Chapter 312: Drop the Act Elena

At last... I had proof.My hands were still wet from cooking, but I didn’t even care. I rushed to the sink, scrubbed my fingers clean, and grabbed my phone with shaking hands. My heart was thudding so hard it felt like it was trying to break out of my chest.

I needed to warn Lewis. Right now. The Doltons weren’t just "odd." They were connected. They were close enough to touch us.

Beep... beep...

The call rang and rang. No answer.

My stomach dropped.

Was he in a meeting? If he was, he would’ve texted me. That was his habit. He never liked leaving me hanging.

I tried again. Still nothing.

A cold, sharp panic crawled up my spine. My mind jumped straight to the worst places, the ones I always tried to lock away.

He told me he had plans this afternoon.

What if those "plans" weren’t his?

I didn’t waste time. I called Theo.

He picked up immediately.

"Theo."

"Ah, ma’am," he said, calm as ever. "What might you need?"

"Is Lewis with you?" My voice cracked before I could stop it. "I’ve been trying to reach him and I’m getting concerned."

"Sorry, ma’am. I’m not with him right now," Theo replied. "I’ll check on him right away."

I hung up and paced the kitchen like a caged animal. Every second felt stretched thin, like it could snap.

Amber’s cold stare flashed in my head.

Vito’s ring.

That black car.

If they were moving, they wouldn’t wait for permission.

Why hadn’t she acted sooner? Why now?

Because we were close to the deadline.

Because time was running out.

My throat tightened. My palm pressed against the pendant at my chest without thinking, as if I could anchor myself with it.

Please... be safe.

A few minutes later, my phone rang again. Theo.

I snatched it so fast I almost dropped it.

"Did you find him?" I asked, breathless.

Theo’s voice was low and tight. "Ms. Dolton set him up. She drugged him, ma’am. He’s not looking good right now."

My knees nearly gave out.

"Where is he?"

"I’m close by. I’ll come get you right now."

"Okay," I whispered, barely holding myself together.

Rage rushed in so fast it almost drowned the fear.

Tiffany.

What was she trying to do? What kind of sick game was this?

I was still fighting to breathe when Lewis’s name suddenly flashed on my screen.

Relief hit me so hard I almost sobbed.

"Lewis," I said quickly. "Are you okay?"

His voice sounded rough, scraped raw. "I’m sorry, Elena. I didn’t mean to worry you."

"How are you feeling right now?"

"I’m fine."

But he didn’t sound fine. Not even close. His words were calm, but his breathing wasn’t. It was shallow, uneven... like he was fighting something inside his own body.

"Turn on the video," I said. "Let me see you."

There was a pause. Then "Okay."

The screen switched, and my chest went tight.

His face was pale, but his cheeks were flushed in a way that looked wrong. His throat moved with every breath like swallowing hurt. His eyes were red around the edges, focused and unfocused at the same time, like he was holding onto control with his teeth.

In the background, Tiffany was on the floor. Unconscious. Limp.

Lewis’s voice shook. "Elena, I didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t touch me."

My heart shattered and burned at once.

"I’m coming," I said immediately. "I’m not leaving you alone."

The call was still going when Amber stepped into frame.

At the same time, Tiffany stirred like she was waking from a dream. She pushed herself up, crawling toward Lewis.

"Lewis..." her voice was breathy, desperate. "I love you. Please... just make me yours already. I’m still "

Amber’s hand moved so fast I felt it through the phone.

Smack.

The sound was sharp. Ugly.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Amber snapped.

Tiffany cried, holding her cheek. "Aunt Amber, I love him! Please, just let me take him. He’s already been drugged. He can’t escape me. Just help us..."

Amber slapped her again.

Smack.

"Didn’t I tell you this would never happen?" Amber’s voice turned colder, darker. "How dare you do something so disgraceful?"

Lewis was too weak to stop anything. He was gripping the armrests like he was trying to hold himself down. Trying not to break.

