The Billionaire’s Deaf Wife.

Chapter 8: In The Cold Hands Of Darkness

Maria’s POV

Just then, Ana walked in, brushing crumbs off her apron as her eyes remained downcast. But the moment she looked up and spotted Travis, a sharp breath escaped her lips. Her gaze darted to me, flooded with worry, probably after sizing him up and realizing he looked like a bag of trouble.

“Hey. Are you okay?” Ana rushed to my side, standing protectively next to me.

I glanced up at her, my vision blurring with unshed tears that I forced so hard to keep from falling.

“You’ve made new friends, huh?” Travis sneered, dragging our attention back to him.

Ana remained silent, but her hand gently pressed against my forearm, grounding me like a human shield. We were two slim, ordinary girls against a monster dressed in skin, but her presence made me feel like I wasn’t entirely alone.

My heart slowed its painful thudding as I tried to think of a way out. Travis kept his eyes glued to me, a twisted satisfaction spreading across his face like oil in water.

“I can’t sign this, Travis. This doesn’t even make sense,” I hissed, my voice tight with fear and anger.

“It doesn’t need to make sense. All you have to do is sign the f*****g paper, Lucia,” he drawled lazily, already growing tired of my resistance.

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Ana cut in firmly.

“Stay out of this, little girl,” Travis snapped without looking her way.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” I snapped, unable to control the venom in my voice.

Travis growled low, like a beast.

“You’ve got till tomorrow, sweet cheeks. If that signature isn’t on the page by then, get ready for hell. You know I don’t make empty threats.”

Not long after, it was just Ana and me. The moment he was gone, I crumbled, collapsing into sobs that echoed through the room. My heart shattered while rage burned in my veins.

Ana held me, comforting me until my tears finally dried. When the silence settled, she asked me a stream of questions I couldn’t honestly answer. This wasn’t my life. This wasn’t my story. But I fed her whatever fragments I could to keep her from growing more suspicious.

She told me she had a lawyer friend she could call for help, in case I wanted to press charges or defend myself legally. I had no idea what to do yet. All I truly wanted was to curl up in bed and cry myself empty. Still, I took the number, just in case.

The walk home was a complete blur. I couldn’t remember getting there, and I had no idea when the night faded into morning.

I called in sick, too mentally wrecked and heartbroken to show up for work. My mind spun in circles, regret, fear, loneliness, and a desperate need to figure out how to untangle myself from the mess Travis had dumped me in.

A part of me wanted to call Elias, to cry to him and let him fix it like he always had. But I didn’t have that luxury anymore. I was on my own now, caught in something I had never planned for, with no safety net.

The hours passed in a blink. I spent the day researching what to do about Travis, but I found nothing helpful. I couldn’t go to the police, not without proof. Travis could easily lie and say we were in a relationship, claim he had every right to show up at my place.

And just like that, I was stuck.

Two days passed, and I heard nothing from Travis. No calls, no messages, no visits to the restaurant. It was as if he had vanished off the face of the earth. Just like that, gone.

Days melted into weeks, and weeks slowly folded into months. Now it was December. The cold breath of New York wrapped itself around the city, seeping deep into coats and bones. Christmas trees sparkled in storefronts, holiday songs played on every corner, and laughter echoed in the air. It was supposed to be the most joyful time of the year.

But I was barely holding it together, desperately trying not to cry over a relationship that had never truly existed. A relationship I destroyed single handedly.

This time last year, things had been so different. Elias, Isaac, and I had been hunting for the tallest Christmas tree we could find. Isaac had bounced around in excitement, laughing and tugging at our hands, while I smiled quietly, a soft ache of contentment in my chest. Elias had stood beside us like a silent guardian, his presence as grounding as ever.

But this year? This time? I was alone.

I tried not to dwell on the ache, not to fall into that heavy silence that always threatened to swallow me whole.

Instead, I threw myself into a new search, this time for a different kind of escape. A new real estate agent, a new home to rent, a place where I felt Travis would never be able to reach me. So far, I hadn’t had much luck, but I wasn’t giving up. I was determined to start over, determined to disappear from every path that led back to him.

One night, after closing the restaurant, I walked alone to my hotel. The air was crisp, winter curling around my fingers like silk. I let myself breathe it in, this rare peace, this quiet moment. Christmas lights glowed faintly in the distance. The breeze kissed my face, and I watched the flowers that once stood proud in green now bow their heads in faded brown.

Oddly, it was the first time I truly felt the winter air of New York. The first time I could just walk, no chauffeur, no schedule, no diamond-cold obligations weighing me down.

When I was with Elias, I wasn’t confined exactly, but I was burdened. Burdened with the title of his wife. Burdened by the image I had to maintain. I couldn’t roam freely, couldn’t feel the ground beneath my own two feet the way I wanted to.

