Chapter 2
1233 Words
ELARA'S POV
FIVE YEARS LATER.
“Final notice.”
I stared at the envelope in my hand for a long moment before tossing it onto the dining table with the others.
There were too many now.
Bills.
Debt notices.
Hospital payments.
Threat letters pretending to sound professional.
The Vance family used to own one of the most respected companies in London.
Now we could barely keep the lights on.
Funny how quickly life could ruin people.
“Lara?”
I looked up immediately.
My mother stood near the kitchen doorway holding two cups of tea. Her soft smile didn’t hide the worry in her eyes.
Nothing did anymore.
“You’ve been sitting here for almost an hour,” she said gently.
“I’m thinking.”
“You’re stressing.”
Same thing.
She walked over and placed one of the cups in front of me before sitting down across from me. Morning light spilled through the dining room windows, but the warmth never quite reached this house anymore.
Not after my brother died.
Not after everything fell apart.
My mother’s gaze shifted toward the pile of unopened envelopes.
Then back to me.
“How bad is it?”
I looked away instantly.
I hated that question because no matter how many times people asked, the answer never changed.
Everything was bad.
“The investors pulled out.”
Her expression fell slightly.
“All of them?”
I nodded once.
Silence settled heavily between us.
The company had been struggling for years, but after my brother’s death, things only got worse. He was the one who understood the business best. The one who believed he could save it.
Now he was gone.
And somehow I was expected to hold everything together.
“We’ll figure something out,” my mother whispered.
I almost smiled at that.
Because hope felt dangerous these days.
Before I could respond, coughing echoed upstairs.
My chest tightened immediately.
Dad.
My mother stood so fast her chair scraped against the floor.
“I’ll check on him.”
“I’m coming too.”
By the time we reached my parents’ bedroom, Dad was sitting upright against the headboard trying to catch his breath.
Guilt hit me instantly.
He looked weaker again.
Thinner.
Paler. And I hated that there was nothing I could do about it.
“Dad…”
“I’m fine,” he muttered.
Which meant he absolutely wasn’t fine.
Mom handed him water while I stood quietly near the doorway pretending I wasn’t terrified.
He noticed anyway.
“What happened?” he asked suddenly.
Neither of us answered quickly enough.
Dad’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Elara.”
I looked down.
That alone told him everything.
“How bad?”
The question again.
I swallowed hard.
“The company may not survive the month.”
The room fell silent.
Mom closed her eyes briefly while Dad leaned back slowly against the pillows.
“I failed all of you,” he said quietly.
“No,” I said immediately.
“It’s true.”
“You built this family.”
“And now I’m leaving you to clean up the ruins.”
My throat tightened painfully.
“You’re not leaving us.”
But fear curled viciously inside my chest as I said it.
Because lately…
I wasn’t sure anymore.
Dad stared at me for a long moment before speaking again.
“What about Kane Industries?”
Every muscle in my body froze instantly.
Mom looked uncomfortable immediately.
“No.”
“Elara”
“No.”
Just hearing his name after all these years was enough to make my chest ache.
Dominic Kane.
Five years later and somehow he still had the power to ruin me without even being here.
Dad sighed heavily.
“You may not have another option.”
“I’m not going to him.”
“You don’t know if he’ll even see you.”
That hurt more than it should have.
Because he was right.
Dominic Kane probably hated me enough to throw me out himself.
And honestly?
I would deserve it.
I turned away before they could see the emotion on my face.
“I’ll figure something else out.”
“Elara.” Dad’s voice softened. “Pride won’t save this family.”
Pride.
If only that was the reason I stayed away from Dominic.
The truth was much worse.
Because deep down…
I wasn’t afraid he would reject me.
I was afraid seeing him again would destroy whatever pieces of me survived these last five years.
My phone suddenly buzzed inside my pocket.
Unknown Number.
Again.
I stepped into the hallway before answering.
“Hello?”
“Miss Vance.” The cold male voice instantly made my stomach tighten. “This is regarding your overdue payments.”
Another debt collector.
“I told you I need more time.”
“You’ve had enough time.”
“I’m trying.”
“With all due respect, trying doesn’t clear debt.”
Humiliation burned through me instantly.
“If payment isn’t made within seven days, legal action will begin.”
Seven days.
My eyes closed briefly.
“Please—”
The line disconnected.
I stared down at my phone in silence.
Then laughed bitterly under my breath.
Seven days before everything completely collapsed.
I leaned against the wall and pressed my fingers against my temple.
Think, Elara.
Think.
But every solution led back to the same terrifying answer.
Dominic.
The man I betrayed.
The man I destroyed.
The man I never stopped loving.
“Elara?”
I looked up to find my mother watching me carefully.
“You should go to him.”
My chest tightened instantly.
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“You don’t understand.”
“No.” Her expression softened sadly. “I think I do.”
That hurt more than it should have.
Because if my own mother could still see how much I loved Dominic after five years…
Then maybe I never hid it well at all.
Dad’s voice echoed weakly from the bedroom.
“Elara.”
I walked back inside immediately.
He looked exhausted now.
“Go to Kane Industries.”
I shook my head instantly.
“Dad”
“This isn’t about the past anymore.”
Except it was.
Everything about Dominic was tied to the past.
To heartbreak.
To guilt.
To lies.
Dad looked at me carefully.
“You still love him.”
My breath caught painfully.
Nobody had said those words aloud in years.
I looked away immediately.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Then why do you look terrified every time someone says his name?”
Because loving Dominic Kane felt like bleeding slowly.
Because I still remembered the look on his face the night I destroyed him.
Because if he ever learned the truth…
I didn’t know whether he would forgive me.
Or hate me even more.
And somehow both possibilities terrified me equally.
The room fell silent again.
Rain crashed heavily against the windows outside.
Finally, I stood slowly.
Both my parents looked at me.
And for the first time in years…
I stopped running from the inevitable.
“I’ll go,” I whispered.
Relief crossed my mother’s face instantly.
Dad closed his eyes briefly like he’d been waiting for those words.
But me?
I felt sick.
Because after five years of hiding from Dominic Kane…
I was finally about to step back into his world.
- Writer