Amber grabbed a baseball bat.

My blood turned to ice.

She raised it and swung down at Tiffany.

Lewis’s voice cracked, weak and frantic. "Amber... stop... this is this is..."

This is what?

His sentence cut off like something had swallowed it.

The room went quiet except for Tiffany’s faint sobbing. Amber stood there like she felt nothing. Like she had no heart at all.

By the time I arrived, Peter had already taken Tiffany away. She was barely awake, barely standing, dragged out like a secret being buried.

The room felt empty in a way that made my skin crawl.

Lewis sat in a chair, collar undone, skin showing too much. His shirt was soaked with sweat and clung to him like a second layer. His hands were locked around the chair’s arms, knuckles white.

When he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot, but he knew me.

"Elena?" His voice cracked like it hurt to say my name.

I locked the door behind me, then walked to him slowly, like I was approaching a storm.

"Yes," I said softly. "It’s me."

His jaw tightened. "Theo brought sedatives. Elena, you should leave. I don’t want to hurt you."

Even like this... he was still thinking of me first.

I dropped to my knees beside him and brushed my fingers over his damp cheek. "Lewis," I whispered, "I’m your sedative."

His breath hitched. "Elena... I might lose control. I "

I pressed my mouth to his to shut the words down. Not because I didn’t hear him.

Because I did.

And I chose him anyway.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap, holding him like I could keep him anchored.

"I’m willing," I whispered against his mouth. "I’m here. With you."

The drug didn’t make him gentle. It made him desperate.

He clung to me like I was the only thing keeping him from turning into something he couldn’t come back from. His restraint broke in pieces, and all that was left was need raw, hungry, uncontrollable.

It wasn’t romance. It was survival.

There were moments I thought I’d pass out, and then I’d blink and find myself still in his arms, still holding him together with my own body.

He wasn’t the calm man I knew. Not the careful man who always asked, always waited.

This was instinct stripped bare.

And it broke my heart because I knew he never wanted me to see him like this.

When the first light of dawn finally slipped into the room, Lewis held me so tightly it hurt. His face was full of regret, like it was crushing him.

"Elena," he whispered, voice shaking. "I’m so sorry."

I looked up at him, exhausted to my bones. "Are you feeling better?"

He swallowed hard and nodded. "I’m fine now."

We both sounded hoarse. Worn down.

I rested my head against his chest, arms wrapped around him like a promise. "I’m not as fragile as you think," I murmured. "I’m just tired. I’ll be okay after I rest."

But he didn’t look tired. Not even after everything. His eyes were wide open, too alert, like his body still hadn’t let him come down.

He guided me to the bathroom, helped me clean up, then helped me get dressed. His hands were gentle again, careful again like he was trying to erase the night from my skin.

"I’ll have Theo drive you home," he said, kissing my forehead softly. "I need to handle something. Stay inside and wait for me."

I was too tired to argue. I nodded. "Okay. Come back soon."

Next thing I knew, I was in the back of a car with a thin blanket over me. My eyelids felt heavy. My thoughts came in slow pieces.

I drifted.

Then the car jolted.

Again.

Too rough. Too uneven.

The city roads were usually smooth. This felt like a winding trail, bumpy and wrong, like we were leaving the clean streets behind.

My eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus.

Then a voice cut through the fog.

"You’re awake?"

My whole body went cold.

That voice.

Yael.

I snapped fully awake and turned my head. The figure beside me sharpened into view.

It couldn’t be him.

I was sure I got into Theo’s car.

So why was Yael here?

Fear clenched my throat. I forced my voice to stay steady. "Yael... what are you doing here?"

He leaned closer, slow and confident, like he had all the time in the world. He stopped only when his face was dangerously near mine.

I was curled up in the backseat. He hovered over me, blocking the light, blocking the air. His eyes were locked on mine like he owned the moment.

A twisted smile pulled at his mouth.

Then he whispered, soft and cruel

"Drop the act, Elena."