All Chapters of Her Return Was Their Downfall.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Elena"He is offering five percent of his company," my father snapped, slamming his hand hard on the table. "This is not for discussion. You're marrying him."I stared at him, trying to hold back my tears. "He’s fifty-two, Dad. He’s been divorced three times, and everyone in Manhattan knows why his last wife spent two weeks in a hospital before packing her bags.""Rumors," my mother cut in without looking up from her tablet. She was adjusting the seating chart for next week’s charity gala, her delicate fingers flicking across the glass. "Ex-wives are always bitter, darling. Besides, Arthur comes from old money. His family line is spotless.""Spotless?" I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "He hits women, Mom. He uses his money to buy off the police every time he trashes a club in the Hamptons. You’re trading me to a monster!""Shut up!" My father yelled, standing up. "A monster? You should be thanking God someone of Arthur’s standing is even asking for you! Look at yourself—no talent, no bus

ElenaIsabella's soft sobs drew me back to reality. I blinked, my head throbbing."—she did it on purpose, Mom! You know she did!"I shifted slightly and turned my head. Two figures stood near the door. Isabella was pacing back and forth, her gown creased and ruined, tears smearing her carefully applied mascara down her flushed cheeks. Mom held her trembling hands."Isabella, calm down, please. Your father already handled it.""Handled it?" Isabella choked out, shoving Mom's hands away. "She fainted right as Aeron was kissing my hand! Everyone stopped looking at me, Mom! The photographers turned their cameras toward her! She ruined my night!""I know, darling, I know," my mother soothed. "Your father is furious. We will deal with her, I promise you. But right now, you need to go to your room and rest. Aeron’s mother called—she was very understanding, but we cannot afford to look unraveled.""I hate her," Isabella spat, her voice trembling with venom. "I hate her so much. Why does she

Elena"He will drag you to that clinic himself, Elena," my mother’s cold voice echoed in my head, right alongside the sharp, final click of the key turning in the lock.I jumped off the mattress and threw myself against the wooden surface. I grabbed the brass handle and shook it with all my strength, over and over, until the metal rattled against the frame."Mom! Open this door! You can't keep me in here! Please, Mom!"Only silence answered me. Then came the soft, rhythmic sound of her footfalls fading down the hallway carpet."Mom!" I screamed, slamming my open palms against the hard wood until the skin stung with a sharp, burning heat.Hot tears blurred my vision, spilling over my eyelashes and dripping down my neck. She wasn't bluffing. She was really going to tell my father. When he got home from his business dinner, he wouldn't argue with me. He wouldn't listen to my pleas or look at my tears. He would grab my arm, drag me out to the car, and force me into that doctor's office him

ElenaThe iron gates closed behind us with a loud, heavy metallic thud, sealing off the dark, rainy world outside.Aeron drove up a long, curving driveway lined with towering pine trees that swayed under the heavy wind. At the end of the drive sat a massive, three-story stone mansion illuminated by warm yellow lights. It looked more like a fortress than a home, cold, grand, and completely isolated from the rest of the world.He brought the car to a smooth stop right in front of the wide stone steps leading to the main entrance. He turned off the engine, dropping the cabin into a sudden, heavy quiet."Stay here," he ordered quietly, unbuckling his seatbelt.Before I could answer, he opened his door and stepped out into the pouring rain. He walked around the front of the hood, opened my door, and extended a hand toward me.I stared at his long, bare fingers, then looked up into his face. Rain streamed down his dark ha

Elena"You should be sleeping, Elena."I flinched at the sound of Aeron's voice. I didn't even hear him open the door.I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders. "I can't sleep.""Why?" He stepped inside. "Is the bed uncomfortable?""No.""Then what is it?""Everything," I said, looking out at the rain against the glass. "My father is searching for me. My mother is probably deleting me from the family photos. And I'm sitting in my sister's fiancé's bedroom.""This isn't your sister's room. It's mine.""That doesn't make it better, Aeron.""It makes you safe," he said flatly. "That's all that matters.""Safe from who? My father? Or you?""Do you think I brought you here to hurt you?""I don't know why you brought me here," I said, getting up from the window ledge. "You haven't explained a single thing since I got into your car.""I don't owe you explanations.""You do!" The blanket dropped to my elbows. "You picked me up. You brought me to your house. You lied to my father on th