THE WOUND BETWEEN THEM
1693 Words
CHAPTER SIX
Elena avoided Adrian for the rest of the day. She didn’t mean to—at least that was what she told herself—but every time she felt his presence somewhere in the mansion, her feet would automatically carry her in the opposite direction. Her heart was still unsettled from what happened earlier with Luca. The memory of Adrian’s voice—sharp, furious, protective—echoed in her mind.
But it wasn’t the confrontation that bothered her. It was afterward. The look on Adrian’s face when he saw the marks on her wrist. The anger in his eyes. The softness when he touched her. The way he said he wanted her close.
She had replayed those words again and again, until they felt like a dangerous promise. A promise she had no right to hope for.
So she tried to create distance. For both their sakes.
But fate did not care about distance.
Near evening, when the mansion glowed with warm gold as the sun dipped behind the hills, Elena carried a tray of documents to Adrian’s office. Mrs. Maren had told her to deliver them directly; refusing wasn’t an option. Her stomach tightened as she stood before the massive wooden door.
She lifted a hand and knocked softly.
“Come in,” Adrian’s voice called.
Elena pushed the door open. Adrian sat at his desk, papers spread before him, though he wasn’t reading them. His eyes lifted instantly to her. Too quickly. Too eagerly.
“Elena,” he said, rising slightly in his seat. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Her breath faltered. “I’ve been busy with work.”
“You’re always busy,” he replied quietly. “But today… you disappeared.”
She placed the documents on the edge of his desk, keeping her head low. “Mrs. Maren said these were needed.”
He didn’t even glance at them. “Look at me.”
She hesitated, then slowly lifted her eyes.
The room felt smaller with him watching her like that. Like he was trying to understand every thought running through her mind.
“Elena,” he said softly, “are you afraid of me again?”
Her heart jolted. “No. I’m not.”
“Then why did you run?”
She swallowed, fingers twisting in her apron. “I didn’t run.”
“Yes,” he murmured, standing up fully, “you did.”
He walked around the desk, stopping only a few steps from her. Too close. Close enough that she had to tilt her head slightly to keep his gaze.
“Elena,” he said in a low voice, “I’m trying to do the right thing with you. I’m trying to keep things appropriate. Professional.”
He paused, jaw flexing.
“But you keep making that very difficult for me.”
Her breath trembled. “I didn’t do anything.”
“You exist.” His voice dropped even further. “And that’s already too much.”
Her heart squeezed painfully. That wasn’t something she should hear. Not from him. Not when she was just a servant, just a girl struggling to survive.
“Mr. Wolfe,” she whispered, “you’re my employer. I know my place—”
“Elena.” His tone sharpened. “I don’t want to hear that from you.”
She flinched. Adrian noticed immediately, his expression softening.
“Elena… look at me.”
She did.
And that was where everything broke.
“Elena,” he said slowly, “what Luca did today—you should have told me sooner.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said quietly.
“But it is my responsibility.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “You don’t have to take responsibility for me.”
Something flickered across his expression—hurt, frustration, something else she couldn’t name.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said tightly.
But before he could explain, the office door opened sharply.
Elena jumped.
Rachel Wolfe—Adrian’s older sister—entered without knocking. She carried the same cold arrogance as the rest of the Wolfe family, and her eyes instantly narrowed at the sight of Elena standing close to Adrian.
“Adrian,” Rachel said, crossing her arms. “We need to discuss the charity gala. Mother wants you involved, whether you like it or not.”
Adrian exhaled. “Rachel, now is not—”
Her gaze flicked to Elena. “Why is the maid here?”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “She was delivering documents.”
“Then she can leave.”
Something about the cold dismissal made Elena’s heart sink. This—this was why she had tried to distance herself. The world Adrian belonged to would never accept someone like her.
Adrian noticed her expression shift. “Elena—”
“It’s fine,” Elena whispered quickly. “I’ll go.”
She placed the last of the documents on his desk and stepped toward the door.
