Chapter 4: A Promise To Set Her Free

Elena’s POV

I sat in my room, staring at the night sky through the large bay window. Adrian’s threats still rang in my ears, but my thoughts drifted back to Lucas. I hadn’t meant to talk to him. I hadn’t planned to let my guard slip, but I couldn’t help it.

Lucas had been my childhood friend first, before anything else. We had developed feelings for each other over time. Lucas was an orphan at the orphanage where my family used to visit, and we had become the closest of friends. We even went to high school together. On prom night, Lucas confessed his feelings for me, and then he disappeared the next day.

I was so hurt, so affected, that I wouldn’t leave the house. Every day, it felt like a part of me was missing. I searched for him everywhere, but I couldn’t find him.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table, pulling me from my thoughts. I hesitated, then picked it up. It was a message from an unknown number:

[Dinner. Tomorrow night at 7. The address is below. Please come. – Lucas.]

My heart skipped a beat. Sneaking out to meet him wasn’t just risky—it was dangerous. Adrian had warned me against talking to Lucas, but a part of me longed for answers, for the safety I once felt in his presence. I was curious about him—why had he disappeared after confessing his feelings? How had he come into such wealth?

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Lucas’s POV

I’d thought about her every day since I left. She had been my closest friend, my heart’s truest desire. But after everything that happened, I was sure I’d never see her again. Yet here I was, waiting for her to arrive, hoping beyond reason.

The restaurant I’d chosen was quiet, discreet, the kind of place where people could meet in private. The moment I saw her, I stood, unable to hide my emotions. “Elena,” I said, my voice thick with feelings I’d kept locked away for so long.

She slid into the seat across from me, her nerves obvious. “This is risky, Lucas. I shouldn’t be here,” she said softly.

“I know,” I replied, my voice steady. “But we need to talk.”

Her shoulders sagged, and she sighed. “What is it, Lucas? What do you want from me?”

I leaned forward, my blue eyes intense. “I want to help you. I need to know what happened. I’ve heard news about Adrian Hawthorne, and I’m sure he’s not the kind of person you’d marry, so what happened?”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Help me? Lucas, you have no idea what my life has become. I didn’t come here to talk about myself alone. Why don’t you explain why you disappeared without a word?”

“Lena, I…”

She sighed, cutting me off. “Don’t give excuses. Just tell me why you left. I was worried to death. I was hurt and broken. I thought something really bad had happened to you. Everyone was worried about you. I disturbed my parents a lot just to look for you. So, tell me the reason you disappeared after confessing your love to me. After promising me a beautiful life in college together. I couldn’t imagine going to college without you. I had a really hard time.”

“Lena, I’m truly sorry. A woman showed up that night. I promised I’d stay with you, but seeing her made me lose my mind for a while. She told me that she was my father’s second wife. She told me all I needed to know about my roots. After my mother died during childbirth, my dad almost went crazy. He was angry at me for surviving and killing his wife, so he dropped me at the orphanage and married another woman after some years.”

Elena paused, hearing my story. She felt bad for getting mad at me. I could read her expression. “I didn’t know…” she said looking apologetically.

“Still, I was wrong for leaving without telling you. I traveled with her to see my father. He was sick, and he wanted to see me. He apologized for leaving me all alone. I heard he’d been sponsoring the orphanage I grew up in too. I lived there with my family and helped with his business. I came back here after his death.”

“I’m so sorry about that. I’m happy you found your real family. I was thoughtless…” Elena said, looking better now.

“No, you were right to get angry at me. Just like the Elena I knew. Now, it’s your turn. Tell me,” I  pressed. “Tell me why you’re with Adrian Hawthorne.”

She hesitated.  Maybe the weight of her secrets pressed down on her. “I’m married to him because I had no choice. She said, avoiding my gaze. “My father embezzled a lot of money from a joint venture with the Hawthornes. Victor came to my house and told me my father had run off, leaving us with nothing. Victor Hawthorne offered to settle the debt in exchange for… this. A marriage with his son.” She added. 

My jaw tightened. “That bastard. Your families are close. Why did you do that? Also, do you really believe that your father could embezzle money and go off the grid? Uncle Charles was loved by all, and he used to give a lot to the orphanage. Why would he embezzle money and leave you? You’re the one he loves most.”

“Does it matter now? If I believe it or not, it doesn’t matter,” she said quietly. “It’s my reality now. He’s nowhere to be found, and I’m left with debt and bound to someone I don’t even love.”

“It does matter,” I insisted. “You don’t deserve this. I’m going to get you out of it. I’m going to look for your dad with all the resources I have and make sure this gets cleared.”

She shook my head. “You can’t, Lucas. I signed a contract with the Hawthornes. I can’t leave unless I pay off all the debt. I don’t have that means.”

I  froze. “A contract marriage?”

She nodded, her voice trembling. “It’s ironclad. Victor made sure of that.”

I clenched my fists on the table and took out my frustration on the building. “I’ll fight them. I’ll pay off the debt, hire the best lawyers—whatever it takes. First, send me the contract. I’ll have my legal advisor take a look at it.”

She pulled out her phone and sent it to me immediately. I passed it along to my legal advisor without delay.

After a while, I checked my phone. My stomach sank as I slammed my hands on the table.

“What’s wrong, Lucas?” Elena asked, her worry evident.

“This is going to be harder than I thought,” I said, my voice tight. “Victor added a hidden clause. My legal advisor just discovered it. You can’t leave the marriage unless Adrian agrees to let you go. I’m sorry, but I’ll fix this. I promise.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “You can’t fix this, Lucas. I’m trapped.”

“Listen to me,” I  said, my voice firm. “I promise you, I’ll find a way. You don’t have to stay with him.”

The intensity in my gaze made her avoid my eyes. “Why, Lucas? Why are you doing this?” She asked, almost sobbing.

My expression softened, vulnerability slipping through my mask. “Because I should have been there for you. I should never have left.”

Before Elena could respond, her phone buzzed. Adrian. She frowned as she silenced the call, her hands trembling.

“I have to go,” she whispered, standing abruptly.

I rose with her, concern in my eyes. “Elena—”

“Don’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Please, don’t make this harder than it already is.”

She turned and walked away, into the night. My own heart sank. All her hope seemed to vanish into thin air, but I promised myself, I would go to the ends of earth to get her out of that contract marriage.