Chapter 0002
FEAR, THREATS AND TERROR. RYAN' "Oh my!!!" I heard someone scream as I bumped into her, distracted by my phone. The papers she was holding were scattered everywhere. Feeling upset, I knelt down to pick them up and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming." I apologized and got up to give her the papers. Then I saw her. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. No insults to my mother. Her hair was immaculate and framed her face perfectly. When the wind blew, a few strands of it covered her face, revealing her mystical beauty. For a moment I was lost in my own world. As she took the papers from me, our hands met and a wave of electricity went through me. It felt as if fate had orchestrated our meeting. It was so perfect. As I stared at her. I couldn't help but notice that she was lost in thought, staring at nothing in particular, mumbling inaudibly. She had a black eye, obviously from a punch that her makeup didn't do a good job of hiding. I continued to stare and noticed some bruises around her wrist. I tried to touch the bruises and she recoiled in horror, quickly pulling her hand back and adjusting her sleeves to hide them from view. "Are you okay?" I asked, concern in my voice. She glared at me. "Mind your own business," she snapped, grabbing the papers and walking away. Her heels clicked sharply on the floor, echoing down the hall. I stood frozen, watching her disappear. There was something about her that captivated me. An attraction drew me to her. I was sure what it was. "Ryan!" Eddy's voice brought me back to reality. He was my high school buddy, and we happened to be in the same college. He had started earlier than me, so he knew the teachers and how the school worked. I was a freshman and was walking to meet him when I ran into her. We were supposed to go to class that morning. You're blocking the hallway. Let's go." He said, gesturing for us to go to class. As we walked to class, I couldn't stop thinking about her. "Who is she?" I whispered, my mind still reeling from the encounter. "Who?" Eddy looked at me, confused. I gestured in the direction she had gone. "Her. The one I bumped into." "She's the new professor, I hear she's so good, but." He paused, scrolling through his phone. "But what?" I asked curiously, "You should see this?" he said, turning the phone so I could see it. He noticed my attention was on Professor Elena and looked at me suspiciously, "She's beautiful." I muttered, still staring in her direction. "Are you okay? Why are you staring at her like that?" He asked, tapping me, snapping me out of my reverie. "Nothing, it's just, I stopped for a moment. Let's go to class." I said walking away, he followed me, still looking at me with confusion in his eyes. "Try to stay out of her way, you don't want to have any problems with her class." Eddy advised. "Why not?" I asked intrigued. "Oh man, because she is the ice queen. Beautiful? Sure. But trust me, you don't want to get involved with her. Besides, she is married." "Why do they call her the Ice Queen? Is that a thing? "It's Ryan. She is cold." He stopped and stared to see if anyone was around. It was suspicious, but I was curious to listen. "There are rumors, but no one knows for sure." I couldn't get the image of her out of my mind. Her beauty was breathtaking and the mystery around her was captivating. When Eddy noticed that I wasn't responding, he turned his gaze to me, concern written all over his face. "Did you hear me, Ryan?" He asked and I nodded, "Of course, stay away from her, right?" Eddy nodded, emphasizing what he had said earlier. I chuckled, "I know better than to take your advice." Satisfied, Eddy walked on and we got to class. Surprisingly, we had her class that morning. When she entered the classroom later, my heart raced. Throughout the class, my eyes kept drifting to her, her every move fueling my curiosity. . "At the end of the class, she asked if we had any questions. I had barely listened to the lecture because I had been staring at her the whole time, but I raised my hand. I didn't know why, but I just wanted a chance to talk to her. Yes," she said, pointing in my direction. I stood up, suddenly excited. I didn't even know what the lesson was about. As her eyes locked with mine, my mind suddenly went blank. I stammered, not knowing what to say, and before I knew it, I blurted out: "Why are you so beautiful? Soon everyone started laughing, she smiled and then suddenly her expression darkened as she silenced the class. "Quiet everyone!" She shouted and the class fell silent. "What does this have to do with the lesson?" she snapped. "Sit down, Mr...?" "Ryan," I said quickly, a sheepish grin on my face. "Mr. Ryan," she repeated icily. "Next time ask something important and don't disrupt my class again." She warned. In the days that followed, my fascination with Elena only grew. Despite Eddy's warnings, I couldn't resist the urge to find out more about her. