Chapter Five
1147 Words
Elena:
The rules came the next morning.
Of course, they did.
I found them waiting for me, not written, not spoken like a conversation, but delivered like an order.
Lucian stood near the window, already dressed, already composed, like he hadn’t slept at all.
“You’re awake,” he said without turning.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Clearly.”
He turned then, holding a file.
“There are things you need to understand.”
I leaned against the table. “I’m listening.”
His gaze locked onto mine.
“You don’t involve yourself in Valecrest business.”
“Fine.”
“You attend events when required.”
“Expected.”
“You don’t leave the estate without informing me.”
That made me straighten.
“I’m not a prisoner.”
His expression didn’t change.
“No,” he said calmly, “but you are my responsibility.”
“I don’t need one.”
“That’s not your decision.”
Anger flared instantly, hot and sharp in my chest.
“Everything seems to be your decision.”
A pause followed, thick and heavy.
“Yes.”
I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“And yet,” he said quietly, stepping closer, “you married me.”
That hit harder than I expected.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight.
“I didn’t choose you.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Gone too quickly for me to understand.
“No,” he said, “but you stayed.”
That silence returned, it was dangerous, loaded, saying too much without saying anything at all.
Before I could respond, a knock interrupted us.
Helen entered.
And just like that, the tension broke.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she said gently.
“You’re not,” I replied quickly.
Lucian stepped back, as if her presence forced distance between us.
Interesting.
“I would like to invite you for tea.”
I glanced at Lucian, but he wasn’t looking at me. He faced the window.
“Of course. I’m honored, Helen,” I said with a polite smile.
Helen walked up to Lucian.
“I hope you’re going to meet with your father today,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Lucian didn’t respond at first. He just stared at her, as if he was lost in thought.
“Lucian… Lucian,” she called softly.
“I will meet him, Aunt. Don’t worry,” he said, placing a kiss on her forehead before walking away.
Helen smiled at me and moved toward the door.
“I’ll be expecting you, darling.”
I nodded. “Let me freshen up.”
She smiled and left the room.
The moment she was gone, I rushed to the bathroom. I couldn’t stay another minute in that room.
After I was done, I changed into something simple, a top and shorts and went straight to Helen’s room.
Her room felt… different and warmer.
Like someone actually lived there.
She smiled and gestured for me to sit beside her. I won’t lie, I really liked her.
“You don’t have to be afraid of him,” she said softly as she poured the tea.
I looked down at the cup in my hands.
“I’m not afraid.”
She smiled faintly. “Good. Because fear is not what he needs.”
That made me look up.
“What does he need?”
Her gaze softened, like she was remembering something far away.
“Understanding.”
I almost laughed.
Lucian Valecrest? Understanding?
“He doesn’t seem like someone who wants that.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know how to ask for it.”
Her words stayed with me longer than I expected.
Long after I left her room.
Long after, the house grew quiet again.
*******
That night, the storm came suddenly and violently.
Thunder cracked through the sky, loud enough to shake the windows.
And then there was darkness.
The lights went out instantly, plunging everything into black.
My breath caught.
No… no…
The room felt too big and too dark.
I hated storms.
I always had.
Another thunderclap hit, louder this time, and something inside me snapped.
I moved without thinking, stepping into the hallway.
“Hello?” I called softly.
There was no answer.
A flash of lightning lit the corridor for a split second.
Another crash followed.
My heart raced, pounding against my ribs.
And then a door opened.
Light spilled faintly from inside.
Lucian stepped out.
Our eyes met instantly.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked at me.
His gaze wasn’t cold. It was something else.
“You’re afraid,” he said.
I stiffened. “I’m not…”
Another thunderclap cut me off and I flinched.
His expression changed instantly.
He walked toward me slowly, carefully like I was something fragile. Something that might break if he moved too fast.
“I’m fine,” I insisted.
But my voice betrayed me.
He stopped right in front of me, close enough for me to feel his presence steady and solid.
“Stay,” he said quietly.
Not a command this time.
It was softer and more protective.
I hesitated.
Only for a second.
Then I nodded.
We stood there in silence.
In the dark.
The storm still raged outside, but it felt distant now. Like it couldn’t reach us.
I became aware of everything—the rain hitting the windows, the warmth radiating from him, the way my breathing slowly steadied.
Lucian didn’t speak again.
He didn’t move away. He didn’t push.
He just stayed.
And somehow… that felt like enough.
The thunder softened, fading into low rumbles.
The lightning grew less frequent.
The storm began to pass.
But neither of us moved.
And somewhere between the fading thunder and the quiet that followed…
I realized something.
For the first time since I got here…
I didn’t feel alone.
Not in this house.
Not in this marriage.
Not even at this moment.
And that scared me more than the storm ever could.
Because just as that thought settled.
Lucian’s hand tightened slightly around mine deliberately.
Like he had just realized something too.
My breath caught as I looked up at him.
But he wasn’t looking at me anymore.
His gaze had shifted slowly toward the end of the hallway.
Then I turned.
Another flash of lightning tore through the sky.
For a split second, the corridor lit up.
And there she was.
Cora, the head maid assigned to me.Standing there Watching us.
The light vanished.
Darkness swallowed everything again.
My fingers tightened instinctively around Lucian’s shirt.
“Did you…?”
“I saw it,” he said quietly.
But his voice was no longer calm.
It was cold and deadly.
And then, in the darkness she realized we had seen her, she turned and ran.
- Writer
