All Chapters of Sold by My Husband, Claimed by the CEO: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The knock came again.Slow.Measured.Unhurried.Elena remained frozen in the middle of the living room, her gaze fixed on the apartment door. Her laptop still displayed Adrian’s frozen image, his final words echoing relentlessly through the silence.“I never sold my wife.”The sentence refused to leave her mind.Another knock.This time, louder.She quickly removed the USB drive from the laptop and slipped it into her handbag before wiping away the tears staining her cheeks.“Who is it?” she called.“It’s me.”Damien.His calm voice carried through the door.Elena hesitated before unlocking it.Damien stood alone in the hallway, dressed in a charcoal suit with the sleeves of his overcoat damp from the steady rain outside.“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”“You already have.”His expression didn’t change.“I understand.”She folded her arms across her chest.“No, I don’t think you do.”For a long moment, neither of them spoke.Finally, Damien glanced past her shoulder toward the living

Damien’s warning echoed through the apartment long after the call ended.“You need to leave. Now.”The line went dead before Elena could ask another question.She lowered the phone slowly, her heartbeat pounding against her ribs. The apartment, which had once been filled with familiar comfort, suddenly felt unfamiliar. Every creak of the floorboards, every distant sound from the hallway, seemed louder than before.She forced herself to breathe.Think.If Damien was right, someone was already inside the building.Who?Why?And how had they known she was here?She looked toward the laptop, where Adrian’s unfinished recordings still waited. Every instinct urged her to stay, unlock the remaining files, and finally learn the truth.But Damien had never sounded afraid before.Elena wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady the trembling that had settled deep inside her. Damien had always spoken with quiet confidence, even when delivering news that turned her world upside down. Fear

Cold air rushed over Elena as she stepped through the hidden exit.The metal door clicked shut behind her, swallowing the sounds of shouting that echoed through the building. For the first time in several minutes, she allowed herself a single breath of relief.It lasted only a moment.The alley was deserted, illuminated by a lone flickering security light that cast long shadows across the wet pavement. Rain dripped steadily from the fire escapes overhead, each drop striking the ground with a sharp, hollow sound.She tightened her grip on her handbag.The maintenance worker had promised she would have thirty seconds before anyone realized she had escaped.She doubted she even had ten.Carefully, Elena peered toward the mouth of the alley leading to the street.No one.She took one cautious step forward.Then another.Her heartbeat remained painfully loud in her ears.Halfway down the alley, headlights swept across the brick walls.A black sedan rolled silently to a stop.The rear passe

The knock came again.Three slow, deliberate knocks.No louder than before.No more impatient.Damien remained perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the front door. Every trace of warmth disappeared from his expression, replaced by the calm focus of a man who had rehearsed this moment more times than he cared to remember.He turned to Elena.“Take the photograph.”“What?”“The photograph.”She instinctively slipped it into her handbag.“What about you?”“I’ll answer the door.”“No.”The word escaped before she could stop it.“You don’t even know who’s out there.”“I have a suspicion.”His voice remained steady, but his shoulders had visibly tensed.“If I tell you to leave, don’t argue.”“I’m tired of running.”“I know.”His gaze softened for only a moment.“But staying alive is more important than proving you’re brave.”The silence that followed felt endless.Another knock echoed through the house.This time, a familiar voice spoke from outside.“Damien.”Elena frowned.The man sounded c

The tunnel fell silent.Only the distant groan of collapsing timber and crumbling concrete echoed through the darkness above. Elena stood motionless, her palms pressed against the damp stone wall as she struggled to steady her breathing. Dust still floated through the narrow passage, catching the weak emergency lights that flickered overhead.She forced herself forward.Every instinct screamed at her to turn back.Damien.Gabriel.The old man.They were still inside the burning house.Her chest tightened painfully, but she remembered Adrian’s words from the recording.“Stay alive long enough to learn the truth.”For the first time, she understood that surviving wasn’t an act of selfishness.It was part of the promise.The tunnel sloped gently downward before opening into a rusted steel door. Elena pushed against it with both hands until it gave way with a loud groan.Fresh night air rushed into her lungs.She stepped into what looked like an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city