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I had to find out. One night while I was studying in the library, I overheard two students talking in low tones. "That's why she behaves the way she does," I overheard one student say. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear what you said. Is what you just said true?" I asked the student with a mixture of concern and curiosity. The student looked at me cautiously before whispering, "Yes, I heard that her husband is responsible, he molests her. "My heart sank at the mention of her husband's involvement. "That's all lies, besides why wouldn't she try to get help?" The other student said, "Wait, she is married?" I asked, curiosity in my voice. "You didn't know she was married?" The other student asked skeptically. "Well, I heard she was, but she's not wearing a wedding ring, so I didn't think she was." I said calmly. "Oh, I also heard that he watches her, you know, so no one comes near her." She whispered. "He doesn't want her to get help." "You mean her husband?" the other asked. "Yes, but no one knows the whole story." This news only increased my curiosity. "What did she go through in her marriage? Was she happy?" The questions seemed endless with no answers. I had to find out for myself and decided to go see her one day after class. My timing couldn't have been worse, but I needed to know what was going on. When she saw me, she sighed. "Hello Mr. ......" Ryan. I interrupted, she had forgotten my name again. "What do you want?" "I wanted to see you, I wanted to ask you something." I said quietly. "What did you want to ask?” " Are you okay, ma'am? I couldn't help but notice..." she snapped, interrupting me. "What makes you think I'm not?" "I saw the bruises," I admitted. "If... if you need help..." "Stop," she cut me off sharply. "Stay out of my life." She said harshly, anger in her voice. But I couldn't help but notice the fear in her anger. She opened the door and walked into her office, slamming the door in my face. As she opened the door, I couldn't help but notice a picture on her desk. It was a picture of her with a man. She was beautiful as always, but there was fear in her eyes. "What was she so afraid of?" I thought to myself as my mind raced with questions. "Was her husband abusing her? Was she okay?" The stream of questions seemed endless with no answers. As I drove home, strange things began to happen. My phone beeped, and when I checked it, I noticed it was a text message from her unknown number. "Stay away from her." At first I thought it was a prank, but then I got another message. This one was scarier than the first. It contained a photo of me talking to Elena outside her office. "Was someone really watching her?" I thought to myself. I pushed the thought away and went to my room. When I got to my room, I found a note on the door. "Some lines shouldn't be crossed, Ryan. Stay away," I saw the words and shivers ran down my spine. The words were written in red ink, dripping down the door. I touched the ink and a sudden realization hit me. It was not ink or paint as I thought, it was blood. Someone knew my name. Someone wanted me to stop, and they were threatening me, showing me how dangerous they were. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. The threats only fueled my curiosity. I had to know the truth. "Who is behind all this and why?" I asked myself.Chapter 0003 THE PARCEL ELENA " I am so tired." I yawned from exhaustion after a long day of work. I leaned back in my chair to rest. I stared into the empty room and thought about what had happened in class. "How rude!!" I sighed irritably as the thoughts of Ryan's outburst in class lingered in my mind. I thought about the mess that my life had become. First, Evan's suffocating control and abuse, and now Ryan was invading my peace at work. Suddenly the door creaked open, I lifted my head to see who it was and realized it was Diva. "Going home? She asked, looking all packed up and ready to go home. "Not now, I have to finish this work." I said pointing to the pile of papers in front of me, it was the students test and I needed to grade them so they could get their results. "I can't wait for you, I guess I'll go ahead." She said and I nodded in agreement, "Don't forget what I told you." She told me and left the office. I sighed deeply as I thought about what she had said. I
Chapter 0004 I LOVE YOU, ELENA ELENA.. There's no one there. I guess it's the neighbor's doorbell," I said, closing the door, feigning calmness. I couldn't let Evan know who was at the door. I couldn't let him hear Ryan's voice or even suspect that he had come to the house. Evan stared at me suspiciously as I hurried back into the room to get ready. "Who was it, Elena?" he asked, his voice deep and sharp. "No one." I said again, brushing past him as I grabbed my bag. My heart was pounding, but I kept my expression neutral. Ryan had followed me home again. He was like a shadow I couldn't shake off, and his presence put me in constant danger. Evan's temper was a ticking time bomb, and Ryan was the match. It had only been a few days since I'd been released from the hospital. Another miscarriage - my fifth in two years. But the physical pain wasn't the worst of it. Evan's anger after that night with Diva had left me broken inside and out. I had been granted a few days off wor
