Three

Chapter Three

Estell's POV

"Who built a house on my land?"

The moment I heard the voice, I froze.

I slowly turned around, and my eyes widened when I saw the man standing at the entrance.  "Asher?"

I couldn't believe it.

Of all the people I expected to see, Asher was the last person I thought would appear in front of me.

He glanced around the unfinished building before looking at me again. "What are you doing on my land?"

I stared at him, still trying to understand what was happening. "Your land?"

"Yes. My land."

"How is this your land?"

"Because it belongs to me."

I looked around the building before turning back to him. "Please, Asher. I just built this place. I have nowhere else to go."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did I ask you to build anything here?"

I pressed my lips together, unsure of what to say. "I needed somewhere to stay. The explosion destroyed almost everything outside, and I couldn't find anywhere else. I thought this place was abandoned."

"Well, it isn't abandoned. And whoever owns a piece of land owns everything on it."

I lowered my head.

I couldn't believe I was having this conversation after everything I had been through. I had barely survived the explosion, spent hours searching for food and water, and struggled to make the building habitable. Now, the owner had suddenly appeared to tell me I had no right to be there.

"Where am I supposed to go?" I asked quietly.

"That's not my problem."

I looked at him again, and his words reminded me of something.

He had warned me.

Several times, Asher had tried to tell me about Thorne and Audrey, but I refused to listen. I thought he was only trying to create problems because Audrey had ended their relationship.

I remembered how confidently he had told me that my sister and boyfriend were together. I had even argued with him, defending the two people who eventually betrayed me.

"If you had listened to me, you wouldn't have ended up like this," he said.

My eyes immediately filled with tears.

I tried to hold them back, but I couldn't.

He was right.

If I had listened to him, perhaps I wouldn't have trusted Thorne so blindly. Perhaps I wouldn't have ended up outside the Haven, begging the same man who had deceived me to let me in.

I wiped my face, but more tears rolled down my cheeks.

I didn't even know why I was crying in front of him. Maybe it was because I had reached my limit. I was tired, hungry, injured and completely alone.

"Hey..."

I heard his voice change.

He walked closer to me, looking at my face. "Don't cry."

I quickly turned away, trying to clean my tears. "I'm fine."

"You're clearly not fine."

He sighed and moved closer. "I'm not going to throw you out. You can stay here for a while."

I looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Do you want me to change my mind?"

I shook my head immediately. "No. Thank you."

"Come here. Let me see your hands."

I hesitated before stretching them towards him.

He examined my palms, which were still covered with blood. Some of the cuts were deeper than others, and the cloth I had used to cover them was already stained.

"What happened to you?"

"There was an explosion. I was caught in it."

He looked at me for a moment before reaching for a small bag he had brought with him.

He brought out some medical supplies and began cleaning my wounds.

I winced when the antiseptic touched my skin. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A little."

"Then stop moving."

I kept quiet while he treated my injuries. He cleaned the cuts, applied some medicine and carefully wrapped my palms with fresh bandages.

When he finished, I looked down at my hands. "Thank you."

He nodded and packed the remaining supplies.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

I couldn't help wondering how he had survived everything. While I had been struggling to find shelter, he seemed to have access to medical supplies and other useful things.

But before I could ask, he spoke. "Well, if only Thorne and Audrey knew who I really was, they wouldn't have played me like that."

I raised my head. "What?"

He looked at me. "If they knew I was the one behind the government, the Haven and everything connected to it, they wouldn't have dared to do what they did."

I stared at him, unable to understand what he meant. "What are you talking about?"

He gave a short laugh, but there was nothing amusing about his expression. "Let's just say they made a very big mistake."

I looked at him in confusion.

Was he saying he had something to do with the Haven?

Before I could ask another question, his expression suddenly changed.

His eyes moved towards something behind me. "Watch out!"

I barely had time to react before I heard a loud noise behind me.