Untamed Love

Broken Promises Elena Hayes I used to believe I understood love. That existed prior to the treachery. The shame, the gossip, before the falsehoods. Before Sebastian Knight, my husband, the guy I thought I knew better than anybody, broke everything. Sitting in the shadow of a courtroom now, the echoes of my lawyer's austere voice disappearing into the walls, I wonder how I arrived. Not only physically but also emotionally—how did my life arrive at this? It was not only the affair. That would be overly straightforward, no. The first c***k, but not the last, were the allegations of his a******y with Isabella Marconi—a lady whose name alone teemed with controversy. If I had thought he really loved me, I could have forgiven that. But beneath the surface was a great deal more buried. Actually, I had always been able to keep the guy apart from the CEO. Sebastian Knight was driven, ambitious, occasionally merciless. In business, that was really vital. Though it meant he was late for dinner or preoccupied, I used to respect his tenacity. But at some point the borders separating his professional image from the man I married started to blur. The infidelity rumors then started to appear. Publicized on every news source and sloppily spread throughout every tabloid. " Billionaire Sebastian Knight caught in an alleged affair with a rival businesswoman." Fragile as it was, my faith in him fell apart. His isolation, his incapacity to open up, made me doubt everything even if he denied it. I inhaled unsteadily, trying to quiet my racing ideas. Over the preceding few months, heartache, secrets, and treachery had whirled about. I had not told him three months earlier when I discovered I was expecting his child. How might I? Our marriage was beyond repair. Not even had I determined if I would keep the baby. I had no idea how I could stop the whirl of my existence. The door to the little room creaked open, and I looked up to find my best friend Ava strolling inside. Her grin was subdued, compassionate, but I could sense anxiety in her eyes. Through all of this, she had been my rock—always there with a consoling word or a solid shoulder to cry on. Quietly seated next to me, she said, "Hey." "Are you holding out?" I nodded, yet the weight on my chest revealed another tale. "barely." "We can still walk away, Elena," she said in a steady but subdued voice. "You need not proceed with this divorce today." Fighting the impulse to yell, I tightened my hands. I didn't want to leave. I needed responses. Why Sebastian, the man who had promised to guard me, had become a stranger intrigued me. "I want closure, Ava." I have to close this chapter before I can start thinking ahead. She moaned and laid her hand on mine. "I get it." But let the process not define you. How much of myself I had already lost? That was the aspect that was most frightening to me. I used to be lively, confident, with dreams unrelated to a man. But I had forgotten who I was somewhere among Sebastian's universe of power, wealth, and influence. I started to be his perfect wife, his friend, the lady standing next to him at Galas who grinned for the cameras. And I no longer even performed well at that. My heart stopped when I heard a low, austere voice from the corridor. Sebastian in particular. Since I asked for divorce, I had not seen him. I was not ready to confront him once more. The door opened, and he walked his presence, draining the air from the room. He looked the same—dark, understated suit, keen blue eyes that had previously melted my heart—but something about him was changed. He had a tightness in his jaw and a step with an edge. "Elena," he murmured, sounding less than I would have imagined. We have to talk. Ava stood, glaring his direction out of the room. I stayed still. I couldn't. Under his stare, I felt imprisoned as though time itself had slowed. "We're done talking, Sebastian," I said, hardly able to keep the trembling from my voice. There is nothing left to say. His eyes darkened, and he moved in front. "You are incorrect." We still have so much to say. Things you are not familiar with. Rising from my chair, I let resentment erupt. You say I lack sufficient knowledge? The affair, the commercial transaction almost brought us down, the lies—Sebastian, what more could there be? His jaw closed and he briefly closed his eyes as though attempting to cool off. I saw something I hadn't seen in a long time as he opened them once more—regret. "I had no affair with Isabella. Elena, I promise to you that never happened. I gave my head a shake. "That is not even relevant today. You turned away from me in other respects. "I know," he answered gently. "I am aware of my own. But you have to pay attention—victor has been underlying all of this. The reference to his brother sent my stomach down. Victor Knight was renowned for his guile and for engaging in risky games. Still, what could he have to do with any of this? From behind the scenes, Victor has been tugging the strings. He has been trying to run the business, feeding Isabella information, creating press stories, and... Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, his calm faltering for the first time. "Until it was too late, I had no idea." Blinking, I was shocked into silence. Too much to consider at once. His own brother Victor had been guiding this whole collapse. The commercial dealings, the affair rumors, the sabotage—all of which suddenly felt like puzzle pieces fitting each other. It did not, however, affect anything. "You still lied to me," I murmured, my voice quivering but resolved. " Even if that's true." With that bargain, you still endanger me. You lacked the trust necessary to inform me of events. He faltered, remorse blazing over his face. "I am aware. I was supposed to be shielding you. "Well, you were not," I said. And it is too late now. Sebastian moved forward, his voice lowering to a plea. "Elena, I am able to repair this. I am able to correct us. I choked hard, every fiber of my life screaming at me to leave. Then I considered the baby—the secret I hadn't yet disclosed. Could he truly make this right? Alternatively, was I already far too gone? "I'm not sure whether you could, Sebastian," I said quietly. "I'm not sure whether I should trust you once more. He stretched out as though he could touch my arm, then stopped short. "Please, just give me a shot. I will show you that I am not the man you believe I have evolved into. Between us was a protracted stillness laden with all the unspoken words, broken pledges, and dashed ambitions. Standing on the brink of a choice that might turn everything around, my heart flew. A loud bang suddenly came from outside the room, and the corridor rang with fast footsteps. My body stiffened, terror coursed down my spine. "What was that?" asked My voice just above a whisper, I asked. Sebastian's face went white, and for the first time I saw something I never would have imagined in his eyes: anxiety. His voice strained, he continued, "I don't know." Still, we must go. Right now. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door without further word. My body shook with excitement while my head whirled with questions. What was underway? From me now, what was he hiding? But one thing was very clear as we entered the hall. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. Gunshots blast out from the direction of the exit as Sebastian and Elena bolt from the room. Elena is shocked by the sound, but the way Sebastian looks at her indicates that this is only the start of something darker—a fresh threat she never noticed approaching. The game has evolved, and this time it goes beyond their failing marriage. It has to do with survival.