Chapter 0005 SAFE HAVEN ELENA Ryan’s words haunted me. His note. His text. His voice. "I love you, Elena." They replayed in my mind like a song stuck on repeat, taunting me as I sat behind my desk, staring blankly at the ceiling. It was absurd. A college student in love with his professor? The very idea made me scoff. I let out a bitter chuckle, shaking my head. What a ridiculous notion. And yet… I hated how the words refused to fade, how they curled around my mind like an unrelenting vine, squeezing past my rational thoughts. I kept telling myself it was nothing more than youthful infatuation—reckless attraction that would inevitably pass. It had to. But deep inside—buried beneath layers of logic, fear, and self-restraint—something in me stirred. A dangerous part of me. Because no matter how absurd Ryan’s confession was, the warmth in his voice, the raw conviction in his words… it was intoxicating. And I—I, who had long forgotten what it felt like to be adored—felt somet
Chapter 6THE TUSSLEEMILY,I couldn't get the thoughts of what had just happened out of my head. The doorbell had rung that morning and I had rushed to see who was at the door, the moment I opened the door, the world tilted. There she was, Dr. Elena.Ryan's professor.I knew her instantly. She was the one he couldn't stop talking about last semester. The one he brought little gifts to, the one who always refused them but left him sulking for days afterwards. Until now, I had written her off as harmless. But here she was, standing on my doorstep with a bag in her hand.And she didn't even know me."What did she want?" I thought to myself as I stared at her with contempt on my face.I knew it was now or never, I had to send her away as quickly as possible before she ruined everything for me and Ryan.Her expression was calm, professional, almost tired. Her lips curved into a polite smile, but her eyes were tired, redish, as if she'd been crying for days and barely slept."Hi," she sai
Chapter 0007 HAUNTED BY THE PAST. ELENA, The door slammed shut with such force that the sound seemed to reverberate through the very foundation of the building. The vibrations traveled through the walls, creeping into my bones, leaving behind an eerie, lingering silence that stretched on far too long. It was the kind of silence that didn’t just fill a space—it consumed it, suffocating any possibility of escape. I flinched at the abruptness of it, but I didn’t move. My fingers tightened around the edge of my desk, gripping the solid wood with a desperation that bordered on pathetic. In that moment, it felt like the only thing keeping me upright, the only thing anchoring me to reality. If I let go, I wasn’t sure what would happen. My gaze remained fixed on the door, staring at the empty space where she had stood just moments ago. It was absurd how quickly she had vanished, how swiftly her presence had been erased, as if she had never been there at all. And yet, despite her absence
Chapter 0008 THE COST OF DESIRE RYAN After I confessed my love for Elena, everything changed between us. She began avoiding me as if I no longer existed. In class, when I raised my hand, she never acknowledged me. Her gaze never met mine, no matter how many times I tried to catch her attention. The warmth she once showed me had disappeared entirely, replaced by cold indifference. At first, I told myself that she just needed time to process everything. I convinced myself that if I gave her enough space, she would come around. But as the days turned into weeks, the silence between us only grew heavier. The more she ignored me, the more unbearable the weight of her absence became. Every time I saw her, I felt an ache deep in my chest, a longing I couldn’t shake. I needed to confront her. I needed to know if I had imagined everything—the tension, the unspoken connection, the way she looked at me when no one else was watching. That morning, after class, I saw my chance. Elena was
Chapter 0009 THE PRICE OF BETRAYAL EMILY, I couldn't believe it. My heart pounded violently against my ribs, each thump echoing in my ears as my mind struggled to make sense of what I had just witnessed. It was as if the air had been sucked from my lungs, leaving me gasping, suffocating under the weight of the truth. Ryan—my Ryan—stood there with her, his hands on her as if she belonged to him. The way he gazed at her, the soft smile that played on his lips, the way she leaned into him without hesitation—it was undeniable. It was real. I had hoped, prayed even, that the rumors were nothing more than vicious lies meant to stir trouble. That people had exaggerated, twisting innocent moments into something scandalous. But deep down, I had known. Some part of me had feared this moment long before I ever laid eyes on them together. But to see it with my own eyes? To watch him betray me in the most unforgivable way? It was like a knife to the chest, the pain sharp and relentless. My
