Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Whispers of the Past

POV: Fernando Reyes

The night air was thick with tension as Fernando drove his family home from the Carter estate. The city lights blurred past the car window, but his mind was elsewhere—trapped in memories he wished he could forget.

Seeing William Carter again had been a mistake.

He had known it the moment he stepped into that mansion, the moment he locked eyes with the man who had once been his closest friend.

But the past had a way of refusing to stay buried.

“Elena,” he said, breaking the silence. “We shouldn’t have gone.”

His wife let out a tired sigh. “What were we supposed to do? Decline the invitation? That would’ve made things worse.”

Fernando tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Maybe worse would’ve been better.”

Evelyne, who had been quiet the entire ride, suddenly spoke. “Why do you hate them so much?”

The question was sharp. Direct.

Fernando’s stomach twisted.

He glanced at his daughter through the rearview mirror. She looked so much like her mother—soft features, warm brown eyes—but there was a fire in her gaze that was all her own.

She was smart. Too smart.

And sooner or later, she would find out the truth.

But not yet.

Not now.

Fernando exhaled slowly. “It’s not about hate, Evelyne. It’s about knowing when a person isn’t who they pretend to be.”

His daughter frowned but said nothing more.

Silence fell once again, but in his heart, Fernando knew—this was only the beginning.

---

POV: Adrian Carter

Adrian stood by the balcony of his room, staring at the cityscape below.

The Reyes family had just left.

And yet, he could still feel their presence lingering in the house.

Or maybe it was just her.

Evelyne Reyes.

He hadn’t expected her to be so… sharp.

When he had imagined meeting the daughter of Fernando Reyes, he had pictured a timid, quiet girl, the kind who had grown up sheltered. Instead, Evelyne had met his gaze with an intensity that had caught him off guard.

She was different.

And that made things dangerous.

Because if there was one thing Adrian had learned over the years, it was that people like Evelyne asked too many questions.

And some questions…

Were better left unanswered.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.

“Come in,” he said without turning around.

The door opened, and his father stepped in.

“You were quiet tonight,” William Carter remarked, his tone casual—but Adrian knew better than to trust his father’s casualness.

Adrian didn’t respond.

Instead, he leaned against the balcony railing, waiting.

William stepped closer. “What do you think of the Reyes girl?”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Why does it matter?”

His father chuckled, but there was no real humor in it.

“Because,” he said smoothly, “our families were once close. And who knows? Maybe they can be close again.”

Adrian turned to face his father then, searching his expression for the real meaning behind those words.

But William Carter was a master at keeping secrets.

So Adrian simply nodded.

Because if there was one thing he had learned growing up in this house, it was this—never let your father know what you’re really thinking.

And right now?

He was thinking that Evelyne Reyes was going to be a problem.

---

POV: Evelyne Reyes

Lying in bed that night, Evelyne couldn’t sleep.

The dinner replayed in her mind—the tension in the air, the unspoken words between their fathers, the sharp look in Adrian’s eyes.

Something wasn’t right.

Her family had told her bits and pieces about the past, but there were gaps in the story, pieces that didn’t fit.

Why had their families really stopped talking?

Why did her father seem so afraid of the Carters?

And why did Adrian look at her like he already knew something she didn’t?

Frustration burned in her chest.

She hated not knowing.

But one thing was certain—she was going to find out.

Even if it meant uncovering things no one wanted her to know.