Still Married

**ELENA'S POV**

‘He found me! Shit! Fuck!’ I screamed internally.

I knew I should move or do something to get away but it felt like I was frozen solid. 

I didn't even notice when Fotis stepped close to me until I heard his low voice lowly near my ear as he walked to block Alessandro at the door.

“Back door. Now.”

That was all it took for my legs to unlock themselves and I barely nodded in response. I grabbed a few loaves of bread as I walked around the counter and through the beaded curtain into his hallway, then past the storage room till I got to the door which I pushed open and slipped out into the alley.

‘Don’t look back. Just breathe and move.’

I could only chant to myself repeatedly as I wove through narrow back paths I now knew by heart, shortcuts between old houses and herb gardens, paths I walked with Rio, Aria and Elle on slow mornings.

Now they felt like lifelines.

Somewhere behind, I could hear footsteps echoing on the main street as a voice barked my name.

Alessandro.

I didn’t need to hear it twice to be told that I needed to move faster.

The hillside path was steep, but I climbed it faster than ever, slipping behind thorny bushes and weather-beaten olive trees.

When the stone tower came into view, I shoved open the wooden gate so hard it bounced back against the wall. Quickly locking it behind me, I ran indoors as fast as I could.

“Aria!” I gasped. “They’re here!”

Inside, Aria was feeding the kids at the kitchen table. She turned fast with narrowed eyes.

“What? Who?”

“Alessandro. He’s in Kastrina. I saw him—he saw me—Fotis tried to cover—there were other men—”

Aria was already moving, shoving the kids’ plates aside, grabbing her phone, her keys. Her face had gone pale as I was, but her voice was steel.

“Where exactly did you leave him?”

“Bakery. Maybe a minute behind—he has his men, Aria. At least two others. They’re not just here by chance.”

“Then, they came for us.”

The kids stared, wide-eyed at us as we spoke.

I dropped to my knees beside them, and brushed Rio's hair back, kissing his forehead.

“We’re okay, baby. Mama’s here.”

Aria crouched to Elle's side, her voice breaking only slightly. “Listen, we’re going to play a hiding game, okay? Remember the secret room?”

She nodded, and ran with Rio to grab their toy bags upstairs like we had practiced before.

Aria's eyes flashed with anger. “What do we do?”

“What we've always done. We run. Or we burn it all down. But we’re not going back to them.” I shot back.

If there was one thing I knew, I wasn't the same doll from four years ago. I won't back down ever. We had kids to protect.

Aria and I quickly grabbed our emergency bags, laptops and the kids and made our way quickly to the secret room, hidden behind the wine cellar in the basement.

Once we got the kids settled in, we took turns in going to shower and getting dressed for the move.

“Everything ready?” Aria asked, to which I nodded.

We heard the kids giggle and we turned towards them. They sat cross-legged on a folded blanket behind the shelf Aria had pulled aside, whispering about a game that involved dragons and whispered passwords. They didn't understand, not fully. And thank God for that.

“I'm going to check the cove so we can leave the moment the kids are asleep.” I told her and she nodded.

I walked to the tunnel and pushed the shelf back into place. The hidden wall clicked shut behind me, plunging the tunnel into darkness.

I fumbled briefly for the flashlight hidden in the hollow of the brick, and when the beam flicked on, the narrow passage stretched out before me—stone walls pressing in on either side, the ceiling low, the floor uneven with ancient foot-worn rock.

‘It was just last month I came down here. Now, it feels like I'm walking inside my own coffin.’

The air grew damper the farther I walked, and I could smell salt and the faintest whisper of seaweed.

‘That’s a good sign. The beach is just ahead.’

I kept up with my internal monologue as my stomach tightened at the memory of Alessandro’s eyes locking on mine, as sharper and colder than ever.

He’d found me. Somehow.

That meant all the time we’d bought was burning away fast.

The tunnel opened suddenly into a small cavern, the ceiling splitting wider. A sliver of gray light trickled from the far end, where the exit stood: a jagged stone mouth hidden behind tall reeds and a collapsed olive press above.

I crouched low and pushed through only for the salt air to hit me like a slap.

I straightened slowly, scanning the beach as the sun dipped lower over the sea, casting the cove in long shadows.

I moved quickly toward the small blue boat, half-buried in sea grass and sand just like we’d left it. After confirming everything we needed, I turned to go back, only to freeze.

Far in the distance, on the far end of the cove, a motionless figure stood on the rocks, staring out at the sea.

The figure was a bit too far for me to identify who it was, but it was close enough to send dread up my spine.

If it were Alessandro, it can only mean that he's watching the water for signs of me.

We had to get out of here quickly.

~~~

I walked back to the secret room, trying to keep my head together. As soon as the cellar door creaked open, Aria’s head snapped up towards me. She stood immediately, crossing the room in two strides.

“Did you make it?” she whispered.

I nodded breathlessly. “Yes—but there’s a problem.”

Aria’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of problem?”

“There was someone on the far end of the cove. A man. Watching the beach. He didn’t move, but—he was too still. It wasn’t a fisherman. It felt like… him.”

Aria’s mouth tightened into a hard line. “They’re already there.”

I nodded. “It’s only a matter of time before they start to search the beach.”

Aria’s gaze darted to the children, now curled together on the blanket, whispering about whether dragons could survive underwater. Her voice dropped to a near hiss.

“Then we don’t wait. We go now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not risking the kids being cornered in a stone basement like rats.”

Without another word, we moved. Aria grabbed our go-bags from the shelf along with some cash, and Elle’s spare inhaler.

The children had already fallen asleep and it broke my heart to wake them but I had to. After they were bundled into their cloaks, Aria I spoke to them.

“We’re going on an adventure,” she whispered. “Like the stories, remember?”

“Okay.” Elle responded but Rio just nodded sleepily.

Minutes later, we were brushing salt and sand from our faces as we moved down the winding slope that led to the cove.

I held Rio's hand tightly as Aria walked just behind, Elle in one arm, and her go-bag slung across her shoulder.

“We’re almost there,” Aria murmured. “Keep low.”

I felt a bit relieved as we neared the boat but Rio pulled on my arm.

“Mama… who are those men?”

I froze.

Two silhouettes emerged from the reeds beside the boat. One held a flashlight, sweeping it over the hull. The other—

“No.” I whispered in horror.

The second man turned, and the light hit his face.

Alessandro.

I tried to back up only to snap a twig which caused Alessandro’s head to whip in my direction.

“Elena.”

The word cracked across the beach like a whip.

Aria cursed under her breath. “Run.”

But it was too late.

From behind, two more men appeared—blocking the path we’d just come down.

I pulled Rio behind me as did Aria as we both faced the direction of the men surrounding us, keeping our kids in the middle.

Alessandro stepped closer to us. As he did, he raised his hands as though he was surrendering.

“I just want to talk. That’s allowed, isn’t it? After all… we’re still married.”