20

Elara’s Pov

The news that the world was about to discover my past marriage hit me like a sudden wave of cold water.

For weeks, I had tried so hard to separate my old life from this new, beautiful beginning with the Veynes. I wanted to heal, to learn who I was, and to enjoy the simple feeling of belonging somewhere safe. But I knew that once the media found out I was Darian Rooke’s missing wife, everything would change. The headlines wouldn't just be about a lost heiress anymore. People would start digging into the dark corners of my marriage. They would ask why I disappeared into the rainy night, whether Darian knew I was a Veyne all along, and whether my powerful family intended to crush the Rooke empire or help me walk away from it for good.

I found Ronan in his study late that evening, holding the tablet with my hands shaking slightly.

"Ronan, we have to do something," I said, my voice tight with worry. "If a reporter publishes a story about Darian and me, it's going to turn into a massive public circus. But... I don't want the Veynes to attack him publicly. I don't want you guys using your wealth or power to punish the Rooke family just to defend me."

Ronan looked up from his desk, his expression calm and understanding. He walked over and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Elara, we won't do anything you don't want us to do. If you don't want us to crush Darian, we won't touch him. But remember—you don't have to protect his reputation at the expense of your own truth."

Across the room, Kael was leaning against the bookshelf, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw tightly clenched. It was easy to tell he hated the idea of leaving Darian alone. "I still say the man who allowed my little sister to suffer for years should be held accountable," Kael muttered, his stormy eyes flashing with anger. "He treated you like background furniture."

"Kael, please," I sighed, looking at my eldest brother. "I need to make my own decisions about my marriage. I can't feel like I'm hiding behind my brothers every time life gets hard."

Kael let out a heavy breath, finally nodding in agreement. "Alright, Elara. I won't interfere unless you specifically ask for my help."

Silas, who had been sitting quietly in the corner checking a medical chart, looked up with a comforting smile. "And remember, Elara, your health comes first," Silas reminded me softly. "You are the one in control here. You get to decide exactly how much of your personal life you wish to share with the public—and how much you keep private."

Despite their reassuring words, the anxiety didn't fade. As the hours passed, my phone started buzzing with unknown numbers and notifications. One text message in particular came from an aggressive journalist asking a cruel question: *Did you abandon your husband simply because you discovered you were a billionaire heiress?*

Reading those words made my blood boil with hot anger. It reduced the most painful decision of my life—my escape from the Rooke mansion—to a greedy story about money, status, and social climbing.

I looked at Ronan, my voice trembling. "I didn't leave because I wanted a richer family or a more powerful life. I left because I felt completely unwanted. I left because my husband constantly dismissed my pain, and because I believed I was dying without a single person willing to stand beside me."

Ronan listened without interrupting a single time. When I finished, he gave me a warm, steady look. "Elara, the Veynes do not need you to justify your decision to us. Our love for you doesn't depend on whether you remain married or become an independent businesswoman. We love you just because you are you."

His words brought a deep, healing relief to my chest. But they also forced me to realize how much of my life had been shaped by the heavy fear of disappointing everyone around me. I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. If the media published the story, I wouldn't lie about my marriage. But I also refused to let complete strangers turn my deep personal pain into cheap entertainment.

Later that evening, Seraphina came into my room to check on me. We sat together on the edge of the bed, the quiet night wrapping around us like a blanket.

"Elara... do you miss Darian?" Seraphina asked gently, her dark eyes filled with deep care.

The question caught me completely off guard. For days, I had been trying to convince myself that leaving him meant I had to turn off my heart, that leaving him meant I had to stop loving him immediately.

I looked down at my hands, fighting back tears. "I miss the man I fell in love with, Seraphina," I whispered honestly. "The man who once made me believe that I would never have to face the world alone. But... I don't know if that man ever really existed beneath his cold ambition and his mother's control. I don't know if he's a ghost I made up in my head."

Seraphina reached out and squeezed my hand. "Loving someone and choosing to remain with them are two entirely different things, my sweet girl," she said wisely. "You are allowed to feel grief. You are allowed to miss the good parts of your past without letting that grief dictate your future or trap you in a life that was killing you."

Her comforting words left me feeling much calmer, helping me untangle the massive knot of confusion in my chest.

I spent the rest of the night resting quietly in my room, far away from the noise of the world. But just as the house grew still and midnight approached, my phone lit up brightly on the bedside table.

It buzzed with a text notification from a number I didn't need to look up. I recognized it instantly. It was Darian.

My breath caught in my throat. My fingers trembled as I picked up the phone and unlocked the screen. The message was short, stripped of all corporate pride, and written with a raw desperation that made my heart ache.

The message reads, "Elara, I know you're alive. Please tell me where you are, because I need to see you before I lose you completely.”