I looked up at him at Lewis
"That ti I was stranded at sea and t you... was that really an accident?"
A low chuckle left his throat.
"In the sa city," he said, "two people can live their whole lives without crossing paths. Do you really believe it was coincidence that I found you in the middle of the ocean?"
My breath caught.
"So... it wasn’t?"
"I heard about the earthquake where Julian was," he said. "I knew you would run to him. That area was dangerous. Isolated. I arranged protection for you."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"But you never arrived. Camilla did. That’s when I knew sothing was wrong."
I stared at him.
"I started investigating," he continued. "That’s when I learned you had hidden yourself on a cargo ship. Trying to cross the ocean alone."
His voice lowered.
"The ship ran into trouble. I went myself."
My heart stopped.
"I rember floating on wood," I whispered. "I thought I was hallucinating... soone pulling up."
"That was ."
"You dove in?" I asked softly.
He held my gaze.
"Elena, do you know how scared I was?"
I had believed he was distant. Cold. Unreachable.
I never imagined he had jumped into freezing water for .
"There are no accidents," he said gently. "Just like Camilla’s moves. Everything is planned."
I laughed softly, though my eyes burned.
"If you had been kinder back then, we wouldn’t have taken so long to end up together."
He gave a helpless smile.
"I thought you were hopelessly bonded to Julian. It took everything in to hide how I felt."
My chest tightened.
"Lewis..."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in.
But before my lips could touch his
His phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, then at , apology in his eyes.
He answered.
"Yes?"
The bodyguard’s voice ca through, urgent.
"Boss... Camilla is making her move."
The mont I heard Camilla’s na, my heart tightened.
"What is she doing now?" I asked quickly. "Did sothing happen to Grandma?"
If Camilla was bold enough to target the Morrigans, she wouldn’t hesitate to touch Grandma either.
Fear rushed through . Camilla had already co too close once.
Lewis ended the call and looked at imdiately.
"Grandma is fine," he said firmly. "If Camilla even tries to step into her room with bad intentions, I’ll have proof. The hospital is covered in caras. She won’t risk that."
I exhaled, but my chest still felt tight.
"Then what happened?"
"She didn’t go back to the Hudson residence," he said. "She’s driving toward the coast. The route is unusual. She may be eting soone."
My pulse quickened.
We had waited so long. Watching. Holding back. Trying to uncover the force behind her.
Camilla was careful. She knew suspicion was building around her. She hadn’t stepped into that repair shop again. She’d been clean. Quiet.
Now she was heading to the seaside.
That wasn’t random.
"Lewis," I said softly, "can we follow her? Just from a distance?"
He studied for a mont.
"Alright," he said. "But you don’t act on impulse."
"I won’t."
We moved quickly.
As the car picked up speed, my mind ran ahead of us.
Who was behind Camilla?
Soone older? Soone who had long-standing ties to the Morrigans? Soone who had been planning for decades?
What kind of face hides behind that kind of cruelty?
One of our bodyguards joined the line.
"She’s cautious," he reported. "We can’t get too close."
"Where is she now?" Lewis asked.
"She went into a café near the waterfront."
It was almost New Year. The coast was packed with tourists. A night market had been set up along the shore. Lights hung across the stalls. Laughter filled the air. Vendors shouted. Music drifted in waves.
Life. Joy. Celebration.
Lewis looked at , his voice firm.
"No matter what happens, we do not show ourselves."
I nodded.
Small patience prevents bigger losses.
"Our n are watching," he added. "If soone ets her, we’ll know."
"Okay."
We stayed in the car.
Every second felt heavy.
Outside, people laughed and took photos, their happiness untouched by the darkness moving beneath it.
I watched the café entrance closely. Every person who stepped out made my heart jump.
Nothing.
Then
A slender woman stepped out of the crowd.
She stood out imdiately.
It was the festive season. Everyone’s faces were glowing with smiles.
But not hers.
Her face was pale. Frightened. As if sothing was chasing her, even if nothing was visible.
Her limbs were thin and delicate, almost fragile. She moved too fast, her steps uneven, like she might fall at any mont.
She looked like she was searching for a way out.
Her head turned left and right, scanning the street. No taxis. No empty rides. The night market was too crowded. Everyone was celebrating. No one noticed her fear.
Then her eyes locked onto our car.
She ran toward us without hesitation.
"Lewis..." I whispered.
His face changed instantly. The warmth vanished. What remained was cold focus.
"Theo, stay down."
Theo lowered himself completely out of sight. From outside, the car looked empty. Dark windows. Engine off. No movent.
Lewis and I sat in the back seat, swallowed by shadow.
The woman stumbled to the windshield and pressed her palms against the glass. She tried to peer inside, her breath fogging the window.
She was desperate.
"It looks like she’s asking for help," I whispered.
Lewis didn’t move.
His voice was low and steady. "Elena, too much kindness can beco the blade that cuts you. Everyone walks their own path. Sotis not interfering is the only rcy you can offer."
In that mont, he felt distant. Untouchable. Like soone who had learned the cost of stepping into battles that weren’t his.
"I understand," I murmured.
But my chest didn’t agree.
Then I saw him.
The man following her stepped out of the shadows.
He walked slowly. No rush. No panic.
Even through the car window, I could feel his presence. It was heavy. Suffocating.
He moved like soone who knew his prey was already exhausted.
When the woman saw him, her eyes widened. Fear flooded her face.
She tried to run again.
There was nowhere to go.
Her foot slipped on the icy ground. She fell hard.
I flinched.
She scrambled backward on her hands and knees, shaking violently. Tears stread down her pale cheeks.
Only then did I notice
She wasn’t wearing shoes.
Her thin white velvet dress clung to her in the winter cold. It looked like she had escaped from sowhere in a hurry.
Faint marks circled her wrists. Her ankles too.
Restraint marks.
She had been held.
For a long ti.
The man stepped closer.
Now I could see his face clearly.
He was strikingly handso. Smooth features. Calm expression. A tear-shaped mole beneath one eye gave him a strange charm.
But his smile
It widened as he approached.
He was enjoying this.
The chase.
The control.
The certainty.
The woman trembled like a trapped animal, the winter wind cutting through her thin dress.
Sothing inside snapped.
I started to rise.
But Lewis’s hand closed firmly around my arm.
He pulled back into his chest, strong and unyielding. His warmth wrapped around like a barrier.
His breath brushed my ear as he whispered,
"Elena. Stay still."
His voice carried command.
Not harsh.
Not loud.
But impossible to ignore.
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