Chapter 22
22
A urelia stood in the soft glow of the bedroom lamp, the piece of paper in front of her blurring as tears welled in her eyes. She read her own words again, though the ink was already smeared in places where her tears had fallen.
Michalis,
I love you more than I can ever say. But I can’t raise a child in your world—a world you’ve admitted is too dark and dangerous for me to even know about. If you love me, if you love this baby, you’ll let us go. Please don’t try to find us. The only way we’ll ever be safe is away from this life. I’m so sorry.
Her hands trembled as she carefully folded the note and propped it on the vanity mirror. She turned, grabbing her small bag packed with essentials, and slipped on her running shoes. The cool night air hit her face as she stepped outside, her breath fogging slightly as she crept through the estate grounds.
Every shadow loomed larger, every sound sharper—the crunch of gravel underfoot, the faint rustle of palm trees swaying in the breeze. She avoided the glow of the security lights, sticking to the shadows and moving swiftly. Her heart pounded as she reached the edge of the driveway, crouching behind a row of bushes.
The gates were visible in the distance, the faint hum of passing cars punctuating the otherwise silent night. Aurelia clutched her bag to her chest, praying that David would stop when she flagged him down.
She didn’t have to wait long. Headlights appeared, the sleek silhouette of a black sedan approaching the gates. David’s car. Taking a deep breath, she darted out from the bushes, waving her arms desperately.
The car slowed to a stop, its tires crunching on the gravel. The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing David’s familiar face. His expression shifted from confusion to concern as he leaned out. “Aurelia? What the hell are you doing out here?”
“I need a ride,” she said, breathless. “Please, David. I need your help.”
David hesitated for only a moment before stepping out of the car and opening the back door. “Of course. Get in. Tanya, you can drive.”
Aurelia climbed into the car, clutching her bag tightly. Now in the driver’s seat, Tanya turned to glance at her, her brow arched in curiosity but saying nothing as David slid into the seat beside Aurelia.
David’s gaze softened as he took her in. “You’re shaking,” he said gently. “What happened?”
She noticed the dark bruise forming on his jaw and frowned. “What happened to you ?”
David touched his face, grimacing. “Your husband happened. He dragged me down to the basement and beat me up. Just because he could.”
Aurelia’s stomach twisted with guilt. “David… I’m so sorry. I didn’t?—”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, cutting her off with a small smile. “I’m fine. Just tell me what’s going on. Why are you out here?”
“I can’t stay,” she said, her voice cracking. “I need to leave town, and I need your help. Please, can you take me?”
David’s concern seemed genuine as he nodded. “Of course. Where do you want to go?”
“Houston,” she said quickly. Relief flooded her as she exhaled. “I just need to get to Houston.”
Tanya glanced at David in the rearview mirror, her lips twitching with something Aurelia couldn’t quite place. “Houston, huh? Long drive.”
“It’s fine,” David said smoothly. “We’ll get you there.”
Tanya started the car, and they pulled away from the estate. Aurelia leaned back against the seat, her body tense, her heart aching more with each passing mile .
The miles rolled by, the darkness outside broken only by the occasional passing car. At first, Aurelia sat quietly, lost in her own misery, but as the scenery became less and less familiar, unease began to creep in.
“David,” she said hesitantly, glancing out the window, “this isn’t the way to Houston.”
“It’s a shortcut,” he replied, his tone light and reassuring. “Don’t worry.”
But the nagging sense of wrongness grew. The road stretched endlessly, desolate and dark. “No,” she said more firmly. “This isn’t right. Turn around.”
Tanya let out a low laugh, her voice laced with mockery. “Relax, princess. We know what we’re doing.”
Aurelia’s chest tightened, alarm bells ringing in her mind. “David,” she pleaded, turning to him, “what’s going on? Please, just tell me the truth.”
David sighed, his smile slipping as he pulled out his phone. “You’ll see soon enough.”
She froze as someone on the other end of the line answered, and David spoke rapidly in Romanian, her mother’s native language, his tone sharp and commanding. Though he didn’t realize it, she understood every word.
