His Love, Her Sin

Chapter 5: Rainfall and Restraint

Elara’s POV

The rain came down like it had something to prove.

Each droplet slapped against my skin, soaking me through as I walked down the empty street. The heels I wore earlier had long been tossed aside, dangling from my fingers, useless in the storm. My soaked dress clung to my body like a second skin, and every step felt like dragging my heart through the mud.

I didn’t know how far the hotel was from home. I just knew I had to leave.

I had to leave him.

I don’t know what I expected—maybe to cry, maybe to scream—but instead, I walked in silence. Each footstep is a quiet rebellion.

“Elara?”

I froze.

A black car slowed beside me, the window sliding down to reveal a familiar face. Jace.

His voice carried concern, something I hadn’t heard in so long I almost forgot what it sounded like.

“Get in. You're going to catch something out here.”

I hesitated. My pride wanted me to keep walking. My body had other plans. Shivering, I looked at the passenger seat and then at him.

“You sure?” I asked, my voice raw.

He gave me a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”

I slid in, water trailing behind me, my bare feet leaving droplets on the floor mat. The car was warm. Too warm. It made the silence between us feel louder.

For a while, he said nothing. Just drove, his eyes flicking between me and the road. I could feel the question hanging in the air between us like a storm that hadn’t passed yet.

He finally broke it.

“I don’t get it,” he said quietly. “You married a man who parades his affairs like medals, and you… just watched.”

My fingers curled into my lap.

“I know it’s none of my business,” he continued, glancing at me. But you deserve better than that. You always did.”

The lump in my throat thickened.

“I remember when I cheated on you,” he added, almost in a whisper. You left. No yelling. No begging. You just walked away. The strongest silence I’ve ever known.”

I turned to look at him.

His jaw clenched. “So why him?”

I couldn’t answer.

I didn’t have the words, or maybe I had too many. Pain layered over confusion, layered over a marriage built on contracts and quiet betrayals. There was no easy explanation. No neat way to say, I didn’t want to be married to Damien—but I also didn’t know how to stop it.

Instead, I whispered, “Thank you for the ride.”

He nodded. The car slowed in front of the gate. My home. My cage.

As I opened the door and stepped out into the soft drizzle, Jace leaned forward.

“You don’t owe me an explanation, Elara. But you do owe yourself freedom.”

I paused, letting those words sink in.

Then I walked to the door without looking back.

Upstairs, I dropped the soaked dress on the bathroom tiles, letting it fall like a weight off my chest. The water from the shower was hot—scalding even—but it wasn’t enough to wash the night from my skin.

Not enough to erase the memory of Damien’s smirk, the coldness in his eyes, the sound of laughter as I sank beneath the pool’s surface.

I pressed my hands to the glass, watching the steam rise.

Maybe Jace was right.

Maybe I did owe myself more than this.

But right now… I just wanted to breathe again.