CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: I HATE YOU, I LOVE YOU.

Elena gasped as her eyes flew open. Her body jolted upright, bringing her up immediately. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The sheets beneath her were soft, heavy, and smelled faintly of cedar and a strong herb. The air was cold and when she looked around, realization dawned on her. The room was shadowed, the drapes drawn, the faint crackle of a fire dancing against black stone walls.

Her thumped loudly in her chest before skipping a beat.

This wasn’t Calithar’s kingdom. No, no. This wasn’t the clothes store.

Her hands clutched the sheets beneath her hand. The room was larger than her chamber in Eryndor, but everything from the dark wood furniture to the black draperies were painted in dark, dreary colors.

She sat up suddenly, panic rushing through her chest. "Where... where am I?" she whispered to herself in a trembling voice.

As she sat confusedly on the bed, the truth came to her slowly. It was like cold water dripping down her spine. She knew this scent. This...this was Zerathane!

And she was in Damien’s chambers!

But how?!

She rubbed her temples to clear the confusion clouding her mind. The last thing she remembered was standing in front of a mirror in a clothes shop. Then...then nothing else.

Before she could steady herself, the door creaked open.

Prince Severin entered as silent as a shadow. The air in the room shifted instantly; the temperature seemed to drop. His expression was calm, and his eyes gave nothing away.

When the door clicked shut, he turned the lock.

Elena’s pulse spiked. "P-prince Severin?" she breathed, her voice laced with disbelief.

"How...what...?" she trailed off, unable to believe it.

Severin didn’t even answer or spare her a glance. He strides were slow as he crossed the room. He went straight to the incense burner by the window, adjusted the lid, and a stronger wave of smoke filled the air.

Elena coughed lightly, pressing her palm to her mouth. "What are you doing? How-how did I get here?"

No answer.

He continued to move, adjusting the drapes and aligning a few objects on the table like a servant performing his daily tasks. His silence only made her more anxious.

"Your highness, please," she pressed, standing up now with her bare feet. "Tell me how I ended up here."

Still nothing.

When he finally turned toward her, his face was void of emotion. For a moment, their eyes met. His calm, bored gaze against hers burning with confusion and fear.

Then, he simply walked past her.

As he passed by her bed, desperation overcame her. She reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Please," she asked pleadingly again. "Tell me what happened. What happened to me?"

Severin turned his head slightly and Elena saw the faintest flicker of annoyance passing through his features.

Tears started welling up in her eyes and she felt so defeated.

"You—"

Before he could continue, the door opened behind them with a loud, echoing sound with Damien standing in the doorway.

Damien stood still as he observed the sight: Elena clutching Severin’s hand with tears glimmering in her eyes.

"What is going on here?" he asked calmly with an underlying anger laced to his voice.

Severin didn’t move. He looked back at Damien, then down at Elena’s hand still gripping his wrist.

He raised his other hand and slowly pried her fingers away.

"Why don’t you ask your husband, princess?" he said quietly. Then he turned and walked out, leaving the door half-open behind him.

Elena stood there with heart pounding.

Damien’s steps were heavy as he approached. His eyes were fixed on her face with a pressing intensity that could make anyone falter. He stopped beside the bed, silent for a long moment.

"Elena," he said finally in a voice that betrayed the look on his face.

She blinked rapidly, wiping at her tears. "Wh-what happened to me?" she asked again, voice breaking. "I was...I was in Eryndor... I was with Calithar. What did you do to me?"

He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair before sitting on the bed. "Three days ago, we found you unconscious in the courtyard," he said quietly. "No one knows how you appeared there."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Three days?"

He nodded.

A pained expression took her face and tears filled her eyes again. She turned away, hugging herself with both arms. "No...no, this can’t be happening."

She had wanted to come back home and see him again but now that she was here, it was just... uncomfortable.

Damien’s brow furrowed and he arched a brow. "Why? You didn’t want to come back?"

She looked at him confused and scared through her tears. "I-I..." she stuttered.

"You have no choice," he said cutting her off, his tone hardening. "You’re my wife now and so your place is in Zerathane."

Something snapped within her at those words. What? My place? What in hell does he know about where ’my place is?’

She snapped her gaze to him, now boiling with anger but her voice was still shaky.

"I never wanted to come back here!" she yelled as her body shook angrily. Who did he think he was to claim her like that?

"Never?" he asked softly, turning to face her.

"Never!" she shouted. Her voice cracked under the weight of it. "You kept me here like a prisoner. You took everything from me! My freedom, My peace and now you want to pretend that you actually wanted me?"

Damien’s expression darkened. "So you enjoyed your time there, then?" he said with his words dripped with sarcasm.

"Yes!" she cried. "At least he treated me like a person. At least he didn’t try to control every breath I took!" she screamed out hysterically.

For a moment,sharp, suffocating silence reigned. Damien’s hands clenched on his knees till his knuckles turned white.

"Elena," he said tightly, "you have no idea what you’re saying."

"I know exactly what I’m saying," she shot back. Her tears had turned hot and angry. "You think I should be grateful to be here? To be called your bride when I was never given a choice?"

He stood abruptly from the bed fuming. "You were chosen—"

"By who?!" she screamed. "You? The gods? Or your damned pride?"

Her voice broke on the last word. Her knees wobbled. She couldn’t take it anymore. She turned and ran toward the bathroom, sobbing uncontrollably.

The door slammed behind her and she burst out in fresh years.

She slid down to the floor, hugging her knees as she sat on the cold tiled floor with her face buried in her palms, grounding herself in her misery.