“I have her. It’s unbelievable, really—she came to us. The plan at the party failed when she left early, but it doesn’t matter now.”
He listened for a moment, his expression smug.
“Yes, she flagged us down, desperate to leave. She has no idea who she’s dealing with.”
Tanya glanced at him, smirking, adding in Romanian. “Lucky, huh? Didn’t even need the needle. She practically threw herself into our car. Tell them how she practically begged us for a ride. Poor thing has no idea she just delivered herself on a silver platter.”
David relayed the information, then added, “We’ll be there in a few hours. Get ready. This is going to be easier than expected.”
He chuckled, his voice smooth. “Exactly. Get ready. It’s all coming together.”
Aurelia’s blood ran cold. I’ve walked right into their hands. Forcing herself to remain calm, feign ignorance, she waited until he ended the call. “David,” she said, her voice trembling, “Who was that? What’s going on? Where are we going?”
He turned to her, his mask fully gone now. “We’re going to see your father.”
Aurelia’s breath hitched. “I––I don’t understand. My father is dead.”
“No,” David said, his voice cold. “That’s what your bitch mother wanted you to think. But Victor’s been looking for you ever since you disappeared.”
Frowning, she shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. My father died when I was little. You’ve made a mistake. Please, take me back.”
Her heart raced as Tanya cut in with a sneer, “Oh, poor little princess. You thought this was about saving you? No. You’re going to meet Daddy dearest. And while you’re at it, say goodbye to that happy little family you were planning. That husband of yours? That baby? They’re as good as dead.”
Aurelia’s world tilted, panic clawing at her chest. “David,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No. Please…”
He only smiled; the man she thought she knew nowhere to be found. “This could have been so much easier if you’d stuck to the annulment plan, but no, you had to go and fuck it up, didn’t you?”
Panic clawed icy fingers down her spine, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. She tried to get the door open, but they were locked, the vehicle in motion. “David, please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “Don’t do this.”
But David only smirked, his mask fully gone now. “It’s already done.”
Hours passed in a blur of fear and exhaustion. Aurelia drifted into a fitful sleep, jolting awake as the car came to a stop. The car pulled up to a nondescript office building hours later. Aurelia was dragged inside, her protests ignored. The sterile interior was cold and unwelcoming, the fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows over bare walls.
The sterile office building loomed in the dim predawn light, its unmarked exterior offering no clues to its purpose. Aurelia’s legs trembled as Tanya dragged her inside, her breath coming in short gasps. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting harsh reflections on the tiled floors.
Victor Khomenko waited in the center of the room, a tall, imposing figure dressed in a tailored suit. His salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed, his dark eyes sharp and calculating. When he saw Aurelia, his lips curved into a warm smile that sent a chill down her spine.
“Aurelia,” he said smoothly, his voice a deep purr. “It’s been far too long.”
Her body stiffened as he approached, his arms opening as if to embrace her. She recoiled instinctively, but Tanya shoved her forward, forcing her into his grasp. Victor’s embrace was firm, almost fatherly, but she felt no comfort in his touch.
“You look so much like your mother,” he murmured, releasing her and stepping back to study her. “Beautiful, but with fire in your eyes. Just like Nadia.”
The mention of her mother sent a pang of grief through Aurelia’s chest. “She said you were dead,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Why?”
Victor tilted his head, feigning surprise. “You don’t know? Your mother never told you what happened all those years ago?”
Aurelia shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “I only know that we moved around a lot. Always moving.”
Victor’s smile widened, cold and cruel. “Yes, Nadia thought she could hide you from me. She thought she could steal my daughter and escape my world.” He let out a low chuckle. “She thought she could hide behind Giannopoulos, but she was wrong. I found her. I found you .”
Aurelia’s breath hitched as the pieces began to fall into place. “The attack… seven years ago?”
Victor nodded, his tone turning almost gleeful. “I had my men bringing you to me. I was so close to having you back in my arms. But then your husband interfered.”
“Michalis?” she whispered, her heart pounding.
Victor’s smile vanished, replaced by a sneer. “That bastard stole you from me. His men ambushed mine, killing them before they could deliver you to me. Do you know how much blood was spilled that day because of you? How much money you cost me?”
