Chapter 18: The Breaking Point

Darkness swallowed me whole.

I couldn’t move. My body was stiff, shackled, held in place by a force far stronger than any physical restraint. My lungs ached, struggling to draw air as the cold steel pressed against my skin. My heartbeat was the only sound in the oppressive quiet, and I could feel it reverberating through my chest, every pulse a reminder of the terror coiling in my stomach.

What had Richard done to me?

I fought against the darkness, against the haze that clouded my mind. I tried to open my eyes, but the weight of everything was too much, too heavy. It felt as if my very soul was being crushed under the weight of it all. I needed to wake up, to escape, to stop whatever had begun.

Think, Elena. Think.

Images flashed in my mind—Dominic’s face, twisted with anger and desperation; Richard’s cold smile; the machines in the room, their wires like snakes, winding around me. They weren’t just monitors, not just surveillance equipment. They were something else entirely. I had seen that look on Richard’s face, the one that promised he was about to break me in ways I couldn’t begin to understand.

I couldn’t let that happen.

With a snap, something inside me broke free, and I felt a surge of clarity. The world around me started to return, the darkness beginning to recede as I struggled to regain control over my body.

I tried to move my hands, my legs, but the restraints wouldn’t budge. Panic set in again. This was it. I was trapped. There was no escape.

Then the door creaked open, and I froze.

“Elena?”

The familiar voice sent a tremor through me. It was Dominic.

I didn’t know whether to feel relief or terror. I had no idea what had happened after I ran, after everything had spiraled out of control. The betrayal, the lies—it all felt like a blur, a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.

“Elena!” Dominic’s voice was sharper this time, more frantic. His footsteps echoed in the cold silence.

I tried to call out, but the words lodged in my throat, choked by the wires digging into my skin. He wasn’t supposed to be here, not now. I didn’t know if I wanted him to save me—or if I wanted him to leave and let me handle this on my own.

The chair hummed beneath me, and I felt a strange tug in my chest. It was as though the very machine was pulling at my soul. I closed my eyes, desperately trying to shut out the sensation.

I had to focus. I couldn’t let it control me.

Dominic’s figure appeared before me, his presence imposing even in the dim light. He wasn’t alone—there were two men with him, both dressed in black, their faces unreadable. They weren’t here to save me. They were here to help Richard.

I strained against the restraints, my voice finally breaking free. “Dominic, you have to stop this!” I shouted, desperate.

He froze, his dark eyes locking onto mine. The fury in his gaze was unmistakable. But there was something else there, too. A flicker of guilt? Regret?

“Elena, you don’t understand.” His voice was low, filled with a strange tension.

I glared at him, my chest heaving with anger. “I understand perfectly. I’m your pawn in this game, Dominic. I’ve been nothing but a tool for you to use and manipulate. Just like everything else.”

The words stung, and I saw the briefest flash of pain in his eyes before it was gone, replaced by something colder, more calculated.

“Don’t say that,” he growled, stepping closer, his hand resting on the arm of the chair as if to steady himself. “You have no idea what this is really about.”

The sound of footsteps grew louder, and Richard appeared from the shadows, his cold smile never leaving his face. He looked at me with a twisted amusement, as if I were nothing more than a problem to be solved.

“Ah, Dominic,” Richard said, his voice dripping with mock affection. “Still trying to protect her, are you? How quaint.”

Dominic’s jaw clenched, and I saw the familiar rage rising in him. He was fighting it, trying to contain it, but it was clear that Richard’s words had hit a nerve.

“Shut up, Richard,” Dominic growled, stepping forward, putting himself between me and the man I had once trusted.

Richard laughed, a hollow, empty sound that echoed in the small room. “You’re so predictable, Dominic. Always the protector, always the good little soldier. But this isn’t about protecting her, is it?”

Dominic’s eyes darkened. “You’re making a mistake, Richard.”

“I don’t think I am,” Richard said calmly, taking a step toward me. “In fact, I think I’m making the right choice. You never understood, did you? You never understood the game I’ve been playing all along.”

I stared at him, heart pounding. “What do you mean?”

Richard’s eyes flicked toward the monitors. “This isn’t about your little vendetta, Dominic. This is about control. About power. You never realized how much you were in my pocket until now.”

Dominic’s face tightened, his lips pressing into a thin line. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Richard ignored him, his eyes narrowing as he walked closer to the machines, activating a few switches. The hum of machinery filled the room again, louder now, as the lights above flickered. The screens flashed with data, numbers, graphs—everything seemed to be moving at once.

“Everything that’s happened,” Richard continued, his voice growing cold. “The scandal, your marriage to Elena, the betrayal of her father—it was all part of the plan. A plan you’ve been too blind to see.”

I felt a chill slide down my spine. The room seemed to shrink as the truth began to sink in.

“You knew.” My voice cracked, and I hated myself for sounding so weak. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”

Dominic’s eyes turned to me, his face a mixture of regret and fury. “I didn’t know everything. But I knew Richard was playing a much bigger game than any of us realized.”

Richard smiled. “And now it’s too late for you both. This is the end of the road, Dominic. The game ends here.”

The lights flickered again, and for a brief moment, everything seemed to pause. Time itself hung suspended in the air, as if waiting for the inevitable.

And then, suddenly, the monitors blared to life. A red warning light flashed across the screens, and the floor beneath us trembled.

Something was wrong.

Dominic turned to Richard, his face pale. “What the hell did you do?”

Richard’s eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. “I’ve activated the protocol. If anyone tries to stop me, Elena dies.”

My breath hitched in my chest as I realized the gravity of what he was saying. The protocol—it was a fail-safe, a system designed to ensure that no one could interfere with Richard’s plan. And now, I was the price.

I looked at Dominic, desperation flooding me. “Dominic, you have to stop him. You can’t let him do this.”

Dominic didn’t move. He was frozen, his gaze locked on Richard, his fists clenched at his sides. It was like he was trying to make a choice—between me and the consequences of his past.

But before he could make up his mind, the room went dark.

The hum of the machines stopped.

The sound of Richard’s footsteps echoed in the silence.

And then there was nothing.