TRAPPED BY EVAN'S OBSESSION..

Chapter 0012

TRAPPED BY EVAN'S OBSESSION..

ELENA,

Time seemed to slow as I stood frozen, watching the chaos unfold in front of me. My breath hitched in my throat, my voice trapped behind a wall of shock and dread. I wanted to say something—to stop this disaster from spiraling further out of control—but I couldn’t. Words failed me.

Ryan, ever the reckless force of nature, attempted to salvage the situation, his voice urgent and desperate. But it was too late. Everything was already a mess.

My heart pounded violently in my chest as I spun on my heel and raced downstairs. My pulse roared in my ears, my hands trembling as I reached for my phone. The screen blurred in my vision as I hurriedly ordered a cab. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t face this.

Ryan called after me, his voice laced with something that almost sounded like regret.

I didn’t stop.

I didn’t turn around.

The cold night air bit into my skin as I stood by the curb, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. My thoughts were a tangled mess, each one more suffocating than the last. Ryan had become a storm in my life—unpredictable, destructive, and utterly impossible to escape.

I resented him for it.

No—I hated him for it.

The cab’s headlights cut through the darkness, and I rushed forward, yanking the door open. As I slid into the backseat, the driver gave me a brief, curious glance through the rearview mirror. Maybe he noticed the way my hands shook or the way my breathing came in uneven gasps. Maybe he could sense the turmoil clinging to me like a second skin.

But he didn’t ask any questions.

The silence inside the cab was suffocating. My mind replayed Emily’s words over and over, each syllable a sharp dagger slicing into my already fragile composure.

By the time we reached my apartment, the horizon had begun to lighten, signaling the arrival of dawn. The pale gray sky seemed almost mocking, as if it had witnessed my downfall and was waiting to see how much further I could fall.

A gust of wind whipped against me as I stepped out of the cab, but I barely felt it. My legs felt heavy as I climbed the steps, my stomach twisting violently with dread.

I hadn’t come home last night.

The realization settled in my chest like a lead weight. I needed an excuse. Something convincing. Something that wouldn’t shatter everything I had built with Evan.

But my mind was blank.

Swallowing hard, I reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open.

The first thing that hit me was the smell of whiskey.

The second was Evan.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, a half-empty bottle in front of him. His fingers drummed lightly against the glass, a slow, deliberate rhythm. At the sound of the door creaking open, his head lifted.

Our eyes met.

Relief flashed across his face. Then suspicion. Then something darker.

“Elena.” His voice was rough, strained. He shoved his chair back abruptly, the legs screeching against the floor as he stood. “Where the hell were you?”

Before I could answer, he crossed the room in quick strides and pulled me into his arms. His grip was tight—too tight. There was desperation in the way he held me, as if he were afraid I would disappear again.

“I thought something happened to you,” he murmured into my hair. “I called you a hundred times. You never answered.”

My hands clenched the fabric of his shirt. My phone. I had no idea where it was.

His voice lowered, thick with something that sent a shiver down my spine. “I thought you left me.”

The pain in his words was palpable, a sharp knife twisting in my chest.

“I would never leave you, Evan.” My voice wavered, but I forced a smile, hoping it would be enough to convince him. “I love you.”

Something flickered in his eyes. For a moment, I couldn’t place the emotion. But then, his features softened, and he smiled, brushing his thumb gently across my cheek.

“Good.”

He led me to the table, his touch careful, almost reverent. The normalcy of it all unsettled me. He made breakfast, his movements slow and methodical, as if nothing had happened. As if everything was fine.

But it wasn’t.

A heavy tension hung in the air, an unspoken storm waiting to break.

Then—

“So…” Evan’s voice was light, too casual. “Where were you?”

The air in my lungs turned to stone.

He leaned back in his chair, watching me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. “You didn’t bring the car back.”

My pulse spiked.

I wasn’t ready for this conversation.

“I… I went to a bar,” I said hesitantly. “I left my car there.”

His gaze darkened. “Why?”

I hesitated for a fraction of a second too long.

“I ran into a student,” I admitted. “I ended up crashing at his place.”

The moment the words left my lips, I knew I had made a terrible mistake.

Evan’s expression went eerily blank.

The silence that followed was suffocating. His fingers curled around his fork, his knuckles whitening from the pressure.

“Elena.” His voice was dangerously calm. “Tell me you’re joking.”

I swallowed hard. “Nothing happened. I swear—”

The table flipped.

Dishes shattered. Food splattered across the floor. My breath caught in my throat as Evan shot to his feet, his entire body rigid with rage.

“Nothing happened?” His voice was barely above a whisper, but the venom in it was unmistakable. “You disappear all night. You don’t answer your phone. And you want me to believe that?”

“I didn’t do anything!” My voice cracked.

But he wasn’t listening.

His fist connected with my stomach.

A sharp, agonizing pain shot through me. I gasped, doubling over, but he didn’t stop. A second blow struck my ribs. Then my face. My vision blurred as I hit the floor.

I tried to crawl away.

But he was faster.

His hands were relentless, his fury unstoppable. The room spun violently around me.

“You lied to me,” he hissed.

Another hit.

My head slammed against the floor.

Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision.

I tried to scream.

Then—nothing.

---

I woke up to an unnatural silence.

Thick. Suffocating.

A dull, searing pain radiated through my body as I forced my eyes open. A dim light flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows across the gray walls. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.

Something was wrong.

I tried to move but I couldn't. I could feel chains rattling as I tried to break free.

Panic crashed into me, sharp and unforgiving as I realized what was happening.

No. No, no, no.

I yanked at my wrists, feeling the cold bite of metal. My breath came in shallow gasps as fear clawed at my throat.

Where was I?

The memories hit me all at once—the fight, the pain, Evan’s fury. But this… this was something else.

This wasn’t an accident.

This was planned.

The door creaked open.

My blood ran cold.

Evan stepped inside.

He was calm now, eerily composed. The storm that had overtaken him last night had vanished, leaving behind something far more terrifying.

Something calculated.

“You’re awake,” he said softly.

I jerked against the chains. “Evan,” I gasped. “Please… what is this?”

He knelt before me, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from my face. His touch was gentle. Almost loving.

Tears welled in my eyes. “Let me go,” I whispered. “We can fix this.”

His lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

“No, Elena.” His voice was cold. “We can’t.”

That’s when I saw it.

The knife in his hand. A sharp, gleaming blade.

A sob caught in my throat as I watched him

“Evan,” I choked out. “You don’t have to do this.”

He tilted his head, studying me. Then, with a small smirk, he whispered,

“I know.”

He pressed the blade to my skin.And in that moment, I knew—

This was going to be my end.