Elora’s Point Of View

“Feels like a long time I'd had this much fun” I sighed as I got out of the cab and walked into the lavish prison I now call home. Slipping off my heels at the door, the marble floors felt icy under my bare feet as I padded through the silent house, the only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioning. I’d spent the day with my friends, laughing, drinking coffee, and for a few fleeting hours, forgetting the cage Dominic had locked me in.

I knew I’d broken one of his precious rules. “Inform me of your whereabouts at all times”. His demand echoed in my memory, but I hadn’t cared. That rule wasn’t about safety, it was about control, and I wasn’t going to put my life on hold just because he had decided to play the tyrant.

The lights in the living room were still on when I walked in, which wasn’t unusual. Dominic’s staff always made sure the house was pristine and ready for his return, no matter the hour. But as I crossed the threshold, I stopped cold.

He was there, sitting on the couch like a viper waiting to strike.

“Out late, aren’t we?” His voice was calm, almost casual, but the undercurrent of rage was unmistakable.

I froze, clutching my bag tighter. “I didn’t think you'd be home at this time. I was out with my friends…”

“Didn’t think I'd be home?” He rose slowly, his towering frame casting a shadow that seemed to engulf the room. “Let me make something very clear, Elora. As long as you’re carrying my child, everything you do should be sanctioned by me.”

My heart raced, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. “I’m not some prisoner, Dominic. I don’t need your permission to live my life.”

His laugh was cold, devoid of any humor. “Your life? You gave up that privilege the moment you decided to keep this child.”

“I didn’t decide to keep this child,” I snapped, my voice trembling. “You decided for me. You made threats, bullied me into staying here..”

“And you think defying me now will make this easier?” He stepped closer, his dark eyes piercing through me. “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to wander around without informing me? What if something had happened? Or this is your way of terminating my child?”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. “I wasn’t in any danger. I was with people I trust…”

“People you trust?” His tone was mocking. “And what do these trustworthy people think of you, Elora? That you’re some saint carrying an immaculate child? Or do they see you for what you are?”

His words cut deeper than I wanted to admit, but I refused to let him see that. “I don’t care what they think,” I said, my voice firmer now.

Dominic’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might yell. But when he spoke, his voice was dangerously low. “I don’t care who you whore yourself out to, Elora, as long as it’s not with my child in your womb.”

The slap came before I even realized what I was doing. The sharp sound echoed in the silent room, and my hand stung from the impact.

Dominic’s head snapped to the side, but he didn’t react. He didn’t flinch, didn’t move. When he turned back to me, his expression was unreadable, but the tension in the room was suffocating.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You don’t get to talk to me like that,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I’m not your puppet, Dominic.”

He took a step back, his gaze cold and calculating. “No,” he said softly. “You’re not. But you’d do well to remember that I hold the strings to everything else in your life.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned on my heel and ran up the stairs, my vision blurred by unshed tears. The moment I reached my room, I slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the bed.

The tears came then, hot and angry. How dare he? How dare he belittle me, insult me, and act like he owned me? Yes, I’d made mistakes, but I didn’t deserve this.

“I won’t let him control me,” I whispered to the empty room, my voice trembling. “I won’t let him win.”

But even as I said the words, a part of me doubted them. Dominic Hale was a force of nature, cold and unrelenting. He wasn’t the kind of man you could easily defy. And yet, I had to. For my sanity, for my child, I had to stand my ground.

Hours passed, but sleep didn’t come. The house was eerily silent, the weight of the confrontation still pressing down on me. I finally decided to get up, desperate for a glass of water to calm my nerves.

As I crept downstairs, the dim light from the kitchen spilled into the hallway. But as I approached, I heard voices,Dominic’s voice.

“...she doesn’t suspect anything yet,” he was saying, his tone low and clipped. “Do not let me regret this arrangement.”

I stopped in my tracks, my heart pounding.

“I don’t care what it takes,” he continued. “This has to stay under both our control. Elora can’t know.”

My name. He had said my name. My blood turned to ice. What couldn’t I know? What was he planning?

I pressed closer to the wall, straining to hear more, but then a voice behind me startled me.

“Miss Elora?”

I turned sharply, finding one of the maids standing there with a curious expression.

“I… I was just getting some water,” I stammered, clutching my chest.

She nodded, stepping aside to let me pass. My hands shook as I filled a glass from the tap, my mind racing. When I returned to my room, I locked the door behind me and sank onto the bed.

What was Dominic hiding? And why did I feel like my life was spiraling further out of my control?