3: Trapped With The Enemy

Chapter 3

Lyra's POV

"Could you place your luggage here please," the security lady said, pointing to the conveyor belt with a bored expression.

I quickly lifted my bag onto the scanning machine, watching it disappear into the tunnel. My chest felt heavier with each passing second. I hadn't slept at all last night, tossing and turning as I tried desperately not to think about Nathan. But every time I closed my eyes, I could see his cold face from yesterday morning, and hear his cruel words echoing in my head.

The machine beeped and my bag emerged on the other side.

"Here, you can go ahead," the security officer gestured toward the departure gates.

I reached for my bag, but my mind was somewhere else entirely, lost in memories I was trying so hard to escape.

"Miss?" The lady called again, louder this time.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said quickly, grabbing my bag and hurrying toward the waiting area.

Two years. If I didn't see Nathan or hear about him for two years, maybe I could finally forget about him. Maybe I could move on with my life and stop feeling like my heart was being ripped apart every time I thought about him.

"Could you just stop torturing yourself and go back to him?" Ivy snapped in my head, her voice dripping with irritation.

I ignored her completely and kept walking through the terminal, looking for somewhere quiet to sit and wait for my flight.

My phone started ringing in my pocket. I set my bag down and pulled it out, frowning when I saw Marcus's name on the screen. Why would he be calling me now?

"Marcus" I whispered, staring at his contact.

I almost let it go to voicemail, but something about the timing felt urgent. I swiped to answer.

"Mar—"

"Lyra, where are you?" he cut me off, his voice sounding rushed and stressed.

"I'm at the airport," I replied, confusion creeping into my voice. "What's wrong?"

"Please, meet me outside. I'm here at the airport," he said quickly.

Before I could ask any questions, he hung up on me.

I stared at my phone screen in bewilderment. "Why is he here?" I muttered to myself, grabbing my bag and turning back toward the airport entrance.

I made my way through the crowds of travelers, dragging my suitcase behind me. When I reached the pickup area outside, I looked around for Marcus’s familiar blue sedan but didn't see it anywhere.

"Is he seriously making me wait out here for nothing?" I grumbled, pulling out my phone to call him back.

But before I could dial his number, I spotted a car turning into the pickup lane. My heart stopped when I recognized it. That wasn't Marcus’s car. That was Nathan's black BMW.

My mouth went dry as the car pulled up directly in front of me and stopped. The passenger door opened and Marcus stepped out, but my relief was short-lived when I realized he had gotten out of the passenger seat, not the driver's seat.

My stomach dropped as the driver's door opened and another figure emerged. I swallowed hard, my hand gripping my bag so tightly my knuckles turned white. Nathan climbed out of the car, but he didn't look at me. He didn't even acknowledge my existence as he stood there checking something on his phone.

My eyes were glued to him, taking in his familiar profile, when Marcus tapped my shoulder.

"Why do you look so lost?" he asked, studying my face.

I quickly turned to face my him, trying to find my voice. Whatever he needed to tell me, he should just say it quickly so I could get back inside the airport. I couldn't stand another minute out here with Nathan. My hands were already starting to shake, and I felt like I might collapse.

Instead of explaining, Marcus walked to the back of the car and popped the trunk. He grabbed my suitcase and tossed it inside, then pulled out another bag.

"What are you doing?" I finally managed to ask, watching him in growing panic.

"I'm sorry, Lyra," Marcus said, not meeting my eyes. "I just realized I should be the one going to Canada. I got a call this morning about a work opportunity there, something really urgent. I already had the flight booked with two names"

I blinked at him, feeling like the ground was shifting beneath my feet. My legs started shaking so badly I had to lock my knees to keep standing.

"What?" I whispered, the word barely audible.

"Don't worry, you can stay with Nathan while I'm gone," Marcus continued, speaking faster now like he was trying to get through this before I could object. "I should be back in about three months."

The words hit me like a physical blow. My heart felt like it had fallen straight through my chest and into my stomach. My hands went limp at my sides.

