chapter 2 :THE RULE WE BROKE
797 Words
The silence after his words felt deadly.
“They’re already watching us.”
Elara stared at him, pulse suddenly uneven.
Outside, rain crashed harder against the windows, but inside the penthouse, everything had gone still.
Too still.
Anik looked different now.
Colder.
Sharper.
Dangerous in a way she hadn’t seen before.
Not because he was angry.
Because he was calculating.
And men like Anik Varren only calculated when something had become a threat.
“You’re sure?” she asked quietly.
His jaw tightened.
“They wouldn’t use that line unless they were.”
A chill crawled down her spine.
Watching.
The word alone was enough to change everything.
Because this—whatever existed between them—was never supposed to happen.
Not in their world.
Not with their names.
Not with the people connected to them.
Elara crossed her arms slowly, forcing herself to stay calm.
“What exactly do they know?”
Anik’s eyes met hers.
“That’s what scares me.”
The honesty in his voice hit harder than panic would have.
Because Anik didn’t scare easily.
He walked through danger like he owned it.
But now?
Now he looked like a man standing one step away from disaster.
He grabbed his coat from the chair nearby.
“You need to leave.”
Her expression hardened immediately.
“No.”
His eyes snapped toward her.
“Elara.”
“No,” she repeated, stepping closer. “I’m tired of you deciding everything alone.”
“You think this is a game?”
“I think you’re trying to push me away again.”
“That’s because I’m trying to protect you.”
The words exploded out harsher than he intended.
Silence filled the room instantly.
Elara’s breath caught slightly.
Not because of his tone.
Because of what he admitted without realizing it.
Protect you.
Anik noticed it too.
His expression darkened.
Damn it.
He turned away quickly, running a hand through his hair.
“This is exactly why this can’t continue.”
Elara stared at his back.
“Then why can’t you let me go?”
That question hit him like a knife.
Because he didn’t have an answer.
Or maybe he did.
And he hated it.
Anik closed his eyes briefly.
The truth was simple.
He wanted her too much.
And wanting anything this much made people weak.
In his world, weakness got people destroyed.
“Elara…” his voice lowered, rougher now, “you have no idea what people like me become when we lose control.”
She moved closer again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Until she stood right behind him.
“I think,” she whispered, “you’re more afraid of yourself than you are of them.”
His entire body went still.
Wrong move.
Very wrong move.
Because she was right.
And he hated how easily she saw through him.
Anik turned suddenly.
Too fast.
Too close.
Elara inhaled sharply as his hand landed beside her head against the wall behind her.
Now she was trapped between his body and cold marble.
His eyes burned into hers.
“You need to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Looking at me like you already belong to me.”
The words sent heat rushing through her chest.
But Elara refused to look away.
“What if I do?”
Big mistake.
A dangerous silence followed.
Anik’s breathing changed instantly.
Slower.
Heavier.
His eyes dropped to her lips again.
And this time—
He didn’t hide it.
The tension between them became unbearable.
One more second and something irreversible would happen.
Elara felt it.
So did he.
Which was why Anik stepped back abruptly, creating distance before he completely destroyed his own self-control.
“Go home,” he said quietly.
This time his voice sounded exhausted.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Exhausted.
Like resisting her was becoming painful.
Elara watched him carefully.
Then she asked the one question she knew he wouldn’t want to answer.
“If this means nothing…”
Her voice softened.
“…why do you look at me like losing me would kill you?”
Anik froze.
And in that single moment—
She got her answer.
Because the look in his eyes wasn’t denial.
It was fear.
Raw.
Terrifying.
Real.
A phone notification suddenly lit up on the counter beside him.
Anik glanced at it.
Then instantly grabbed the phone before she could see.
Too late.
Elara had already caught the message on the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
«We know about the girl.»
The blood drained from her face.
Anik’s expression turned lethal.
Then another message appeared.
«Tell her to run before we decide to stop watching.»
Silence.
Heavy.
Breathing became difficult.
And for the first time since this began—
Elara realized this wasn’t just dangerous anymore.
It was war.
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