Married to the Man I Betrayed

Chapter 5

ELARA'S POV

The moment the office door closed behind me, my legs nearly gave out.

I kept walking anyway.

One foot in front of the other.

Past Dominic's assistant.

Past the employees.

Past everything.

Because if I stopped moving, I was afraid I might completely fall apart.

My grip tightened around my bag as I entered the elevator.

The doors slid shut.

And suddenly I was alone.

Silence filled the space.

My reflection stared back at me from the mirrored walls.

Pale.

Shaken.

Terrified.

Married.

The word hit me like a truck.

Not really married.

But I had signed the contract.

I had agreed.

In less than a month, I would become Elara Kane.

My stomach twisted violently.

The elevator reached the lobby.

I walked outside.

The second the cold London air hit my face, the first tear slipped free.

"Damn it."

I quickly wiped it away.

Then another came.

And another.

Soon I was crying in the middle of the sidewalk like an i***t.

People walked around me without paying attention.

Which was good.

How was I supposed to explain that the man I'd spent five years trying to forget had just become the center of my life again?

My phone was in my hand before I realized what I was doing.

There was only one person I could call.

Sophia.

She answered on the second ring.

"Please tell me you got good news."

I laughed.

The sound came out broken.

Immediately, her voice changed.

"Oh no."

I covered my eyes.

"Oh no is right."

"What happened?"

I took a shaky breath.

"Are you busy?"

"Elara."

Her tone became serious.

"What happened?"

"I need coffee."

"That's not an answer."

"I need coffee and maybe therapy."

A pause.

Then.....

"Oh God."

"Exactly."

"Where are you?"

I looked around.

"Outside Kane Industries."

Silence.

Then.....

"You went to Dominic?"

"Yes."

Another silence.

Then a very calm....

"I'm leaving work."

Forty minutes later, I sat across from Sophia in our favorite café.

She hadn't ordered yet.

Hadn't even taken off her coat.

She was staring at me like I was a crime scene.

"Start talking."

I groaned.

"Can I at least get coffee first?"

"No."

"Sophia."

"No."

I sighed.

Then told her everything.

The meeting.

The proposal.

The contract.

The marriage.

The conditions.

Everything.

By the end of it, she looked horrified.

"Absolutely not."

I blinked.

"What?"

"No."

"Sophia...."

"No."

I stared at her.

She stared right back.

"Are you done?"

"No."

She leaned forward.

"Elara, this man hates you."

"Thank you for the reminder."

"And you're moving into his house."

"Apparently."

"And living with him."

"Yes."

"And pretending to be married."

"Also yes."

Sophia looked like she was developing a migraine.

I honestly couldn't blame her.

"This is insane."

"I know."

"No, seriously. This sounds like the beginning of a true crime documentary."

I laughed despite myself.

That earned me a glare.

"I'm serious."

"I know."

Sophia sighed heavily.

Then her expression softened.

"Do you still love him?"

There it was.

The question everyone seemed determined to ask.

I looked down at my coffee.

Neither of us spoke.

I didn't need to answer.

Because Sophia already knew.

After a moment, she reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

"Oh, El."

My throat tightened.

"I hate this."

"I know."

"I spent five years trying to move on."

"I know."

"And then I walk into that office and it's like nothing changed."

Sophia's face softened even more.

"What was it like seeing him?"

I laughed bitterly.

"Terrible."

"That bad?"

"Worse."

I stared out the window.

"He looked at me like I was a stranger."

The words hurt more than I expected.

Because once upon a time, Dominic had looked at me like I was his entire world.

Sophia sighed.

"You broke his heart."

"I know."

"You had your reasons."

"He doesn't know that."

The conversation died for a moment.

Then Sophia frowned.

"Something about this feels wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"The timing."

I looked at her.

"What timing?"

She stirred her coffee absentmindedly.

"You suddenly need money."

"Unfortunately."

"And somehow Dominic Kane ends up being your only option."

I frowned.

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know."

She shook her head.

"Maybe nothing."

But the look on her face said otherwise.

By the time I got home, it was almost dark.

My parents were in the living room.

Dad looked exhausted.

Mom looked worried.

And for the first time all day, guilt crushed me.

They looked hopeful.

I forced a smile.

Everything would be okay.

It had to be.

Later that night, I sat alone in my room packing.

Tomorrow I would start moving things.

Tomorrow my life would officially begin changing.

I folded another dress and placed it into a suitcase.

Then another.

Until my phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

I frowned.

Almost midnight.

Who would be calling me?

The phone continued vibrating.

I answered cautiously.

"Hello?"

Static.

My stomach tightened.

"Hello?"

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then a man's voice came through the line.

Low.

Calm.

Familiar.

Terrifying.

"You never were very good at following instructions, Elara."

My entire body froze.

No.

No.

No.

I knew that voice.

Five years could pass.

Fifty years could pass.

I would still know that voice.

My blood ran cold.

"Lucien?"

A soft chuckle echoed through the speaker.

Then he spoke again.

"Looks like you're running back to Dominic."

I couldn't breathe.

"How did you get this number?"

"You should be asking a different question."

My hand tightened around the phone.

"What question?"

A pause.

Then....

"Why do you think I let you?"

The line went dead.

And for the first time in five years...

I was terrified of Lucien Kane all over again.