Chapter 4 – Night Shadows
843 Words
Elena lay awake in the guest room long after the lights were off.
The room was beautiful—soft gold lamps, a balcony overlooking the gardens, a bed that felt like sinking into clouds. But none of it could calm the storm in her chest.
Twenty-four hours.
Someone had given her a warning, and Dominic… Dominic was acting like the entire city would burn if she stepped two feet outside his protection.
She turned on her side, staring at the ceiling.
What was she supposed to do?
Before she could answer herself, the sharp sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Not running. Not hurried. But steady. Heavy. Purposeful.
She sat up instantly.
A shadow passed under her door.
Her breath froze.
“Dominic?” she whispered.
No answer.
She slipped off the bed, heart thudding, and crept toward the door. Just as her fingers touched the handle—
A low voice from the hallway whispered sharply:
“Don’t move.”
Elena’s blood went cold.
That was **not** Dominic’s voice.
Suddenly, the entire hallway burst with motion.
A gunshot cracked through the silence.
Elena gasped and stumbled back as the door was yanked open from the other side.
Strong hands grabbed her waist.
“Elena!”
Dominic pulled her behind him, shielding her with his body so completely that she couldn’t even see the hallway anymore. His breathing was harsh, his chest rising and falling fast.
“Stay behind me,” he ordered, voice low and deadly.
Elena clutched the back of his shirt, trembling. “What’s happening?”
“Someone got inside.” His tone sharpened. “They weren’t here for me.”
Her stomach dropped.
“They were here for you.”
Another gunshot rang out from the far end of the corridor. Dominic pushed Elena back into the room, slammed the door, and locked it.
“Don’t move,” he said again, turning toward her.
But when he looked at her… something in his expression shattered.
“Elena,” he murmured, stepping closer, “you’re shaking.”
Of course she was. Someone had tried to break into the estate—Dominic’s heavily guarded estate—just to get to her.
He cupped the side of her face gently.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should have kept you closer.”
Her breath caught. “I thought I’d be safer here.”
“You *are* safer here,” he said fiercely. “You would have been in danger anywhere else. They followed you today.” His voice darkened. “They were watching you after you left my office.”
Fear coiled in her chest.
“Dominic… who are these people?”
“The ones who want to control this city,” he said bitterly. “The ones who fear the Castellanos name. And now they think they can reach me through you.”
Elena backed away slightly, her heart pounding. “This is exactly why I shouldn’t sign—”
He caught her wrist gently, not stopping her, just grounding her.
“Elena.”
His voice softened. “This isn’t your fault. It never will be.”
She looked down at his hand holding hers.
“Why are you doing all this?” she whispered. “Why does it matter so much to protect me?”
Dominic let out a slow breath, like he had been holding it for hours.
“Because I can’t lose you before I even have you.”
Her heart flipped violently in her chest.
“Dominic…”
He stepped closer, lowering his forehead to hers. His voice was low, raw, completely stripped of his usual control.
“You walked into my office three days ago, and everything changed. I don’t care if this marriage started as a contract. I don’t care if you fight me every day for the rest of our lives.” He swallowed. “I want you safe. I want you breathing. I want you here.”
Her chest ached at the sincerity in his tone.
A loud banging echoed from downstairs, pulling them apart.
Dominic’s eyes hardened instantly.
“Stay in this room,” he said quietly. “I mean it. Don’t open the door for anyone but me.”
Fear rushed through her, stronger than before. “Dominic—don’t go alone.”
He brushed a thumb across her cheek, so gently it made her throat tighten.
“I have to. And I’ll be back. I promise.”
He turned toward the door.
Just as he was about to leave, Elena grabbed his hand.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
Dominic paused… then squeezed her fingers once, slow and deliberate, as if telling her without words:
*For you, I will.*
Then he stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Elena pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
Danger had come to her door.
Now she had twenty-four hours to decide her future —
but tonight, she realized something terrifying.
Her heart was already choosing him.
- Writer
