Adele in Love "The woman in the crowd"

52|| crazy story

When Paul finally rang the doorbell, both Isy and Adele headed toward it, and Isy opened the door.

"Isabella, my darling!" Paul exclaimed, scooping her up in a tight embrace, lifting her right off the ground.

"Yeah, Paul, I've missed you too, but can you please let go? You're crushing me," Isy laughed, her voice a bit strained. Even Adele couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

Paul finally set Isy down and turned toward Adele. "And you must be Adele. Nice to meet you."

Adele raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "Nice to meet you too."

With a mischievous grin, Paul added, "I hope she hasn't told you too much about me."

Adele glanced at Isy, still smiling, but before she could say anything, Isy shot Paul a sharp look. "Actually, Paul, I haven't told her anything about you because my priorities are a bit more focused on this case rather than rehashing our past."

Adele tilted her head slightly, amused. "I can imagine now."

Paul, sensing an opening, started, "Well, I was her fir—"

Isy immediately cut him off. "Paul, stop. You're a great lawyer and a good friend, and I'm thankful for everything you're doing. But let's leave the past in the past until this whole case is over, okay?"

Paul raised his hands in surrender, laughing nervously. "Right, sorry about that."

Adele, still a bit confused but not overly concerned, simply nodded, sensing there was more history between them than she'd first thought.

The three of them moved to the kitchen and began going over all the details of the case. It was a long, grueling process. For the next four hours, they sifted through documents, evidence, and the haunting photos and videos from Adele's past. Each image was harder than the last, especially for Adele, whose face grew paler as time went on. Even Isy, who tried to remain composed, found it difficult to fully process what they were seeing.

By the time they finished, exhaustion weighed on all three of them, but there was a sense of relief in the air. They had done everything they could, and hope felt within reach.

Adele, still emotionally raw, broke the silence first. "So, now that the serious stuff is over, tell me—what's the story with your past? I'm curious."

Isy rolled her eyes, clearly not in the mood to discuss it. "Adele, I really don't think it's relevant."

Paul, however, couldn't resist chiming in. "Isy and I have known each other for 20 years. I was her first boyfriend, first kiss, first... well, everything."

Isy shot him a sarcastic look. "Go ahead, frame it."

Adele's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you guys were 14?"

Isy nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Yeah, it was a long time ago. We were kids."

Paul leaned back in his chair, grinning. "I remember every detail of that night."

Isy gave him a look that could cut through steel. "Paul, I swear, if you say another word..."

Adele burst out laughing, shaking her head. "This is not how I imagined the night going."

Paul, undeterred by Isy's warning look, leaned forward with a playful glint in his eye. "Come on, Isy, it's a great story! We were so nervous. I remember how your hands were shaking—"

"Paul!" Isy interrupted, her tone sharp but unable to fully hide the hint of embarrassment creeping into her voice. Adele watched with wide eyes, clearly amused by the whole exchange.