Chapter 10: Beneath the Veil of Rain
588 Words
The rain came down like a confession, soft at first, then louder, like the city had something it had held back for too long.
Elara stood at the entrance of the abandoned greenhouse, droplets gliding down her cheeks, almost hiding the tears she hadn’t allowed herself to cry. She wasn’t supposed to be here. Not with him. Not tonight. But when emotions outgrow rules, even the strongest walls c***k.
“Late again,” Kael’s voice echoed through the metal-framed doorway, his silhouette faint behind the misty glass.
“You always say that,” she whispered, stepping inside, her soaked hair clinging to her face.
He turned, meeting her gaze. “Because I’m always waiting.”
Silence swallowed the space between them. Around them, vines curled across the greenhouse walls, growing wild and untamed—like them. Like this. Forbidden, messy, alive.
“Your dad’s men followed you again.” Kael's tone wasn’t angry. Just tired.
“I know,” she replied, voice trembling. “I lost them on 7th. I... needed to see you.”
He reached for her hand. “Why?”
Elara looked away, her heart pounding. “Because everything out there feels fake. And with you, it doesn’t.”
A beat passed. Then another. Kael took a slow breath. “I’m not who you think I am, Elara.”
Her brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been lying to you,” he admitted, letting go of her hand. “Not about how I feel. But about who I am.”
Elara felt the weight in his words before she understood them. Her chest tightened. “Kael, don’t—”
“My name isn’t just Kael. It’s Kael Reyes. My mom used to work in your father’s office. Before she was... before she disappeared.”
The words struck her like thunder.
“What are you saying?”
“I think your father had something to do with it.”
“No,” she gasped, shaking her head. “That’s not possible—”
“I didn’t come into your life by accident,” Kael continued. “At first, it was revenge. I wanted answers. I thought being close to you would get me in. But then... I met you. And you weren’t what I expected.”
The walls felt like they were caving in. Elara took a step back, then another. “So you used me?”
“No. I swear, not anymore. Not for a long time. Everything I told you—every night, every rooftop, every word—was real.”
“Then why now?” she whispered, barely able to stand. “Why tell me this now?”
Kael’s eyes burned with something more than guilt. “Because tonight, I got a message. Someone knows. Someone’s threatening to expose everything—to your father, to the press.”
“And if they do?”
“They’ll tear us apart.”
A c***k of thunder split the sky.
Elara collapsed onto an old wooden bench, her whole world spinning. “I trusted you…”
“I know,” he said, kneeling in front of her. “And I don’t deserve it. But I’m not giving up on us—not now, not after everything.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was from betrayal or heartbreak—or both.
“I need time,” she finally said.
Kael nodded slowly, rising to his feet. “I’ll wait. Even if it rains forever, I’ll wait.”
- Writer
