Chapter 35
The silence following Adrian’s declaration in the warehouse was a physical weight. It pressed against Elena’s chest, heavy and suffocating, as if the air itself had thickened. Elena stood frozen in the center of the office, the echo of his words “You’re not built for this world” ringing in her ears like a death knell. He had left her there, turning his back on her as he strode into the shadows of the loading docks, leaving her to grapple with the stinging heat behind her eyes and the hollow ache blooming in her ribs.
She didn't cry. Crying would have meant surrender. Instead, she felt a cold, hard resolve settle into her bones, spreading slowly, deliberately, until it replaced the sting with something sharper. If Adrian believed she was a fragile porcelain doll destined only f