But now? Now I walked alone.

And even though the cold nipped at my cheeks and loneliness clung to my bones, there was something strangely freeing in that.

I heard a rustling sound behind me, and I froze. The cold air that had once felt refreshing now raised sharp goosebumps across my skin, not from the breeze, but from fear. My heartbeat kicked up instantly, thudding against my ribs. Slowly, I turned around, my eyes scanning the darkness behind me.

There was nothing. Just the empty alley bathed in faint streetlight and shadows that stretched too far.

I told myself I was being paranoid, that it was probably just the wind or a rat knocking something over. I took a deep breath, clutched my purse tighter, and continued walking.

But then I heard it again. The same rustling. This time, closer. Louder. My feet stopped on their own. My chest tightened as I turned once more, fully expecting something, someone, to be there, for them to jump on me.

But it was still nothing. Just silence.

Determined not to let fear rule me, I cautiously walked toward the sound. My boots scraped lightly against the concrete, and my hands trembled as I moved. That was when I saw it, a small cat, tucked into a shadowy corner, blinking up at me with wide, curious eyes.

I let out a shaky breath, crouched down, and reached my hand out. The cat sniffed it, then brushed against my fingers. I smiled faintly, relief flooding me for a moment. My fingers ran gently along its soft fur, and for that split second, everything felt normal again.

I stood up, muttering, “Just a damn cat,” to calm myself.

But as I turned to walk away, after walking quite a distance from the cat, something changed.

A feeling.

A weight settled at the base of my spine, something watching me. Following me. I tried to ignore it, telling myself I was being dramatic. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over my shoulder.

There was nothing.

But the feeling didn’t go away. My steps quickened. My breathing turned shallow. The sound of my own boots echoed louder now, bouncing off the alley walls, and in between those echoes, I heard another set of footsteps. Not mine. Not the cat.

Someone else.

My panic shot through me like a cold rush. I reached into my purse and yanked out my phone, scrolling desperately through my contacts.

Lucia. Elias. Ana. Travis.

That was it.

No police. No friends nearby. No one I could call who would get to me in time.

I clenched the phone, then shoved it back into my purse with shaking fingers and picked up my pace. My legs moved faster, but so did the footsteps behind me.

They weren’t just footsteps anymore, they were chasing me.

I broke into a full run, my breath catching in my throat, my boots pounding against the pavement as the sound of the footsteps grew louder, heavier, angrier. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. I was too scared of what I might see.

My lungs burned. My legs screamed. But I kept going, hoping, praying, that if I just reached the next street, I would find someone, anyone.

Then I felt it.

A violent tug on my hair. My body was yanked backward, my scream piercing the night as I stumbled and nearly fell. A hand clamped around my neck, fingers digging into my skin like claws. His hands wrapped around my mouth.

“Don’t you dare scream again,” the man growled into my ear, his breath foul and hot against my face. “Or I’ll kill you right here.”

I kicked at him, flailing with everything I had, muffling cusses through the grip around my mouth. I bit his hand and he jerked it away muttering deep curses.

His palm slapped across my face so hard I tasted blood. My ears rang. My head whipped to the side. He pulled me up and pressed his fingers into my throat again. I opened my mouth to scream but he covered with it his hand again, the bastard was not learning his lesson. I bit him even harder, tasting the bitterness of his skin and the faint coppery tang of blood.

He screamed out in pain, cussed violently, then slapped me again, harder this time.

My knees buckled. I couldn’t breathe. I tasted blood in my mouth, my cheek singing as tears blinded my vision.

“You stupid b***h! You are a f*****g piece of work you know that!!!” He sneered angrily.

“What do you want! Who sent you-”

His hands wrapped around my throat, cutting me off and pressing harder, tighter. I clawed at his arms, but his grip didn’t loosen. My vision blurred. My head spun. Oxygen was being stolen from me, inch by inch. My body thrashed weakly, trying to hold on, trying to live.

Tears streamed from my eyes, hot and helpless. My chest heaved, but no air came. Everything inside me began to slow, like the world was dimming. I tried the begging route, the compromising route, but my attacker wasn’t fazed.

I began to quickly realize that this was how I would die, in the cold hands of a stranger, in the dark alley with no family or friends. No husband, no son; Elias and Isaac.

Their faces flashed before me, Elias’s quiet eyes, his cold beautiful face that someone melted for Isaac and occasionally me, Isaac’s laughter ringing in my ears. My husband. My son. My boys.

The tears spilled faster, my thumping heart slowing as I tried one last time to survive, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t shown any mercy.

I’m sorry Elias. I’m sorry Isaac. I love you both so much.

Those were my last words before darkness enveloped me.