Claimed by the Billionaire I Had to Leave

“I said,” Elias repeated, voice hoarse but filled with disgust, “who the hell are you lying to?”Sera stood still, barely breathing. The man in the hospital bed didn’t sound like the one she remembered. His voice was colder, angrier and suspicious. “I’m not lying,” she said quietly. “Your name is Elias Knight. I’m your wife.”He stared at her like she’d just spoken in another language.“No,” he said flatly. “No, that’s not right. I don’t…” His hand twitched against the blanket. “I don’t remember you.”Her chest tightened. Of course he didn’t. It had been a deal. A secret wedding, no one else even knew.Victor stepped forward smoothly, like a lawyer walking into a courtroom.“Elias, listen to me. You were in a plane crash. Your brain suffered trauma. You’ve been unconscious for weeks.”Elias didn’t look at his father. His eyes stayed locked on Sera. Searching her face for answers. Maybe for a memory that wasn’t there.Victor continued, “Sera Moore is your legal wife. You married her t

The hallway outside Elias’s room was silent, but Sera’s heartbeat was anything but. She leaned against the cold wall, closing her eyes. Her legs were trembling, but she didn’t dare sit. If she stopped moving, she might break.Did I ever love you?The question still echoed in her mind. Three years ago, that question had never been part of the deal. They had agreed on silence, distance, and a clean break once the inheritance passed hands.But things hadn’t gone according to plan. Nothing had.And now Elias was back, without his memories, without his cold mask fully in place yet, but just as dangerous to her as ever. Because this version of him might ask questions. This version of him might care enough to notice the truth.And that scared her more than the past ever had.Footsteps echoed down the corridor, breaking her thoughts. A moment later, Victor appeared, dressed in his usual pristine black suit, his silver cufflinks gleaming under the hospital lights. His face was unreadable.“I n

Sera’s PovElias’s question hung in the air heavy, suffocating, impossible to escape.Who is Lily?My heart banged against my ribs so hard I thought he could hear it. His face was too close, too sharp in the low bedroom light. He wasn’t threatening me. He wasn’t even angry. What scared me was that he was focused, too focused. Elias Knight was a man who solved problems for a living. A mind like his didn’t let go once it latched onto something.“I already told you,” I whispered, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Lily is a family friend’s daughter. I help watch her sometimes.”Elias didn’t blink. “You’re lying.”The words weren’t emotional. They were just… facts.I turned away from him, pretending to straighten a pillow on the bed. “You don’t know me well enough to accuse me of that.”But he followed me, slow, deliberate steps that made the room feel smaller.“Maybe I don’t know you,” he said, “but my body knows when someone is hiding something from me.”I swallowed hard. “You need rest,

Sera's Pov The night air outside the mansion felt colder. Elias walked beside me down the hallway with long, determined strides, but I could tell his ribs were hurting. Every now and then, his breath hitched softly. He ignored it. He ignored everything except the truth waiting outside.Harold led us toward the back exit where a few guards stood waiting. They all looked tense, their eyes shifting from me to Elias like they weren’t sure if they should speak in front of us.“Where is it?” Elias asked.“Near the northwest woods, sir,” Harold replied. “We secured the device and the surrounding area.”Elias’s jaw tightened. “Show me.”We walked through the glass doors that opened to the garden. The cold night hit instantly, and the gravel path crunched beneath our feet. It was too quiet. Even the air felt heavy, as if the trees were holding their breath.The world smelled like frost and pine and something metallic, fear, maybe. Or memory. Hard to tell anymore.We followed a winding path to

Sera's Pov I didn’t sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elias’s face when he looked at Lily’s picture. The shock. The anger. And then that moment, brief but terrifying, when something inside him cracked open. I lay awake beside him, listening to his breathing. Slow. Controlled. Too controlled. Like a man holding himself together with sheer force. I kept wondering if I had made the worst mistake of my life… or the only right one left. Morning came quietly. I slipped out of bed before sunrise and stood by the window, watching the mist cling to the trees. The estate looked peaceful, but I knew better now. Someone had been watching us. Someone had seen Lily. My phone buzzed softly in my hand. A message. Mara: She slept through the night. Asked for you this morning. My chest tightened. I typed back quickly. Me: Don’t take her outside. Keep the curtains closed. I’ll come when it’s safe. I stared at the screen for a long moment before slipping the p