The city blurred around Elena as she ran, the wind cutting against her cheeks, her tears indistinguishable from the drizzle that had begun to fall. Her heels clattered against the pavement until she finally stopped, breathless, her chest heaving like she'd left pieces of herself behind with every step.
She had no plan. No destination. Only the desperate need to escape.
By the time she reached the train station, her legs were shaking. The last train north was boarding, and without thinking, she bought a ticket and stepped into the dimly lit carriage. She didn't care where it went. As long as it took her away.
The rhythm of the train was steady, hypnotic. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, staring at the city lights fading into darkness. Images of both men haunted her.
Daniel's eyes—soft, pleading, still carrying the warmth of the man who once made her laugh in lecture halls, who held her hand through storms.
Adrian's touch—fiery, consuming, the kind of passion that made her body tremble and her soul ache with wanting.
And then the contract. Her name, tied to him before she even knew him. A truth she didn't understand, but one that left her terrified.
Her phone buzzed relentlessly in her bag. Dozens of missed calls from Adrian. Several from Daniel. She turned it off, shoving it deep into her coat.
For the first time in months, silence wrapped around her. A silence she thought she wanted. But now that she had it, it only made the emptiness louder.
The train rolled into a small coastal town at dawn. Elena stepped out into the chill morning air, the salty wind tangling her hair. The sea stretched endlessly before her, untamed and unyielding—exactly how her heart felt.
She found a little inn tucked against the pier, the kind with peeling paint and the smell of coffee wafting from its kitchen. The owner, an elderly woman with kind eyes, handed her a key without question.
In the quiet of her rented room, Elena finally collapsed. Her tears came hard, shaking her shoulders, soaking the sheets.
For once, there was no Adrian to hold her, no Daniel to whisper comfort. Just her and the truth she had been running from all along.
She loved them both.
And if she didn't find herself soon, she'd lose them both too.
Meanwhile, back in the city, Adrian was tearing through his empire like a madman. Every security contact, every driver, every camera in the streets was mobilized. His voice was sharp, brutal, leaving no room for mistakes.
"Find her," he growled into his phone. "I don't care what it takes, or who I have to bury. Bring her back to me."
Daniel, on the other hand, sat alone in his apartment, the file open on his lap. His hands covered his face, his heart breaking with the weight of what he'd done. He had wanted to protect Elena. But now, he feared he had pushed her away for good.
Two men. One woman.
And a love tangled so deeply in midnight shadows that none of them knew how to step back into the light.