memory. Elise’s body recognized the way it shielded the rain, the sound of its fabric trembling, and the wooden handle pressing against someone’s palm.
Adrian held it in his right hand.
“Why are you silent?”
“Where did you get that umbrella?”
“I’ve had it for a long time.”
“Since when?”
“Since I was young.”
“How long?”
Adrian looked at the rain beyond the umbrella. “Ten years.”
The answer hit harder than it should have.
Elise stepped back, out from beneath the umbrella. Rain immediately soaked her hair and shoulders.
Adrian frowned. “What are you doing?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You’ll get sick.”
“None of your business.”
“As your husband, it is my business.”
“The contract doesn’t give you the right to control my health.”
“The contract doesn’t forbid me from holding an umbrella, either.”
He moved closer and shielded Elise again. His movement was so natural that she almost let him. Almost.
“Did we meet ten years ago?” Elise asked.
Adrian didn’t answer.
“At a station?”
A car passed on the road ahead. The sound of its tires cutting through a puddle swallowed the silence between them.
“Adrian.”
“Get in.”
“Answer me.”
He lowered his gaze to Elise. There was something in his eyes he had never shown her before—fear.
Not fear of Elise’s question.
Fear of the answer that would emerge if he told the truth.
“We have to go,” he said.
Elise reached for the umbrella handle between their hands. “You always do this.”
“Do what?”
“Answer a question by changing the situation.”
“Because some answers won’t help you.”
“You don’t get to decide what helps me.”
Adrian released the umbrella handle.
For a moment, the umbrella was in Elise’s hand. The wooden handle felt warm, as though it had just absorbed someone else’s body heat.
A memory surfaced.
A train platform. Rain. A young man sitting on a cold bench. He held an old umbrella while looking at Elise.
“You can return it tomorrow,” the young man said.
“I don’t know your name.”
“Adrian.”
Elise closed her eyes.
The name echoed in her head like a voice from a distant room.
Adrian touched her elbow. “Elise.”
She opened her eyes.
“What?”
“You went too far.”
“You?”
Adrian fell silent.
Elise realized she had just addressed him with a pronoun she had never used before. Her face grew hot, but not from embarrassment. She was angry at her own body, which apparently recognized this man faster than her mind did.
“Why did you keep that umbrella?”
Adrian took it back.
“Because someone once needed it.”
“Who?”
“A girl.”
“The girl who was standing at the station?”
He looked at Elise.
“Don’t force your memory.”
The sentence silenced Elise.
Adrian had just admitted that the memory was real.
They got into the car without speaking. Throughout the drive, the rain veiled the city behind the windows. Elise sat by the window, staring at the old umbrella Adrian had placed on the floor near his feet.
“Was she crying?” Elise suddenly asked.
Adrian kept his eyes on the road ahead.
“Who?”
“The girl.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because someone left her.”
“Who?”
Adrian tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“The person who was supposed to come.”
Elise studied his profile. “And you waited for her?”
“All night.”
“Why?”
“Because she asked me to.”
“What did she say?”
Adrian looked away for a split second.
“She said, ‘Don’t go.’”
Elise’s heart pounded.
They arrived at the office building. Adrian got out first, carrying the umbrella. This time, Elise didn’t object when he held it over her.
In the lobby, several employees bowed respectfully. They looked curious as the newlywed couple walked side by side.
Before entering the elevator, Elise saw something through the glass door.
Someone was standing across the street, taking pictures of them.
The person was wearing a dark coat and holding a red umbrella.
When Elise blinked, the person was gone.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from the same number as yesterday.
Now you know who he is.
Another message arrived a few seconds later.
Ask him why he let you forget that night.