Aurelia’s stomach twisted as the meaning of his words sank in. “I thought… I thought it was because of Michalis’s father.”
Victor let out a sharp laugh. “Chrysanthos Giannopoulos was merely collateral damage. The bloodshed wasn’t about him—it was about you and your mother. Then his son sent you to that boarding school to keep you safe, but I found you there, too, only you ran before I could work out a way to get to you, and then every time you moved, he followed you, let you think you were on your own.”
“What?”
Victor laughed. “Oh, he didn’t tell you? I do believe he was already obsessed with you by then, but you were too young, so he let you grow up. And every time I got close, he was there, fucking everything up. You were always protected. So chivalrous. If you’d come to me still a virgin, I would have thanked him before I gutted him, but he ruined that, too, didn’t he? David was supposed to keep you pure until I had a way to get around your husband’s protective detail, but he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants and went panting after you the moment you came back on your own.”
The realization hit Aurelia like a punch to the gut. All this time… Michalis was protecting me from this psychopath. His world… it’s my world too. Her knees wobbled, and she gripped the edge of the table for support.
She looked up at Victor, her voice trembling. “And my mother? Why did she leave? Why did she run if she loved you?”
Victor’s expression darkened, but his voice remained calm, almost conversational. “Because Nadia didn’t understand. She couldn’t see the opportunity I was giving you.” He leaned closer, his tone dropping to a chilling whisper. “I was going to sell my beautiful virgin daughter to the highest bidder. Millions, Aurelia. Do you know what that kind of money can do?”
Aurelia’s stomach turned, bile rising in her throat. “You… you were going to sell me? I was your daughter.”
Victor straightened, unbothered by her horror. “No. You were a commodity to be traded. And Nadia? She was a fool. She couldn’t accept it, so she ran, stealing you away in the dead of night.” He smiled coldly. “But it didn’t matter. I found you in the end.”
Aurelia clutched her belly protectively, nausea threatening to overwhelm her. “You’re a monster.”
Victor’s smile didn’t waver. “Perhaps. But I’m a patient monster. And now, you’ll finally fulfill your purpose.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t have to do this. If it’s money you want, Michalis can pay you. He has?—”
Victor slammed a hand on the table, silencing her. His smile evaporated, replaced by cold fury. “This isn’t about money anymore. Michalis Giannopoulos has interfered one too many times. He stole you from me seven years ago, and now he’s ruined you. So, I’ll destroy everything he loves.”
Aurelia’s blood turned to ice as he leaned closer, his voice a venomous hiss. “You. Your baby. That happy little life you thought you had. It’s all going to burn.”
Tanya’s laughter echoed from the corner. “See, princess? You thought you could run to your husband for protection. But what’s he going to do when you’re gone? When the Giannopoulos legacy crumbles?”
Aurelia turned to David, desperation in her eyes. “David, please. You don’t have to let this happen. Help me.”
But David’s smirk was cold and unfeeling. “It’s too late, Aurelia. You belong to Victor now.”
Panic surged as Aurelia pushed back from the table, bolting toward the door. She managed to wrench it open, but Tanya was faster, slamming her against the wall.
“Nice try,” Tanya sneered, twisting Aurelia’s arm behind her back. “But you’re not going anywhere.”
Victor gestured dismissively. “Put her in the back room. She needs time to adjust to her new reality.”
Aurelia screamed and kicked as Tanya dragged her down the hall, her strength no match for the woman’s iron grip. The door slammed shut behind her, and she heard the lock click ominously.
The room was dark, the air cold and heavy. Aurelia sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs as sobs wracked her body. Her hands moved instinctively to her belly, clutching the only thing that mattered now.
Through her tears, a single thought burned in her mind. Michalis… I’m so sorry. I never should have left.
Aurelia was shoved into a dark, windowless room. The door slammed shut, the lock clicking ominously. She sank into a corner, wrapping her arms around her legs, her body trembling with fear.
Tears streamed down her face as she clutched her belly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Michalis… I’m so sorry.”