Still His Wife
928 Words
Elara woke to the sound of waves.
For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The room was dim, painted in pale blues, the curtains moving gently in the sea breeze that drifted through the cracked window. The salty scent of the ocean mixed with the faint smell of detergent and cheap soap.
A motel.
The coastal town she had fled to two days ago.
Her hand went instinctively to her stomach.
“I’m still here,” she whispered, as if reassuring the tiny life inside her.
She had thrown up three times that morning. The nausea was constant now, a quiet, relentless reminder that she was no longer alone. That what Damon had done to her—emotionally, physically, everything—had left a permanent mark.
A baby.
His baby.
The thought made her chest ache.
She sat up slowly, wrapping the thin blanket around herself. Outside, seagulls cried and the world went on as if her entire life hadn’t been torn apart.
She checked her phone.
No messages.
Damon had probably already realized she was gone.
The idea should have brought relief.
Instead, it brought fear.
She knew what he was capable of. She knew how powerful he was. Running from Damon Blackwell was like running from the tide—eventually, it always caught you.
Still, she had to try.
For the baby.
Elara dressed quickly, pulling on a hoodie and jeans. She had planned to leave again today, move to another town, maybe find work at a café or a bookstore. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere he wouldn’t look.
But as she stepped out into the parking lot, a chill ran down her spine.
A black luxury car was parked near her room.
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
No.
Slowly, dread pooling in her chest, she turned.
Damon was standing by the driver’s side, his hands in his pockets, his dark suit stark against the pale morning light. He looked exhausted—eyes shadowed, jaw tight—but his presence was as commanding as ever.
She had never seen him look so dangerous.
“Elara,” he said quietly.
Her first instinct was to run.
But her legs wouldn’t move.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
“You ran from me.”
“You lied to me.”
His eyes darkened. “I came to bring you home.”
“I don’t have a home with you.”
“You’re my wife.”
The words felt like chains.
“I don’t belong to you anymore.”
Damon took a step closer. “You never stopped belonging to me.”
“Stay away from me,” she said, backing up. “If you come any closer, I’ll scream.”
He stopped.
“I won’t hurt you.”
“You already have.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The waves crashed in the distance, loud in the silence between them.
“You’re pregnant,” Damon said.
Elara froze.
Her hand moved to her stomach without thinking.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“Is it mine?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “You don’t get to ask me that.”
“Is it mine?” he repeated, his voice low, almost desperate.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s yours.”
Something broke in his eyes.
“You ran because of the baby.”
“I ran because of you.”
He flinched.
“I was afraid,” she went on, her voice shaking. “You use people. You used me. I wasn’t going to let you use my child.”
“I would never—”
“You would,” she interrupted. “You already did. My father. Your revenge. Everything is a game to you.”
“That’s not true.”
“You kept my father on a leash,” she cried. “You lied to me.”
“I was trying to protect myself,” he said. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone the way I did.”
“You think I don’t?” she snapped. “You’re losing me right now.”
Damon took another step forward. This time, she didn’t move.
“I’m not letting you disappear,” he said. “Not with my child.”
“I’m not your property.”
“No,” he said quietly. “You’re my family.”
The word hit her harder than anything else he’d said.
Family.
“You don’t get to say that,” she whispered. “Not after what you did.”
“I will fix it,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”
“You can’t fix broken trust.”
“Then let me try.”
Elara looked at him, really looked at him.
For the first time, Damon didn’t look like a king or a monster.
He looked like a man who was terrified of losing everything.
“I don’t love you,” she said.
“I know,” he replied. “But you will.”
She shook her head.
“Come back with me,” he said softly. “Let me take care of you. Of the baby.”
“And if I say no?”
His jaw tightened.
“Then I will stay here until you say yes.”
Her breath caught.
“You can’t force me.”
“I won’t,” he said. “But I won’t leave either.”
Elara turned away, her heart in chaos.
She didn’t know what scared her more:
That he might never give up…
Or that part of her didn’t want him to.
- Writer
