13. Marcus
Marcus
The cabin was exactly as he’d left it three days ago when he’d made the final preparations; isolated, clean, perfect for what needed to happen.
Marcus had discovered the property six weeks earlier while researching locations outside Boston’s immediate surveillance radius, a foreclosed hunting cabin forty miles west of the city, accessible only by a dirt road that hadn’t seen maintenance in years.
The owner had died, the estate was in probate, the property sat empty and forgotten, exactly what he needed.
He’d spent weeks preparing the space, transforming it from abandoned structure to sanctuary.
He’d brought supplies such as food, water, blankets, and first aid materials; anything necessary to ensure Elena’s comfort during the time they’d need together.
He’d installed new locks on the doors, reinforced the windows, created a space that was secure without being prison-like.
This wasn’t about imprisonment. This was about protection, about creating an environment where Elena could finally see the truth without Dominic’s corrupting influence.
The drive from Cambridge took fifty-three minutes, Elena unconscious in the passenger seat, her head resting against the window with a peacefulness that made Marcus’s chest ache with tenderness.
She looked so beautiful like this, so serene, free from the tension that had marked her features for months.
Dominic had done that to her, had transformed her natural grace into something anxious and guarded.
Marcus would fix that. He would show her what real love looked like, what real devotion meant.
He carried her inside with a gentleness that bordered on worship, laying her on the bed he’d prepared in the cabin’s single bedroom.
The space was simple; a double bed with clean sheets, a nightstand with a lamp, a chair positioned near the window.
He’d brought books he knew she liked, music he’d heard her listening to during his surveillance, small comforts that would help her understand he’d been paying attention, that his love was based on genuine knowledge rather than fantasy.
The restraints were necessary, regrettable, a temporary measure until she understood he meant her no harm.
Marcus secured her wrists to the bedframe with soft rope, the kind that wouldn’t leave marks, wouldn’t cause pain, would simply prevent her from doing something dangerous in the initial confusion of waking.
He checked the knots carefully, ensuring they were secure without being cruel, then stepped back to observe his work.
She looked like a painting, like something precious that needed protecting.
Her chest rose and fell with steady breaths, her face peaceful in unconsciousness, her beauty unmarred by the fear that would inevitably come when she woke.
Marcus felt a pang of guilt at that. He hated that he’d have to see her afraid, hated that the initial moments of their time together would be marked by her misunderstanding of his intentions.
She would understand eventually. She had to understand.
He’d spent three years loving her, eight months protecting her, countless hours documenting the beauty of her existence.
No one knew her the way he did. No one appreciated her the way he did.
Dominic saw her as a possession, something to own and control and display.
Marcus saw her as she truly was; an artist, a goddess, someone who deserved worship rather than ownership.
He settled into the chair near the window, watching her sleep, waiting for the moment when she would wake and their real conversation could begin.
Outside, the afternoon was fading into evening, the forest surrounding the cabin growing dark with approaching night.
The isolation was complete, perfect, exactly what they needed.
No one would find them here. No one would interrupt what needed to happen.
Marcus had been careful, had planned every detail, had ensured that this time together would be free from outside interference.
When they emerged, when Elena finally understood and accepted his love, they would face the world together, united in a way that transcended the shallow connection she’d had with Dominic.
He just needed her to see it. He just needed her to understand.
The waiting was almost over.