Dear Ex, I Am Your Uncle's Mate

Chapter 10

The darkness pressed in around me as I lay awake, staring at the ceiling of Elijah’s guest room.

The house was eerily quiet, every creak of the wood and gust of wind outside only amplifying the suffocating stillness. I had tried to sleep, tried to push the events of the day out of my mind, but it was impossible.

Damian’s face, twisted with fury and pain, haunted me. Elijah’s words, his touch, lingered like a shadow I couldn’t shake. I felt like I was drowning, trapped in a situation that had spun far out of my control.

I threw off the covers, sitting up on the edge of the bed. My heart raced, my chest tight with the overwhelming need to escape. I couldn’t stay here. Not in this house. Not with Elijah’s mark still burning on my skin.

I need to leave.

The thought pounded in my mind, growing louder with each passing second. I couldn’t keep letting these men control me.

Damian’s erratic behavior was spiraling, and Elijah… Elijah was something else entirely. He was possessive in ways I didn’t fully understand, but it scared me all the same.

I stood, pacing the room, my fingers brushing against my wrist where Elijah had grabbed me earlier. His control was subtler than Damian’s, but it was there, tightening around me like a noose.

I had to get out.

Taking a deep breath, I moved to the window, glancing outside. The moon cast a pale light over the vast property, shadows dancing in the trees that lined the driveway.

The thought of sneaking out in the dead of night made my heart pound with a mixture of fear and determination. But if I didn’t do it now, I might never get another chance.

I grabbed my coat and shoes, quietly slipping them on as I moved toward the door. My breath hitched as I opened it, cringing at the faint creak of the hinges.

I stood frozen for a moment, listening for any sign of movement. But the house remained silent, as if holding its breath, waiting for what I would do next.

I crept down the hallway, each step slow and deliberate, my pulse quickening with every inch closer to freedom. My mind raced with a plan—or the lack of one. I didn’t know where I would go.

Damian’s house was out of the question. And yet, anywhere would be better than here, stuck between two men who only saw me as a pawn in their twisted game.

As I reached the staircase, I froze, my breath catching in my throat. A figure stood at the bottom of the stairs, their silhouette faint in the dim light.

“Elijah,” I whispered, my heart sinking.

He didn’t move at first, his form unnervingly still, like he had been waiting for this exact moment. Then, slowly, he turned his head, his eyes gleaming in the darkness as they locked onto mine.

“Going somewhere?” His voice was calm, too calm, sending a shiver down my spine.

I swallowed hard, gripping the banister for support as my mind scrambled for an explanation. “I—I need some air,” I lied, though it sounded weak even to my own ears.

Elijah’s expression didn’t change. He stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, his eyes never leaving mine. “Air, huh? Or are you trying to run?”

My pulse quickened, my fingers tightening around the banister. “I wasn’t—”

“Don’t lie to me, Annabel,” he interrupted, his voice low and dangerous. “You were trying to leave.”

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as Elijah stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, his gaze sharp and unyielding as he looked up at me. For a moment, I thought he might force me back upstairs, lock me away like some prisoner.

But then his expression softened, and that made it worse.

“I’m not your enemy,” Elijah said, his voice quieter now, almost gentle. “I’m trying to protect you.”

I shook my head, my voice trembling. “This isn’t protection, Elijah. This is control.”

His jaw tightened, the flicker of softness vanishing as quickly as it had come. “You don’t understand what’s at stake here. Damian’s not stable. He’ll hurt you if you go back to him. You saw it today.”

“I’m not going back to him,” I said quickly, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “But I’m not staying here either.”

Elijah’s eyes darkened, and he took another step toward me, his voice dropping. “You don’t have a choice.”

The words hung in the air between us, thick with finality. My stomach twisted as I stared at him, the reality of my situation sinking in deeper.

Elijah wasn’t just trying to protect me. He was trapping me, just like Damian had. Different methods, but the same result.

I took a step back, my voice rising with a mix of fear and defiance. “I’m not staying here, Elijah.”

His expression hardened, and for a moment, I thought he might snap, that the carefully controlled façade would break and I’d see the true darkness beneath. But instead, he sighed, shaking his head as if I were a child refusing to listen.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Annabel,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “You’re not strong enough to handle this on your own.”

The words stung, cutting deeper than I expected. He didn’t think I could survive without him. That I was too weak, too broken. But something inside me shifted at that—an anger, a spark of defiance that I hadn’t felt in months.

“I’m stronger than you think,” I whispered, my voice shaking but determined.

Elijah’s eyes flickered with something unreadable, a tension that tightened the space between us. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice growing steadier. “I’m not going to let you or Damian control me anymore. I won’t be a prisoner.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. The silence between us was thick, and I could feel the tension coiling tighter, like a storm about to break.

Then, without warning, he stepped back, his eyes never leaving mine. “Go, then.”

I blinked, my breath catching in my throat. “What?”

Elijah’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “If you think you’re strong enough to survive without me, then go.”

For a moment, I stood frozen, unsure if this was some kind of trap. But the intensity in his gaze told me he wasn’t bluffing. He was daring me to leave, to prove him wrong.

My heart pounded as I hesitated at the top of the stairs, the weight of my decision pressing down on me. But this was it. My chance. I had to take it.

I rushed down the stairs, brushing past Elijah as I made my way to the door. My fingers fumbled with the lock, my breath coming in short gasps as I pulled the door open. The cold night air hit me like a shock, and for a brief second, I felt the rush of freedom.

But as I stepped outside, I heard Elijah’s voice behind me, low and filled with something dark. “You’ll be back.”

I froze, his words sending a chill down my spine. But I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. I took a deep breath and stepped out into the night, my heart racing as I ran down the driveway, away from the house, away from Elijah.

The night swallowed me whole, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I was truly alone.