CHAPTER 0010 THE SCANDAL ELENA This was my worst fear come to life. One careless mistake—one fleeting moment of recklessness—had set everything into motion. Ryan’s wife had seen something, misinterpreted it, and now she was determined to turn her assumptions into a scandal that would ruin me. The truth didn’t matter. It never did. People believed what they wanted to believe, and once the whispers started, they spread like wildfire. I could already see the wreckage ahead. And I would be the one buried beneath it. Regret consumed me, each wave more suffocating than the last. I should have known better. I should have never let Ryan step into my office that day. I should have never set foot in his house. Every seemingly insignificant choice had led me here—to the edge of a downfall I couldn’t escape. Panic clawed at my chest. What was I supposed to do? The thought of people finding out made my stomach twist violently. I could already hear the hushed conversations in the t
CHAPTER 80UNDER ATTACK.ADRIAN,"Boss, maybe we should confirm before heading to the docks—" I said to Evan skeptical about going into the docks without full information."Just drive," Evan barked, cutting me off.His voice was sharp, tight with urgency, leaving no room for argument. The air in the car was thick, charged, and heavy with something just shy of violence. My fingers curled into fists as I stared out the windshield, my heart hammering like a war drum, each beat a reminder of how much time we were wasting.I didn’t argue after that.The tires screeched as he swerved through the late-night traffic, weaving between cars like a predator hunting in the dark. Streetlights flashed past in bursts of white and gold, the reflection shimmering on the wet pavement as we tore forward, leaving nothing but the roar of the engine behind us.I pulled out my phone, fingers moving fast as I dialed.One ring.Two.Three.And then it went up to voicemail.Damn it.I muttered a curse under my
Chapter 0079 A GHOST ELENA, I laid down in the room, my mind filled with who the man was and what he wanted from me. For the first time, I wanted Evan to be here. If he was, he would be able to get me out of here. I was Evan's captive, but I wasn’t locked up with darkness crawling up over me. The darkness had been there, but now— The darkness was worse this time. It wasn’t just an absence of light—it was a presence. Heavy. Watching. I could feel it pressing in, curling around me like an unseen force, suffocating yet intangible. My breath came in shallow gasps, each inhale filling my lungs with the taste of dust and fear. The cold slithered over my skin like skeletal fingers, wrapping around me in a suffocating grip. I drew my knees to my chest, tucking myself into the smallest space possible, as if that could protect me from whatever lurked beyond the void. I didn’t know how long I had been here. Time had ceased to exist in this place. The silence stretched endlessly, coiling
CHAPTER 0078GETTING HER BACK AGAINEVANThe city never truly slept. It breathed, pulsing beneath the surface—hidden in the shadows of back alleys, behind tinted windows, between whispered deals exchanged under flickering neon lights. The underworld never stopped moving.Right now, neither could I.Rage burned through me like wildfire, scorching, relentless. Every inhale stoked the flames, every exhale carried the heat deeper into my bones. My hands ached from clenching my fists too tightly, my jaw locked with barely restrained fury.Elena was gone.And someone was going to bleed for it.I forced my fingers to loosen, letting the weight of the gun in my lap center me. Cold metal. Familiar. An extension of myself, something I could control. But it wasn’t enough—not when fury clawed inside me, desperate to be unleashed.My mind raced through every possibility. Every name, every face that might have dared to take her from me.The list was short. I had made sure of that over the years.Wh
CHAPTER 0077KIDNAPPEDELENA,Darkness. that was Alli saw when I woke up, Thick, suffocating, absolute.Pain radiated from the back of my skull, a deep, pulsing ache that sent nausea rolling through my stomach. It wasn’t just pain—it was a heavy, consuming fog, pressing in from all sides, making it impossible to think clearly. My body felt like dead weight against the cold, unyielding floor, my limbs sluggish and weak, as though I had been unconscious for hours—maybe longer.I tried to move, but every shift sent sharp jolts of agony through me. My fingers twitched against the rough, icy surface beneath me, and a shiver tore through my body. I wasn’t just cold—I was freezing, my thin clothing offering no protection against the chill that seeped into my bones. The air around me was stale, thick with a metallic tang that sent a warning bell ringing in the back of my mind.Blood.The realization sent a fresh wave of panic surging through my veins, tightening around my chest like a vice.
