Chapter 25
The golden rays of the morning sun streamed through the open window, casting a warm glow over the room. A soft breeze brushed against Elara’s face, teasing the strands of her tousled hair. Against the satin sheets, she looked like a masterpiece, an ethereal painting brought to life.
She stirred, curling into a ball, savoring the lingering warmth of the duvet wrapped around her bare body.
Then, a slight movement sent a sharp ache through her lower body. A pained groan slipped past her lips, her eyes still shut as she shifted carefully. It felt as though she had run a marathon, every muscle in her body sore and overworked.
Elara streiched her arms above her head, only to hiss when a deep ache shot down her spine, settling between her legs.
Damn you, Dante.
Fluttering her lashes open, she squinted against the brightness of the sun before moaning in pain again, silently cursing her life choices.
Fighting against the soreness, she carefully pushed herself upright, wincing the moment her weight pressed onto
to the mattress. The reminder of last night was imprinted into her very bones.
Biting down on her lower lip, she finally glanced around the room, only to be met with emptiness.
He was
A sigh left her lips, disappointment curling in her chest. She had half–expected to wake up to her husband’s possessive hold, his body wrapped around hers. But what else should she expect.
Pushing the duvet away, her gaze dropped and her breath hitched
Dark purple bruises linered her lower abdomen, trailing dangerously close to the most intimate parts of her.
Heat flared up her checks. The vivid memories of the night before crashed into her all at once, making her entire body flush
Her fingers instinctively reached for a pillow, and with an embarrassed squeal, she buried her face into it, kicking her feet in frustration.
God
She could still feel him. The way he had worshipped her, owned her, ruined her, until neither of them could move.
She remembered the way he had driven into her, relentless and wild until she was nothing but a shaking mess beneath him, screaming his name over and over again.
A fresh wave of heat coursed through her, her thighs clenching at the mere thought.
Get it together, Elara.
Shaking off the
memories, she swung her legs over the bed, planting her feet on the ground
The moment she stood, her knees buckled.
A sharp cry left her lips as she crumpled onto the floor, gripping the sheets for support. Pain shot up her spine, stealing the breath from her lungs.
“Fuck!” she hissed, her legs trembling violently. She gritted her teeth, fingers digging into the mattress as she attempted to stand again.
Dante Romano had utterly destroyed her.
And the worst part?
to
She wasn’t sure she’d ever want to recover from it.
Flara’s checks burned hotter than ever. With a flustered luff, she yanked the sheets around her body before forcing herself to move, each step slow and careful as she made her way to freshen up.
The cool water did little to soothe the lingering heat on her skin. Once slie stepped out of the washroom, her gaze instinctively swept across the ropin. That’s when she spotted it, his shirt, discarded carelessly on the floor
Biting her lip, she bent down and picked it up. The fabric was soft against her fingers, but what made her stomach flip was the scent.
Rich spice, musk, and it sinell just like him
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Chapter 25
Without thinking, she slipped it over her small frame. The oversized shirt swallowed her, the sleeves hanging loose over her wrists, the hem skimming just past her upper thighs. But it didn’t matter. Wrapped in it, she felt comfort
She the looked around the room and walked over to the cupboard, pulling out a fresh pair of undergarments and slipping them on before stepping out of the bedroom.
A quick glance at the clock made her pause.
12 PM
Her stomach twisted with hunger, and a sudden dryness coated her throat. She needed food. Water. Anything to replenish what her body had been
drained of.
With a soft sigh, Elara made her way toward the kitchen, her legs still weak from the night before.
The unfamiliar hallway was far too quiet for her liking. Elara swallowed, her pulse quickening as she moved cautiously, her senses on high alert.
It took her a few moments to find the kitchen. Relief flooded her as she finally stepped inside, reaching for a glass and filling it with water.
But just as she lifted it to her lips.
A sharp gasp tore from her throat,
Her breath hitched. Her entire body froze.
A man lay sprawled near the kitchen counter, his lifeless body soaking in a pool of crimson.
Blood.
So much blood
Her gaze traveled up, a gunshot wound, clean through the center of his forehead. It made her stomach lurch. The glass slipped from her trembling fingers, shattering against the floor.
Before she could even take a step back,
Five–no, six–men
Emerging from the shadows like ghosts.
Guns in hand. Faces masked.
A chill ran down her spine.
Her heart pounded like a wär drum as she took a shaky step backward, her breath caught in her throat,
The man in the center stepped forward, she could feel the danger oozing from him.
“Mrs. Bara Komano” his voice was calm, too calm. “You’re coming with us”
Her fists clenched at her sides. She wasn’t some helpless woman who would just let them take her.
Elara took a slow step backward, her eyes searching for the kitchen knife. Her bare feet crunching over the shattered glass, making her feet to bleed, the cool water from the broken glass seeping into her skin, mixing with her blood.
Her mind snapped into focus
She needed to stay calm
Think, Bara.
“Who sent your she demanded in her while looking into the man’s eyes. “Do you have any idea what my husband will do to your“
The man at the front hessitated but then its voice dripped with mockery, his grip tightening around the gun in his hand. “You’re nothing but a warm body in his bed. A temporary plaything!”
The moment she saw the men distracted. Elara did
didn’t
luesitate.
Her fingers wrapped around the cool steel of the kitchen knife, and before she could second–guess herself, she hurled it with everything she had.
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The blade sliced through the air deadly, precise.
A sickening thud echoed as it embedded itself right between the leader’s forehead. His eyes widened in shock, a strangled gurgle escaping his lips before he crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain. Blood poured from the wound, pooling beneath him as his body twitched violently.
The remaining five men froze, their attention snapping to their fallen boss.
It was the perfect time.
Elara didn’t wait to see what would happen next,she ran.
A rush of adrenaline surged through her veins, numbing the pain in her feet as she bolted out of the kitchen. Heavy footsteps thundered behind her, curses filling the air as the men realized their prey was escaping.
Her pulse pounded as she burst through the doorway, only to be met with a sight that made her stomach drop.
Where the hell am I?:
The place was unfamiliar, utterly foreign.
Water surrounded three sides of the property, stretching out like a silent, endless trap. The only way out was the fourth direction a dense, looming forest.
She had no time to think.
No time to hesitate.
Without a second glance, she sprinted toward the trees, the thick wilderness swallowing her whole as the disappeared into the shadows while cursing Dante in her mind
“Dante Romano, if you don’t find me sooner.. I will hunt you down.
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