BREAKING POINT

Elara’s POV

Every second the weight of the phone in my hand felt increased. The message on the screen captured my attention, the words blazing into my head. "You have twenty-four hours. Everything you value will then burn." Dmitri's comments rang in my ears, and every bit of air in my lungs felt stifling.

Leo was standing near, his presence like a wall separating me from the turmoil, but even his consoling silence couldn't stifle the panic developing inside me. My fingers were clammy and my pulse accelerated as I stared at the phone as though it could provide answers I wanted not to hear.

"Elara... Leo's voice was low and gentle, yet it was sufficient to rouse me from the trance. Not knowing what I was feeling, I jerked my hand away when he went for it. Anxiety is great. treachery? or something more complex? "Elara, talk to me."

I shook my head and let sharp intakes of breath flow forth. I was surrounded by walls. Though Dmitri had always been erratic, this? I could not have predicted this degree of peril.

"What are we meant to do?" Whispers with a shaky voice came from me. " Leo, he is serious. I understand he is. Should I yield, he will burn everything down to the ground.

Leo did not reply straight away. His eyes fixed on mine in quest of something. The quiet between us felt weighty and oppressive. Then he said, his words slow but intentional.

"We don't give in," Leo remarked, his voice hard like a demand. "We refuse to let him triumph. This goes beyond his preferences, Elara. This relates to your desired outcome.

I was ready to believe him. I did, truly. I couldn, however, ignore the reality of the circumstances. Dmitri's threats were serious, and a part of me fretted about what he may do. He possessed authority; I had just a few secrets and the ruins of a broken past.

"I don't have the luxury of making decisions like that anymore," I said, glancing down at the phone once again. "I am caught in this, Leo. And I have no idea how I might leave."

Before I could even realize it, his hand was on my arm, gently but forcefully drawing me toward him. At first, he said nothing. He just held me, and I felt the weight of everything—the betrayal, the fury, the fear—all collapsing down on me at that instant.

Leo said, "You're not alone in this," into my hair. "I won't' let you face this by yourself."

I closed my eyes and leaned toward him as though his touch might wipe everything. "But I doubt whether I can trust anyone these days. Not even Leo, not even you."

Though the words stung as they came out of my mouth, that was the reality. Fearful of everything that had been erected between us and of what would happen should I let myself believe Leo was the solution?

Leo slightly turned away, his fingers pointing my chin upward to demand my attention. Something primal, something that made my heart skip a beat, was in his gaze.

"Elara," he murmured, his voice quieter now and flavored with the sensitivity I had never heard from him. "I know I have done things that have harmed you. I don't expect you to pardon me for everything; I know I'm not perfect. But just now you can trust me. You know you can count on me not letting anything happen to you.

I would have liked to believe him. I wanted to let go of caution and let the part of me still loved him rule. But a pile of suffering and mistrust buried that part of me.

"You don't understand," I replied, my voice breaking as I moved away from him. " Leo, everyone I relied upon has deceived me. Dmitri... My family... How can I trust anyone following all of this?"

Leo moved forward once more, eyes sharp. "Because you are not doing this by yourself. We will work this out together. I swear.

Though the warmth of his promise was evident, the terror chewing at me blurred it. Should he be mistaken? Suppose he failed to protect me?

My thoughts were cut short by a loud tap on the door, and I jumped, the terror creeping back into my throat. Before I could move, Leo's hand shot out stopped me.

"Stay here," he advised, his voice harsh with command. "I will take care of it."

I watched him approach the door, his every action deliberate and balanced with the lethal might that seemed to define him. He did not immediately open the door when he arrived. Pushing his ear to it, he listened for something on the other side.

"Who else is it?" Leo spoke out, his tone subdued but urgent.

There was a little silence then a voice that made my blood stop cold.

"It's me," the voice murmured, quiet but clearly.

My heart missed a beat upon realization. Kara.

Leo did not hesitate. His body covered my vision as he opened the door. Though I could not see her, her voice sounded icy, like if.

"Elara," Mara whispered, her voice tinged with something like skin crawling. "We must speak."

Still paralyzed, my mind ran wild. Now what did she wish for? After all, following the lies, the treachery, was she really here to right things?

"Why ought I to believe you?" I responded, advancing to meet her icy stare. "What might you possibly wish for right now, Mara?"

Standing tall at the doorway, her platinum blonde hair gleamed in the low light, her eyes icy blue and deliberate. "I'm not here for a reunion, Elara," she continued, her voice laced with an emotion I could not identify. "I'm here since you're in more danger than you could possibly know."

Leo's posture changed little, his eyes narrowed as he turned back to meet me. His voice harsh, he questioned, "What's going on?"

Mara's eyes strayed between the two of us, and for a few seconds I sensed something change in her—something nearly like sorrow. But it vanished just as rapidly, replaced by the same chilly mask she wore every day.

"Dmitri's not the only one who wants to see you burn," she continued, her voice low, nearly whisper-like. "Some have been waiting for the proper opportunity. And just now this is it. The clock is running against us.

My pulse surged and my breath stopped in my throat. "Who?" My voice just whispered, I asked. "Who's behind this?"

Mara did not reply straight away. Rather, she drew in closer and in her hand I saw a little, elegant gadget. a tracking object.

"Everything you care about," she said, her voice cooler now, "it's all being monitored. And if you act slowly, it will all be gone in a flash.

My head whirl-turned. This exceeded Dmitri's threats and even my own expectations. Other players engaged in this game were considerably more deadly than I could have ever dreamed.

Leo came forward, his gaze sharp and deliberate, his body a shield between me and Mara. His voice low, he whispered, "You're playing a dangerous game, Mara." "And you are mistaken if you believe you can control Elara once more."

Mara did not flinch. Her voice slicing through the tension, she added, "I'm not here to manipulate anyone." "I came here to alert you. And you'd be better off listening."

She moved back, and the room seemed colder. We stood there in silence until she left.

Her comments seemed weighty pressing on my chest. The risk changed from Dmitri alone. Everyone was in line. And the clock was running against us.

I felt it—an obvious vibration in my pocket—before I could reply. My fingers shaking, I grabbed the phone and saw the fresh message.

"You have been warned." You now pay the cost.•

And I heard it, the definite sound of glass breaking as the last word sank in my head.

My heart in my throat, I turned to find the window across the room exploding into a thousand fragments.

And standing in the broken frame surprised me as well.

someone who has been a ghost.

The man who had always held the secret to my ruin.

Dmitri.