I turned my head toward Nathan automatically, and found his dark eyes staring directly at me. The intensity of his gaze made my insides churn violently.

"This doesn't make sense," I said, turning back to Marcus with desperation clear in my voice.

I had been so close to escaping. So close to putting thousands of miles between myself and Nathan. And now Marcus was telling me I had to stay here? That I had to stay with him?

Did Marcus have any idea how Nathan had treated me? Did he know I was running away from his best friend? Did he realize he was trapping me in the worst possible situation?

"I..." I started to protest, but the words got stuck in my throat like they were too big to come out.

"Why do I have to stay with him?" I finally managed to force out, hating how small and broken my voice sounded. "I can just stay at our house by myself. I'm twenty-two, Marcus, I can take care of myself."

Marcus closed the trunk and walked over to me. Before I could step away, he pulled me into a tight hug and kissed the top of my head.

"I'll call you when I land, okay? Take care of yourself," he said, already backing away toward the airport entrance.

"Marcus, wait—" I called after him, but he was moving too fast, disappearing into the crowd of people going into the terminal.

I stood there frozen, watching my brother abandon me with the last person on earth I wanted to be alone with. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides, and I could feel tears starting to burn behind my eyes.

"If you're done standing there, let's go," Nathan's cold voice came from inside the car.

I turned to see he had already gotten back in the driver's seat and was waiting for me with obvious impatience. His tone was exactly the same as it had been yesterday morning. Distant, emotionless, like I was nothing more than an inconvenience he had to deal with.

My eyes filled with tears as I gripped the hem of my shirt tightly, trying to ground myself. I had been seconds away from escaping all of this. Seconds away from starting fresh somewhereI could use to stop claiming I hate him.

And now I was supposed to live in his house? Sleep under his roof? Pretend like nothing had happened between us?

"I can't do this," I whispered to myself, but Nathan was already starting the engine.

"Get in the car, Lyra," he said without looking at me. "I don't have all day."

My legs felt like they were made of lead as I walked around to the passenger side. Every step felt like I was walking toward my own execution. I opened the door and slid into the seat, keeping my eyes fixed on my lap.

The silence in the car was suffocating. Nathan pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic without saying a word. I could feel the tension radiating from him, could sense his discomfort with this situation almost as much as my own.

"This is temporary," he said suddenly, his voice cutting through the quiet. "Just until your brother gets back. Don't get any ideas about what this means."

His words were like ice water poured over my head. I turned to stare out the passenger window, biting my lip hard to keep from crying.

"I know," I replied quietly.

I felt him glance at me, but I didn't turn to look at him. I couldn't. If I looked at his face right now, I might completely fall apart.

"Good," he said simply. "As long as we understand each other."

The rest of the drive passed in agonizing silence. I watched the familiar streets of our neighborhood go by, each turn taking me further from my chance at escape and closer to what felt like a prison sentence.

When we pulled into Nathan's driveway, I felt physically sick. This was the same house I had left in tears yesterday morning. The same house where he had thrown money at me and called me "some girl."

Nathan parked and got out without waiting for me. I sat in the car for a moment longer, trying to gather the strength to face whatever came next.

"Are you going to sit in there all day?" he called from the front porch, already unlocking his door.

I took a shaky breath and got out of the car. This was my life now, at least for the next three months. I had to find a way to survive it without completely losing myself.

But as I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and followed Nathan toward the house, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking straight into a nightmare I might never wake up from.

"This is going to destroy you," Ivy said quietly in my head, and for once, her brutal honesty didn't annoy me.

Because I was afraid she might be right.

"I'll be here with you," Kael whispered softly, his presence wrapping around me like a protective shield. "We'll get through this together."

I held onto his words as I crossed the threshold into Nathan's house, praying that somehow, I would still be in one piece when Marcus came back to rescue me from this hell.

But deep down, I wasn't sure that was possible. Not when every fiber of my being still responded to Nathan's presence, even after everything he had done to hurt me.

Not when I was still hopelessly, destructively in love with the man I claimed I hated.