Chapter 4
Elena's POV
Every moment I spent near Damon felt like standing on a fault line. One wrong move, and everything I'd built would crumble.
I had to stay sharp, I couldn't afford to let him see that my heart still remembered the way he used to whisper my name, the way his touch once set me on fire.
I had to remind myself why I was here.
For two years, I'd lived in shadows, scraping together a life for myself and my son.
Damon thought he knew pain?. He didn't know what it was like to bring a child into the world alone, terrified someone would discover who he belonged to.
He didn't know what it was like to bury the woman you used to be and rise as someone unrecognizable. Yet the moment I'd seen him at the gala, my carefully constructed armor had cracked.
His eyes had found me across the room like they always had, dark and magnetic, filled with a hunger that made my knees weak. He hadn't recognized me or so I'd thought.
Now, walking into his penthouse, I wasn't so sure.
"Would you like a drink?" Damon's voice was smooth, almost casual, but there was an edge beneath it.
"No, thank you," I said quietly, forcing a polite smile.
He moved closer, his presence filling the room, overwhelming as ever. His tailored suit hugged his powerful frame, and his gaze could still pin me in place like a butterfly under glass.
"You've changed," he murmured, circling me slowly like a predator sizing up prey. "New hair. New face. New name." His lips curved into a humorless smile. "But not everything changes, does it, Elena?"
My heart stopped. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said, keeping my tone even, though my pulse raced wildly.
"You invited me her for dinner again and here I am, I think you're mistaking me for someone else"
He didn't believe me. I could see it in the gleam of triumph in his eyes.
"Don't play games with me," Damon said softly, dangerously. "Two years, Elena. Two years I searched for you. Do you know what that did to me?. To wake up every day wondering where you were, if you were safe, if you were alive…"
I swallowed hard, refusing to let his words pierce me. "You didn't seem to care the night I left."
His jaw tightened, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin folder.
"I know where you've been hiding," he said, his voice like silk over steel. His gaze sharpened, cold and unrelenting. "And I know about your family."
A chill ran down my spine. "My family?"
"Your brother's criminal record, the dark history about your family" . Damon flipped the folder open and glanced at the papers inside. "It would be a shame if certain… unsavory details were to become public knowledge. Especially now that you've worked so hard to reinvent yourself."
My stomach dropped. "You wouldn't," I whispered.
His lips curved into a dark smile. "Wouldn't I? .You should know by now, Elena I protect what's mine. And you…". His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "You've always been mine."
Anger flared, hot and sharp, cutting through my fear. "You don't get to claim me. Not after what you did."
His eyes burned. " What did I do?"
The words sent a tremor through me, but I forced myself to stand my ground. "I don't care what you do Damon! I'll never be yours!"
"Steam all you want but you're mine! I'll be damned if I let you go" he snapped, taking a step closer.
The intensity in his voice made me falter, but I couldn't afford to get lost in the past. I needed to stay in control.
"Whatever you believe," I said, my tone icy, "it doesn't matter. I'm not coming back to you."
Damon's expression hardened, all traces of vulnerability vanishing. "Then I'll make you."
The room seemed to shrink around us, the air thick with tension.
I couldn't let him destroy everything I'd built not my freedom, not my son's safety. I needed a way to protect myself, to buy time.
A plan sparked in my mind, reckless and dangerous, but it was the only way.
"Fine," I said suddenly, lifting my chin.
Damon stilled, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "Fine?"
I forced myself to meet his gaze. "I'll come back to you. But on my terms."
His brow furrowed. "Go on."
"One year," I said firmly. "We'll marry, publicly. We'll play the part of the perfect couple for the world to see. But when that year ends, if you still want me, truly want me then I'll stay. If not, we go our separate ways. No threats and no blackmail."
Damon's eyes narrowed, calculating. "You think you can bargain with me?"
"I know I can." My voice didn't waver, though inside I was trembling. "You want me back? This is the only way you'll get me."
For a long moment, he said nothing. The silence stretched taut, a wire ready to snap.
Then, slowly, a dark smile curved his lips.
"Very well, Elena. One year." He extended his hand. "But make no mistake when that year is over, you'll never want to leave me again."
I slipped my hand into his, forcing myself not to flinch at the heat of his touch.
As his fingers closed around mine, sealing the deal, a chill ran down my spine.