Chapter 7
1081 Words
The mansion was completely silent.
Only the sound of rain tapping softly against the window filled the darkness.
Elena tossed restlessly against the bed, her breathing uneven as another nightmare dragged her deeper into the past.
“Don’t make me angry again!”
A loud crash echoed through her mind.
Her body flinched violently.
“You belong to me.”
Elena gasped softly before suddenly opening her eyes.
Darkness.
For a few seconds, she couldn’t breathe properly. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as cold sweat covered her skin.
The nightmare felt too real.
Slowly Elena pushed the blanket away before carefully stepping out of bed. Her head still hurt slightly from earlier, but the silence inside the room somehow felt even worse.
Maybe some water would help.
Quietly she opened the bedroom door and walked downstairs.
The mansion remained dim and cold at that hour. Soft golden lights illuminated the empty hallway while rain continued pouring outside.
“Having a nightmare?”
She froze instantly.
Ryder sat alone in the living room, leaning back against the couch with one arm resting lazily against the armrest. The dim lights above cast a shadow across his sharp features.
Elena swallowed nervously.
“I didn’t mean to wake up anyone.”
“You didn’t.”
His dark eyes studied her carefully.
“But you look terrified.”
For a moment, Elena looked away. She hated how easily he noticed things. Ryder slowly placed the glass in his hand onto the table before speaking again.
“You’ve been scared since the moment I saw you at the bar.”
His voice remained calm.
“People don’t usually run into places like hell’s throttle unless they’re running from something.”
Elena’s finger tightened slightly around the sleeve of her shirt.
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Ryder didn’t pressure her.
He simply waited.
And somehow…
That made it harder to stay quiet.
Finally, Elena lowered her eyes.
“I left home because of my boyfriend.”
Ryder's expression remained unreadable.
“He wasn’t always bad…” she continued quietly. “At first …he was kind,”
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
“At least that’s what I thought.”
Rain echoed softly outside the mansion as Elena forced herself to continue,
“My parents warned me about him,” her voice trembled slightly. “But I was stupid enough to ignore them.”
Ryder stayed silent, listening carefully.
“I left everything for him.” Elena laughed weakly, though it sounded more painful than amused. “My family…my home…everything.”
Her eyes slowly turned glossy.
“But after a while...” she whispered, “He changed.”
Ryder's jaw tightened.
“ He gets angry easily. He likes controlling everything I do.” Elena’s breathing became uneven again. “And when things don’t go his way….”
She stopped speaking.
She didn’t need to explain the rest.
The silence alone said enough.
A dangerous look slowly appeared in Ryder’s eyes.
“And the money?” he asked calmly.
Elena looked surprised for a second.
“He’s already rich,” she answered softly. “But somehow…it’s never enough for him.”
Ryder leaned back slightly, his expression growing darker with every word she said.
“He always wanted more.” Elena lowered her gaze again. “More power. More control. More money.”
For the first time that night, Ryder finally understood why she looked so afraid when he first saw her standing alone in the rain.
Because Elena wasn’t just running.
She was escaping.
And somehow…
That made him even more dangerous toward the man who hurt her.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of rain filled the silence between them.
Elena lowered her head, trying hard to stop the tears burning behind her eyes.
“I really thought he loved me…” she whispered weakly. “I was willing to leave everything for him.”
Her voice cracked.
“But in the end…I lost everything instead.”
Something inside Ryder tightened painfully at those words.
Before Elena could hide her face, Ryder suddenly stood up and walked toward her.
Elena looked up slowly.
Her breath caught for a second when he stopped in front of her.
“Ryder?...”
Without saying anything, Ryder gently pulled her into his arms.
Elena froze instantly.
Warm.
Safe.
For the first time in so long, someone was holding her without trying to hurt her.
That alone completely shattered the wall she had been trying to hold together.
A soft sob escaped from her lips.
Then another.
Soon, Elena was crying quietly against his chest, her fingers trembling as they gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly.
Ryder remained silent.
One of his hands rested protectively against the back of her head while the other slowly rubbed her back in a calm rhythm.
“It’s okay,” he murmured quietly.
And somehow…
Those simple words only made her cry harder.
Years of fear. Regret. Pain.
Everything she had been holding in finally broke apart in his arm.
Ryder’s jaw tightened slightly as he listened to her quiet sobs.
That bastard had broken her piece by piece.
The thought alone made something dark flicker inside him.
But right now…
Elena needed comfort more than revenge.
Slowly, her crying became quieter.
Her body relaxed little by little against him.
Then finally—
Silence.
Ryder looked down slightly.
Elena had fallen asleep in his arms.
For a moment, he simply stared at her sleeping face.
Peaceful.
Fragile.
Carefully, Ryder slipped one arm beneath her legs before lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
Elena stirred slightly against his chest but didn’t wake up.
The mansion remained silent as Ryder carried her upstairs.
When he finally reached the bedroom, he gently placed her down onto the soft bed before pulling the blanket carefully over her body.
He should leave now.
But strangely…
His feet refused to move.
Ryder slowly sat down at the edge of the bed instead.
For a long moment, he simply watched her sleeping peacefully beneath the dim light.
Then, without realizing it, his hand slowly reached for her.
Warm.
Small.
His finger wrapped loosely around her hand while his dark eyes remained fixed on her face.
Something about Elena felt strangely familiar to him.
Not just familiar.
Close.
Too close.
Like somehow…
Their lives had already been connected long before that rainy night at Hell’s Throttle.
And Ryder was about to discover exactly why.
To be continued
- Writer
