From Ashes to Us

CHAPTER 5

ALEXANDER’S POV

We stepped off the yacht just as the golden sun began to dip toward the horizon. She looked like something out of a dream…hair tousled by sea breeze, eyes lit from within after a day of laughter, food, and quiet moments that somehow meant more than words.

I reached for her hand as we walked down the dock toward the car waiting to take us back to the villa.

But then she turned to me, her voice barely above a whisper.

“When are we heading back?”

I stopped mid-step.

Back?

I turned to face her, trying not to let my surprise show. “You want to leave already? I thought you were having fun.”

“I am,” she said quickly, too quickly. “It’s been… amazing. Really.”

Her eyes dropped, hands fidgeting. There was something behind her words…something strained and heavy.

“But…” I prompted, even though I already had a sinking feeling in my chest.

She looked up at me then, and I saw it, fear. Not of me, but of the invisible leash still tied around her.

“I should go back to him,” she said.

I flinched. I couldn’t help it. After everything, she still thought she owed that monster something?

“You don’t have to go back,” I said quietly. “You know that, right?”

She looked like she wanted to believe me. Like a part of her was screaming to say yes, to stay. But instead, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and she gave a small shake of her head.

“Please,” she said, just one word. Fragile. Final.

And that was all it took.

I pulled out my phone, jaw tight, and called the pilot. “Get the plane ready,” I said. “We’re heading back tonight.”

Nia didn’t say anything. She just nodded, clutching the straps of her bag like armor.

As I ended the call and slid the phone back into my pocket, I glanced at her again. She wasn’t looking at me, just out at the horizon like it had stolen her dreams and wouldn’t give them back.

And as much as it hurt to watch her retreat into that cage of fear again…

…I wasn’t letting her go for good.

NIA’S POV

The hum of the engines filled the silence between us.

We were airborne, and I sat beside the window again….just like on the way here but everything felt different now. He hadn’t said much since we left the dock, and neither had I. The joy I’d felt just hours before seemed like a distant memory, swallowed up by guilt… and fear.

My fingers were clasped tightly in my lap, trying not to tremble.

Alexander sat across from me, one leg propped over the other, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. But I could still feel his gaze on me every now and then….steady, unreadable.

Part of me wanted to cry. Part of me wanted to beg him not to take me back.

But the louder part was Caleb’s voice in my head, threatening, looming, dangerous.

I couldn’t drag Alexander into that storm.

I chanced a glance at him. “I’m sorry,” I murmured.

His sunglasses lowered slightly. “For what?”

“For cutting the trip short… for all of it. I didn’t mean to mess up your plans.”

“You didn’t,” he said, voice calm but firm. “You don’t owe me an apology, Nia.”

But I did. At least it felt like I did. He’d shown me kindness I hadn’t felt in years. A glimpse of freedom. Of peace. And now I was walking away from it like a coward.

I turned back to the window, swallowing hard as clouds rolled past below.

“I can handle myself,” he said after a moment. “If you’re going back because you’re afraid I can’t handle Caleb, don’t. I’ve faced worse.”

“I’m not afraid for you,” I said softly. “I’m afraid of what he’ll do to me.”

He didn’t answer right away.

Then I heard the scrape of his chair and felt the warmth of his presence as he sat beside me, this time close, closer than before.

“I can protect you, Nia,” he said, voice low and steady. “But you have to let me.”

I looked at him. Really looked at him.

And for a split second, I wanted to believe him.

But I just nodded weakly and looked away.

He didn’t press further. Instead, he reached over gently and placed a blanket over my legs.

“If you need anything, just say it.”

Then he sat back, quiet again.

I rested my head against the window, closing my eyes but my mind stayed wide awake, the ache in my chest growing heavier with every mile that brought me closer to Caleb.

ALEXANDER’S POV

She stood by the door with her small bag in hand, shoulders slightly hunched, head lowered. There was something final about the way she looked… like someone walking back into a cage of their own free will.

I leaned against the doorway of the guest room, watching her. The soft rustle of fabric was the only sound as she adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

“That’s all you’re taking?” I asked, pushing off the frame.

She paused, tightening her grip on the handle. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I… I was wondering if I could leave the things I bought here.”

I frowned. “Why?”

She still didn’t meet my eyes. “Caleb… he might get upset if he sees them. He’ll think I was showing off. Or that I was trying to make him look bad.”

There was shame in her voice. Not because she had done anything wrong but because he’d made her believe she had.

“Of course,” I said, walking toward the closet. “You can leave whatever you want. I’ll keep them safe for you.”

She gave a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You can stay, you know,” I said, softer now. “You don’t have to go back.”

Her smile fell. “I’ll be fine.”

She wasn’t.

We both knew it.

Still, I nodded. I’d learned not to push too hard, at least not all at once.

“Can I get your number?” I asked, fishing my phone from my pocket.

She hesitated. “I… don’t have a phone.”

I blinked. “You don’t..?” I stopped. Then it hit me.

I hadn’t seen her with one this entire time.

Of course he wouldn’t let her have a phone.

Without a word, I stepped over to a drawer in the living room and pulled out one of my old iPhones. I hadn’t used it in months since upgrading, but it was still in perfect condition…clean, charged, and ready to go.

I held it out to her.

She stared at it like it was a foreign object. “I, I can’t…”

“It’s mine,” I said firmly. “I don’t use it anymore. I just want you to have it.”

She looked up at me then, uncertain.

“Nia,” I said, softer this time, “If you ever need me, ever…..you call. You don’t have to speak. Just dial. I’ll come.”

She reached out slowly, like her hand wasn’t entirely her own, and took the phone.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

I didn’t say anything else. I couldn’t. My chest was tight, heart heavy watching her walk toward the door.

And when she turned one last time, giving me a small wave before slipping through the frame.

I knew I’d made a mistake letting her go.

But now I had a way to find her again.

And I would.

Even if I had to tear her away from hell itself.

I hadn’t moved from the spot near the window. The city lights blinked below like stars scattered across pavement, but none of it held my attention.

I kept replaying the way she’d looked at the door….like she was walking back into a life she didn’t want. That small, practiced smile she gave me before stepping out. It haunted me more than I expected.

Then my phone buzzed.

Caller ID: James (Driver)

I picked it up immediately. “Yeah?”

“She got home safe, sir,” James said. “I waited to make sure she got inside.”

“Was everything… alright?” I asked carefully, tension coiling in my gut.

“She didn’t say much. Just thanked me and walked up the steps. No one came out. She let herself in.”

I exhaled, only slightly relieved. “Good. Thanks, James.”

“Of course, sir.”

I ended the call but didn’t put the phone down.

She was back in his house.