Elena POV
"What did you just say?" he says his brows low, his frown deeper than before "It's something to be happy about Honey," I say walking forward, trying my best to convince him. "Don't call me that!!, I've told you before" he shouts, calming down once he realizes we are in his office, he paces the room, mumbling words to himself in anger. "I don't know why you're not ready to have kids, this is a blessing Daemon" I place my hands on my belly walking forward but his harsh eyes halt me in my tracks. "Shut up!!, I told you we will only have kids till you sign over your shares at Royal Inc. to me, I am your husband and I deserve to take care of those shares for you, it's the single thing, I've asked you to do, and you've been unable to for years!!" he shouts turning away and seating on his seat, spinning to the side, his fingers under his chin. "I would if I could, but the shares have a clause, must only be of the Royal blood, I have to get permission from Grandpa and he won't do it" I explain for the millionth time. "Daemon this baby is good for us, now our family has an heir, from me and you," I say trying to come closer. "Go home Elena, we will discuss this at home," he says turning his seat away, facing the huge library of books. I nod, turning away, feeling my shoulders fall, it's not the first time, I've fallen pregnant, it happened once in my Senior year, we were young and in love and we automatically started having sex without protection, leading to me falling pregnant, he took me to some dodgy hospital and we got it done, the baby was dead. The second time was in college, my 4th year, this time I wanted to fight him, I knew we were going to get married considering how long we dated and how serious Daemon was, so I fought it out with him, almost told my grandfather, but he had just started his career, and I was still in school, so we took it out. This was the third time, "We are married there's no way he will make me feel that pain again" I whisper to myself while I walk out of the office I reach the elevator when I realize my purse is missing, I frown remembering I placed it on his side table when I walked in. I walk back to the door, the door still slightly open from how I left it, I notice his Secretary is missing, and I frown hoping it's not what I think it is. Slowly sticking my head through the door silently, I see only one person, Daemon, with one hand in the pocket of his trousers, the other on his phone, his voice filling the room. "The bitch is pregnant," he says, keeping quiet after he says it as if to listen to who is on the other line Goosebumps cover my skin, is he speaking about me? "I know, I promised not to touch her baby, but she forced me I swear," he says, causing tears to fill my eyes, William was right, he is cheating on me "We need to find a way to get rid of her and take over her grand-father properties, I've been patient too long," he says causing me to gasp. He turns around, his eyes meeting with mine in shock, "Elena" he whispers slowly Tears rolling down my face, anger apparent on my face, I turn around quickly, I need to run far away from this man, all this time, he has been playing me, just to get my family fortune, I get blinded by anger walking towards the almost closing elevator, I slip inside watching him chase behind me as the elevator doors close shut. My eyes sting with tears, my heart breaking into pieces, memories from all the love we shared, the times we had, running through my mind, I quickly walk out of the elevator the doors opening, I walk out of the building, my car stopping in front of me, right on time, I turn around expecting Daemon to be behind me, begging, asking for an apology, Nothing. I pull the door open, settling inside the car, the tears I've been holding completely pour out as I start to wail, the driver says noting starting the drive, I can't believe I trusted him, I trusted him with my life, I stopped working at my father's company thanks to him, I became his pretty housewife because he wanted to, I let him use my cards, have access to my money, and I almost gave him my shares, only for him to betray me, to love another woman and even make promises to her. The tears fill my eyes but fury fills my veins more, I turn to the road, the car about to pass into a bridge when a black car fills my vision, "Be careful!!" I scream before my world goes dark.RACHEL POV I know something is wrong. I feel it in the way Elena looks at me now. It’s too calm. Too steady. Her smiles stretch just enough to look polite, but there’s something underneath it all. Like a cat watching, waiting. She’s not supposed to look at me like that. She’s supposed to flinch, to fumble, to show the cracks of a woman still missing pieces of herself. And God, it terrifies me. At night, I lie awake, the room is too quiet except for the sound of Daemon’s even breathing beside me. My mind replays every moment I’ve seen her in the past weeks, the park, the parties, the dinners. The way she held Daemon’s gaze just a little too long, the way she squared her shoulders when I tried to rattle her. The way her voice never broke, even when it should have. It feels wrong, she feels dangerous, and I can’t sit with it anymore. In the morning, I lock myself in my study and call Anton, my investigator. My hand shakes a little as I hold the phone to my ear. “Watch her Anton