Adrian moved as if to stop her. “Elena, wait—”
Rachel cut in sharply. “Let the girl leave. She has work to do. And you and I need to talk privately.”
Her tone was pointed. Insulting.
And Elena felt it like a slap.
“Mr. Wolfe,” she said softly, bowing her head slightly, “excuse me.”
Then she slipped out before he could say another word.
She didn’t see Adrian’s face as she left—didn’t see the way his expression fell the moment the door closed.
But she felt the pain of leaving.
She felt it with every step.
She felt it deep in her chest.
---
Elena rushed down the hallway, trying to swallow the ache in her throat. She shouldn’t have expected anything. She shouldn’t have let herself feel anything. Adrian belonged to a world so vast and unreachable that even standing too close was a mistake.
She reached the corner when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her—fast, purposeful.
“Elena!”
She froze.
Adrian caught up to her, breathing slightly harder than usual. “Why did you leave like that?”
She looked away. “You were busy.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the truth.”
“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not.”
She bit her lip. “Adrian—”
The use of his first name made him inhale sharply.
She shook her head. “Mr. Wolfe, then… this is how things are. You’re you. And I’m just a servant. When your family is around, I’m nothing. They don’t even see me.”
“Elena,” Adrian whispered, stepping closer, “don’t ever call yourself nothing.”
She blinked hard. “But that’s how they see me.”
“Not how I see you.”
Her throat tightened painfully. “Sometimes… I don’t know how to read you. You protect me one moment, and then the next—”
“Today was complicated,” he said. “Rachel shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
“But she did.”
“And I should have corrected her.”
The admission stunned her. Adrian rarely admitted mistakes.
“Then why didn’t you?” she asked softly.
He hesitated. Just for a second. But it was enough.
And that hesitation cut her deeper than anything.
“I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of her,” he said finally.
Elena’s heart twisted painfully.
“So you wouldn’t defend me in public?”
“Elena—”
“I understand.” Her voice cracked. “I forgot my place.”
His expression shifted instantly—hurt, frustration, and something raw behind his eyes.
“You think that’s what this is about?” Adrian whispered. “Your place?”
“That’s what it feels like,” she whispered back.
He stepped closer until only inches separated them. “Elena, I hurt you today. I see that. And I’m sorry.”
Her breath trembled. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not.” His voice cracked slightly. “I should have protected you from her. I should have said something. I should have—” He broke off, running a hand through his hair. “I handled it wrong.”
Her chest tightened. “Then why did you let her talk to me like that?”
He closed his eyes briefly. “Because I’m… not good at this.”
Her voice softened. “Good at what?”
“Feeling things I shouldn’t,” he whispered.
Silence wrapped around them.
Elena stared at him, her heartbeat loud in her ears. “Adrian…”
But he shook his head. “If I’m seen defending you like that—if they think you matter to me—my family will destroy you. They’ll tear you apart just because they can.”
Her breath caught.
“That’s why,” he whispered, voice breaking, “I hesitated.”
It hurt.
It made sense.
And it still hurt.
“Adrian,” she whispered, “I’m not asking you to choose me. I’m not asking for anything.”
He met her gaze, pain and longing mixing inside him. “But you deserve better than silence.”
She swallowed. “Then what are we supposed to do?”
His voice softened. “For now… let me try again. Let me fix what I broke today.”
She hesitated. “I don’t know if you can.”
He stepped closer and gently brushed a tear from her cheek. She hadn’t even realized she was crying.
“Elena,” he whispered, “I hurt you today. And nothing hurts me more than knowing that.”
Her knees weakened. His touch, his voice, his sincerity—everything was too much.
“Elena,” Adrian said softly, “don’t pull away from me. Not yet.”
She closed her eyes, swallowing the ache in her chest.
“I won’t,” she whispered.
And though nothing was solved, though the world outside still threatened them, something softened between them. Something fragile, painful, and beautiful.
Something like the beginning of trust.
Something like the beginning of love.
- Writer
