All Chapters of Scars of the Heart: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The chamber vibrated softly as if it had a heartbeat. Elena could taste metal in the air, each breath tainted with the sterile metallic smell of the facility. She was kneeling on the cold floor, her wrists were bound behind her, while Grayson remained slumped against the far wall, his breathing shallow. Enoch was in the center of his cage–if you could call it that, knees drawn up to his chest. The golden glow in his eyes flickered like a dying flame. And Monroe stood before them, the syringe now empty, the golden light in his irises now bright and steady. "You feel that, don’t you?" Monroe’s voice was almost gentle, which made it all the more menacing. "You feel the connection. The Archive isn’t just in him now, it’s in me. The echoes of Damien, Voss, even Grayson…" He smirked toward man who was still unconscious. "And you, Elena. You’re there too. Every memory you’ve ever touched in him, I see them." Elena swallowed hard. "You’re playing with something you can’t control." M

The hand on Elena’s shoulder tightened. She quickly spun around, ripping free of the hand just as dim emergency red lights flared back on painting the corridor. Monroe stood less than a foot away, his breath was steady and his eyes glowed a warm golden color. Enoch stepped between them instantly, light crawling up his forearms like liquid fire. “Get away from her,” he said, his voice trembling but loud. Monroe tilted his head towards him, almost amused. “You don’t even know which one of us you’re protecting her from.” He said. From the stairwell below came the unmistakable sound of chains dragging against concrete. Rose’s voice followed, her voice small, broken. “Elena… help me…” Elena’s heart skipped a beat. “Rose!” She took a step forward, but Monroe’s hand snapped out, gripping her wrist. “You take another step,” he said softly, “and she’s dead before you reach the bottom.” Enoch’s glow brightened. “You’re lying.” “Am I?” Monroe’s gaze locked on Elena. “Think carefu

The world fell out from under them. Elena screamed as she fell, the hallway above spinning with red lights and dust. She reached out to grab something, but there was nothing there but air. The crash was loud like thunder. Pain shot through her side as she hit the ground and rolled on the broken floor. The impact knocked the breath out of her lungs, leaving her gasping in the dark. “Elena!” A beam of weak light flickered somewhere on her left side. Enoch’s voice. He was coughing, dragging himself upright. She forced her head up. Through the dust, she saw Grayson holding his side and Damien limping toward the voices. Above them, rocks and rubble kept falling, sealing the hole in the ceiling. There was no way to climb out. The air was colder down here, damp and strange. Something about it just felt wrong. “is everyone okay? Everyone still breathing?” Grayson asked, his voice rough. “Barely,” Damien muttered. “My leg’s probably broken.” Elena turned toward the sound. “

Elena’s ears rang with the sound of the wall collapsing, there were flames everywhere and the last shreds of Enoch’s scream echoing through the cavern. She coughed hard, forcing air into her lungs, pushing through dust and debris until light broke through the haze. “Elena!” Grayson desperately called out. He stumbled through the smoke, his shirt torn and his face bloody. His eyes lit up when he saw her. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. “You’re alive. Thank God.” But Elena shoved him away. Her voice was hoarse, ragged with fury. “Where is she? Where’s Rose?” The answer came in a voice that sent chills down her spinem “You always come back for her.” Lucian Monroe stepped out of the smoke. His cloak already in shreds, and one side of his face was burned from Rose’s fire. His left eye burned gold, glowing like liquid fire. Beside him, Rose clung to his side, trembling. . The girl’s body glowed faintly, pulsing with energy that wasn’t hers. Her eyes shone l

The morning after felt unreal. The penthouse was too quiet. Sunlight spilled across marble floors. Elena stood by the window of her bedroom with her arms folded, staring at the skyline that seemed both familiar and foreign. The city buzzed with life below, but her own veins ached with exhaustion. Behind her, the bed creaked. Grayson stirred, his sling set aside, leaving his broad shoulders bare. His voice was rough, tired, but softer than she remembered. “You’ve been up since dawn.” “I couldn’t sleep,” Elena admitted, her reflection fractured in the glass. “Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice again.” Grayson sat up slowly, watching her silhouette. “Enoch.” She flinched at the name. “It wasn’t possible. And yet—” “—and yet we both heard him,” Grayson finished. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “We’ll figure it out. But right now, you need to breathe.” Elena turned, arching a brow. “Since when do you tell me to breathe?” “Since I realized I can’t lose you aga