CHAPTER 0076LOST AGAIN.EVANThe rhythmic tap of my fingers against the polished wood of my desk was the only sound in the room. A slow, deliberate beat, like a clock ticking down to some inevitable moment. The air was thick with the scent of expensive leather and aged whiskey, but my mind was elsewhere, sifting through a web of problems that needed solving.Elena was a problem.Evelyn was an even bigger one.And I needed to find a way to silence them both—permanently.The screen of my phone lit up beside me, the faint glow cutting through the dimness. A vibration followed, a subtle hum against the heavy stillness. Business. A distraction. I glanced at the message—a confirmation of a deal that had taken months to close. Millions in negotiation, countless hours spent maneuvering, and now it was mine. A victory, yet it left me hollow. There was no satisfaction, no surge of triumph. Only the gnawing sense that something more pressing loomed in the background, something unfinished.Then
CHAPTER 0075 IN THE DARKNESS. ELENA, The whisper coiled around me like a breath against my skin. "You should have stayed asleep." My stomach clenched, and every muscle in my body locked into place, frozen by something more powerful than fear—dread. Deep, bone-deep dread. The kind that sinks into your marrow and holds you captive. I had tried to turn on the light, but it wasn’t working. I flicked the switch again. Nothing. My fingers trembled as I reached for the lamp instead, its glow weak but steady. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I gripped the lamp tightly, holding it close like a lifeline, my fingers aching from how hard I clutched the ceramic base. The air had changed. Heavy. Humming with something unseen, something wrong. I swallowed hard, forcing a breath into my lungs, but the simple act of breathing felt unnatural. Like I was inhaling something thick and tainted. Maybe I was imagining things. Maybe exhaustion had finally taken its toll, twisting reality into nig
Chapter 0074A LINGERING WARNINGELENA,I pushed the door open, stepping into the dimly lit hallway, my thoughts tangled in the web of lies I had once believed. The house was silent—too silent. The kind of quiet that doesn’t feel natural, like something was missing or waiting, holding its breath in the darkness.Shadows stretched long across the wooden floors, twisting unnaturally under the faint glow of the moon filtering through the windows. The air held a strange stillness, thick and suffocating, as though the walls themselves knew something I didn’t.For the longest time, I had pitied Evan. I had seen him as weak—a man drowning himself in alcohol, retreating into the haze of liquor to forget whatever haunted him. Broken beyond repair. A hollow version of himself.But that had all been a carefully constructed illusion.Evan was never helpless. He was never lost.He had been in control all along.A shiver ran down my spine, curling around my ribs like an unseen hand squeezing until
CHAPTER 0073THE GAME BEGINSEVAN,I heard her leave the house.I had been waiting for this moment. Sitting at the dining table, fingers tapping the polished wood in slow, rhythmic motions, I maintained the illusion of stillness. If anyone had been watching, they would have thought I was lost in thought, perhaps brooding over something entirely unrelated to her. But every breath I took, every fiber of my being, was tuned to her movements.I had known she would try again. It wasn’t a question of if—only when. Elena was many things: stubborn, reckless, restless. But above all, she was predictable when cornered. She hated being caged. She might have convinced herself she needed the walls I had built around her, might have played along for a while, but deep down, she would always test the limits.I had been waiting for the unraveling to begin.It had started in subtle ways, the way all things did with Elena. The way her pacing grew tighter, more erratic. The way her fingers twitched when
CHAPTER 72THE ARRIVAL.ELENA,The car rolled to a stop two blocks away from the house, just outside the range of the security cameras Evan had installed. The ones meant to keep intruders out. The ones that really kept me in.I clenched my hands in my lap, my fingers cold despite the warmth inside the car. Outside, the street was quiet—too quiet. Not the peaceful kind of silence, but the eerie, suffocating kind that filled the air before something terrible happened.Even in the dim glow of the streetlamps, I could still make out the cracks in the pavement, the familiar bends in the sidewalk, the warped wooden fences lining the yards of houses I once thought of as ordinary. But tonight, everything felt different. Foreign. Like I was walking into a place I no longer belonged. Maybe I never truly had.I swallowed hard and reached for the door handle, but hesitation kept me frozen.Evelyn exhaled beside me, her fingers drumming against the steering wheel in a slow, deliberate rhythm. “You