Chapter 8

Elara clamped her eyes shut, a small streak of involuntary tears escaping the confines if her brow.

This was it...this is probably what he wanted...this was what all they want from her.

But even knowing that wouldn't make her body stop trembling. She hated him, hated everyone and even her father that had to put her in this position.

If she had grew up in a normal family, this probably wouldn't be happening to her.

A click broke through the silence that had settled in the room and for a moment, her brain lagged. Before realizing her cuffed hands were free.

Confused, her eyes flutter open at the same time that the cuffs around her ankle was unlocked. " What —

Lorenzo straightened in front of the bed, his eyes rather cold and guarded unlike few minutes ago " Cover up". he eyed her legs with a look she could only Identify as disgust before walking out of the room.

Relief flooded her body when she heard the click of the door after him and never have she been ever relieved that she was actually locked in a room.

She scrambled off the bed, grabbing the black dress from where it had bunched around her waist, tugging it down over her thighs and adjusting it as best she could.

Her hands shook. But it was not just a friction from the restraints that was removed, but from the lingering feeling of his touch on her skin, from the weight of his gaze pressing into her even though he was gone.

Her mind was confused, though relief, but still confused on why he stopped. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to flee, with the fear that he might come back to finish what he started tumbling through her.

And she could never get over the look he gave her before leaving.

Taking a steadying breath, Elara moved toward the window, pressing her palms against the cool glass and staring out world outside. She could see nothing but what seemed like a very vast garden. It made her wondered how far away they were from the gate...from the world...from her home.

Her hand traced the window glides, wondering if it was like the one back home. If it was...maybe she could manipulate it somehow like she used to....

A loud click resonated in the room, making her heart almost jusmp out of her chest. Before the door could open fully, she somehow managed to rush back to the bed and bury herself under the blanket.

Her trembling hands gripped the sheet tightly, half of her face hidden from view.

She knew it...he was going to be back....oh God. What will he do with her...he stopped the other time...will he...

Her rapidly beating heart drowned out her own thoughts and it felt like her entire body had gone numb from the fear coarsing through her veins.

The seconds stretched into an eternity, each one heavier than the last, until finally the door creaked open just enough to cast a thin line of shadow across the floor.

Elara froze completely, willing herself to disappear under the blanket, praying that the shadow didn’t grow larger, that he would somehow not notice her.

"Signora(madam)". A small voice broke through the chaos in her mind.

The voice was feminine and definitely did not belong to the man that had just shake her whole insides out.

Hesitantly, she slid the blanket off her a face a little, before putting it off entirely when she realized it was a young girl standing beside the door, with a tray in her hand.

" Il vostro cibo è qui ( your food is here)".

Although she could hardly understand her, her tilting of the tray a bit got her attention and she understood that whatever she might have said was relating to the food.

But she still eyed the woman warily, watching her as she moved to the nightstand to drop the food. Her father had always warned her not to trust anyone, and she had learnt it the hard way when her a cook had tried to poison her when she was 10.

The girl bowed before exiting the room quietly.

Elara stayed frozen for a long moment after the girl left, her eyes eyeing the covered tray.

The room was silent again, save for the faint hum of the garden lights outside. She forced herself to breathe, each inhale shaky and uneven, her mind racing through every possible scenario—what if the food was druggged? And he'll come back after she's unconscious to....or worse still, what if she dies after eating it.

Trembling, she slowly got off the bed, towards the tray. Her overplaying curiousity and perhaps the hunger tang she felt in her tummy, had her opening the tray.

The sound of her stomach grumbling filled the whole room and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

She slammed the tray shut, stoping herself from touching it. Although she had no idea what it was, but the food looked savory enough for her to dig into. But she knew not to do it.

Her stomach how ever, did not support that motion.

Moving away from the tray, her eyes set on the door. If her instinct was right, the maid did not lock the door and earlier, the men station at her front door were also part of the men who pointed their gun at her.

Lorenzo had asked them to leave. But she wasn't sure if that was for them to leave the first floor or leave the house completely.

She stared intently at the door.

Well, there's only one way to find out.