Chapter 18
Half a month passed quickly, and Elijah showed no signs of letting Zoe go. She, on the other hand, had no intention of playing along with his fantasy of redemption.
The moment midnight struck on the 15th day, she pushed open his bedroom door without
hesitation.
Inside, Elijah was holding one of her photos. “Babe…” he whispered obsessively, while his other hand moved across his aroused body.
When he saw Zoe just standing there, not a trace of embarrassment from being caught crossed his face. Instead, his eyes lit up instantly.
“Babe, does this mean you’ve forgiven me?” he asked.
Hearing that, Zoe remained perfectly calm. “The 15 days are up, so let me go,” she reminded.
Elijah froze mid–motion, and the light in his eyes dimmed. “Did these past 15 days mean nothing to you? Was there not one second where your heart wavered?”
A hollow laugh escaped Zoe. “And what about you? When you were causing me pain, did your heart ever waver even once?”
At that, Elijah’s head dropped. His messy hair shadowed the madness twisting his face.
“Alright then. Rest early. Tomorrow, I’ll take you home.”
- II.
The next morning, he kept his word and took her on his private jet, just as he had when he first took her away.
Stepping onto the garden grounds of the Quinn Manor, Zoe could hardly believe that the same man who had been so violently unhinged now seemed so composed.
Before entering the house, she turned to Elijah and said, “Let’s not meet again. I wish you happiness.”
But he only let out a soft laugh and replied, “Oh, babe, how could I possibly let you leave?” Just as he finished, he swung the jet’s back hatch open. It was packed with explosives inside. Elijah’s eyes blazed with a mix of obsession and madness. “Ave, since you refuse to stay by my side, then let’s write our final chapter together. A world without you isn’t one I care to live in.”
Zoe froze where she stood, thunderstruck. Behind her, Rowan and Malcolm rushed out to meet her.
Unlike before, they didn’t let her face Elijah alone. They stood on either side of her and held
Chapter 18
her hands firmly. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll face this together.”
But how could Zoe live with herself if Rowan died for her sake? A searing pain tore through her chest, giving way to a sudden, mirthless laugh.
Perhaps this was her lot in life. She was destined for sorrow and accepted it.
Breaking free from Rowan’s grip, Zoe rushed toward Elijah. It would be better to live the rest of her life in disgust than to drag her loved ones into the grave.
But just as she was a few steps away from him, a strong force shoved her to the ground. Malcolm had charged forward and boarded the jet while everyone was distracted.
The roars of the propellers echoed through the estate. Zoe’s heart sank, and a horrendous thought struck her.
Malcolm intended to fly the jet away and let it explode in mid–air. Sure enough, from inside the cockpit, he gave her a gentle smile before pressing the ignition.
“No!” Zoe screamed, her vision blurring with tears. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her face as sobs poured through her trembling fingers.
Elijah stared at her, stunned by her despair. Clenching his fists, the madness in his eyes gradually stilled into calmness.
Finally, he realized that she would never have anything to do with him, ever again.
“Ave, I suppose I should call you Zoe now. I’ve kept using your old name because I was deluding myself. I convinced myself that by refusing to accept it, we could go back to how we
used to be.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, he seemed to finally come to a realization. “But now, I see how wrong I was. You’ve long since moved on, while I’ve been stuck in place. We were never meant to meet again.”
Zoe also seemed to realize something. Her breath caught, and she stared at Elijah, stunned.
Then, he let out a bitter laugh and continued, “I made many mistakes in the first half of my life, and only recently did I realize where my heart truly lies. If fate dictates that only one of us can find happiness, then I want it to be you.”
Before she could respond, he turned and sprinted toward the jet, vaulting into the cockpit. With one swift motion, he shoved Malcom out of the seat and took his place,
Through the windows, as the jet lifted higher, Zoe saw Elijah’s face soften with a tenderness she had never seen before.
The roar of the blades drowned out everything, but by reading his lips, she knew what he said.
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“I love you.”
A deafening explosion tore across the sky. The ringing in Zoe’s ears dragged her back to the day they first met.
Back then, Elijah was an insolent heir who thought the world revolved around him. He couldn’t even be bothered to meet her eyes when he spoke to her.
“So you’re the fiancee Dad picked for me,” he sneered. “You’ll do, but that’s too bad. There’s nothing I loathe more than being coerced.”
Yes. Their relationship had been doomed from the beginning.
Zoe remembered the one year when things seemed normal. Sitting side–by–side in the attic under the stars, he had murmured to himself, eyes half–closed. “This wouldn’t be a bad way to spend the rest of my life.”
She remembered him in the hospital, whispering as he touched her face, “I wish it had been you who saved me.”
A relationship doomed from the start had no chance of righting itself. Their paths were fated to diverge from the start.