ELENA POV I’ve never been so aware of the weight of a single secret. Every smile I give, every careless shrug, every teasing look at Daemon, it all hides the truth I carry. My memories are back. And with them, a cold, hard clarity. They betrayed me, and now I’m going to betray them right back. The party tonight is at a marble-lined hall uptown. Another society event I’d have dreaded weeks ago. But tonight? Tonight, I want them to see me. I stand in front of the mirror, smoothing my dress over my hips. It’s deep blue satin, low at the back, clinging at the waist, and the slit runs scandalously high. My hair is soft around my shoulders, and my lips painted the same dark red Alex once called dangerous. “Wow,” Sophia whistles from the doorway, her eyes wide. “He won’t know what hit him.” “Who?” I ask lightly, turning to face her. She grins. “My brother. And every man in there.” I smile back, but my pulse flutters for a different reason. Tonight, I’m not just Elena Bianchi
ELENA POVThe next morning the first time in what feels like forever, I wake up and the emptiness in my chest isn’t fear, it’s focus. Dr Lee would be proud. My memories are back, every painful, jagged piece of them, the lies, the betrayal. The baby they cut from me, Daemon’s soft words hiding his knife, Rachel’s hate hidden behind her scared eyes. My heart hammers in my chest when I remember it all, but I force my breath to stay even. No one can know. Not yet. I lie there staring at the ceiling until the sun drips through the curtains. Then I get up, shower, pull on a black dress that hugs my waist, brush my hair until it shines. I even take a moment to line my eyes, add a touch of red to my lips. The reflection that looks back at me feels colder. Smarter. But still me. Downstairs, I find Alex in the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. His sleeves rolled up, tie still loose. He looks at me over the rim of his cup, eyes lingering a beat too long. “You’re up early,” he says, voice sti
ELENA POV I wake to the smell of something sharp, antiseptic, maybe perfume, maybe just memory itself. For a second, I don’t open my eyes. Because the moment I do, everything comes back. Not the slow, flickering flashes Dr. Lee warned me about. All of it. All at once. Daemon’s voice, rough and cruel, telling Rachel to “The bitch is pregnant.” Rachel’s anger from the other side of the phone, The cold glint in his eyes. The smell of blood. The pain across my stomach. The panic, the disbelief when I realized I was pregnant and then the crash, the darkness swallowing me.The baby. My baby. My chest seizes. It feels like drowning on dry land. I suck in a breath, sharp enough to hurt. My eyes fly open to the ceiling, cream colored, familiar. The master bedroom. I’m back in Alex’s room. Back in the mansion and for a moment, I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here. Then I hear footsteps outside the door. The handle turns. I close my eyes quickly, forcing my face to still. The
ELENA POV I don’t remember how I made it up the stairs. My body moves on autopilot, but inside, everything feels broken. Like my chest is too tight to breathe. I pull open the wardrobe, throwing clothes into the suitcase without folding them. Dresses, shirts, jeans, things I bought with Sophia, things Alex picked out for me in Paris. None of it feels like mine anymore. The whole time, my mind won’t stop replaying his voice in the study. “I was going to tell you.” But he didn’t. He never did. Because it was never about me. It was always about the heir. I shove the last pair of shoes inside and zip the suitcase so hard the fabric strains. My hands are shaking. My heartbeat feels like it’s pounding in my ears. Behind me, the bedroom door creaks. I know it’s him before I even turn. “Elena, don’t do this,” Alex says, his voice hoarse. I grip the suitcase handle tighter. “Don’t,” I snap, without looking at him. His footsteps come closer. “Please. Let’s talk.” “Talk?” I laugh, but
ELENA POVBy the time I make it back to the mansion, my legs feel like they’re made of stone.Marco barely has the car in park before I’m out, the gravel crunching under my heels. My heart is still hammering from Reed’s words. I can’t breathe right. My chest feels tight, my head fuzzy.The doors fly open. Alex is there, pacing in the foyer, tie undone, hair a mess. When he sees me, something in his eyes breaks. Relief. Panic. Anger. “Elena.” His voice cracks around my name. He strides forward, arms open to pull me in, but I step back, chest heaving. “Don’t,” I manage. “Don’t touch me right now.” He freezes. The pain on his face almost makes me take it back. Almost. “Elena, what happened? Marco called. You were kidnapped again, I thought you were in danger—” “With your cousin,” I snap, voice sharper than I mean. “Reed Bianchi. Ring a bell?” His jaw tightens. “What did he do?” “He questioned me,” I throw back, my breath coming too fast. “About us. About my past. About why we mar