Her sobs were quiet at first, then they became louder. "Why?" she whispered to herself. "Why...?"

Outside the bathroom, Damien sat motionless on the bed. The sound of her crying behind the door ate at him, filling the silence with its echoes.

Minutes passed by and he couldn’t take it anymore.

He stood abruptly, walked to the bathroom, and gripped the handle hard, turning the knob to open it. It was locked.

"Elena," he said through the door "Open the door."

She didn’t answer him. Only the faint sound of her crying could be heard.

He tried again. "Elena." he called out again

Still silence.

Something inside him snapped. He turned the handle once more, then, with a sharp twist of his arm, broke the knob clean off. The metal fell to the floor with a loud clatter as the door swung inward.

Elena jerked up in fright at the sudden intrusion.

She had been sitting inside the bathtub, still in her clothes with her knees pulled to her chest. Her eyes were red and swollen and her hair was messy from running her hands through it.

When she saw him, she immediately stopped crying "What are-are you doing here..?"

He stepped inside, slamming the door behind him. The lock on the door clicked, trapping them inside since the door knob was already broken.

"There’s no way out now," he said quietly.

"Stop it," she sniffed. "Just leave me alone."

But he didn’t stop. He crossed the room in two strides and stepped into the tub fully clothed. The water splashed against the sides, soaking his boots and trousers.

Elena froze, pressing her hands against the edge of the tub as she tried to get away from him but he kept walking closer and closer. "What are you doing?"

He continued moving until he got to her and crouched down until his face was level with hers. His eyes were now glowing bright red as if a dangerous fire swirled within them.

"Tell me," he said in his low dark and rough voice. "What exactly did he do to you to make you love him so much?"

Elena stared at him, speechless. The anger in his eyes wasn’t new, but Elena didn’t understand why he was so angry.

"You think this is about him?" she whispered, still shaking from her previous outburst. "You think this thing between us is love?"

"Then what is it about?" His voice came out immediately she finished. "Because I look at you and all I see is the woman who keeps trying to run away from me. Tell me why. Am I that detestable to be with?."

"You’re just using me, Damien!" she shouted, hot tears spilling out of her again. "You are! You think keeping me here makes me yours? You can’t chain me forever!"

His hands tightened on the edge of the tub and leaned in closer to her, trapping her between his arms. "You were meant to be mine. That’s how it was-"

"Don’t you dare," she snapped, her eyes burning with renewed anger. "Don’t you dare blame whatever being for your choices!"

He blinked once, thrown off by the force in her voice.

She took a shaky breath, her hands trembling as she gripped her dress that was soaked in water. "I didn’t choose this. I didn’t choose you. You think I’m ungrateful, but you never cared about me for once!."

He stared at her, completely shocked but he didn’t show it. His voice came out lower this time, almost a whisper. "And what do you want, Elena?"

"I want my freedom," she said softly. "I want to stop waking up in fear. I want to remember what it’s like to smile without having a heaviness in my heart."

Her words cut through him like a blade.

Damien’s jaw clenched. For a long moment, he said nothing. His red eyes remained on her, calmer this time with

After a moment of silence, he spoke up again.

"You speak of freedom," he said quietly, "yet you ran to another man."

Elena looked up at him in shock, her tears falling silently now. Did he know about Calithar? She decided not to waver in front of him and held her ground.

"Because he made me feel alive again."

"Elena," he said finally, trying to explain. "I didn’t make you come back. That was purely out of my control."

She stared at him, stunned. "Really?"

He met her gaze again. "It’s all I know."

The air thickened, the faint scent of incense drifting in from the outer room. Elena’s tears slowed, her chest rising and falling with quiet sobs. Damien reached out to touch her cheek but she flinched and turned her face to the side.

"Don’t," she whispered.

His hand froze. "I’m not going to hurt you," he said, his voice soft but firm.

"You already did," she said, her voice breaking. "Every day you kept me here, when I suffered in silence."

His hand fell to his side, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, they sat there in silence, the only sound was the faint crackle of the fire from the outer room. The water in the tub was cold now, seeping through their clothes, but neither moved.

"You think I’m the monster in your story," Damien said finally, his voice low.

"You made yourself one," she replied, her gaze fixed on the water.

He let out a slow breath, leaning further back against the wall of the tub. "Then tell me how to stop being one."

Elena’s lips parted, but no words came. She looked at him and for the first time, she saw something vulnerable in his eyes.

"I don’t know if you can," she whispered cautiously.

He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. For a moment, neither spoke then he opened his eyes and spoke again. "I never meant to make you hate me."

"Then let me go," she said, her voice trembling.

His eyes met hers, raw and unguarded. "If I let you go, will you come back?"

Her lips trembled and she fell silent again before a single word escaped from her lips. "No."

The word hit him like a physical blow. His jaw tightened, and he gave a faint, humorless smile. "Then I can’t."

"Damien—" she began, but he cut her off.

"I can’t," he said, his voice firmer now. "Because if I let you go, I’ll lose what little hope I have of myself I have left."

She looked at him, helpless and exhausted. "I will never love you," she said softly as new tears flooded her eyes again.

Damien stiffened up as he heard her words.

" Good. It’s for the better," he said without flinching a muscle.

Elena stifled a cry at his words. Her tears had stopped, but her chest ached with a mix of fear and anger. She wasn’t sure anymore if she feared Damien for what he’d done, or for the way her heart still stirred when he looked at her like that.

She lifted her head to look at him. His hand rested on one of his knees propped up against the water and his head was bowed between his them.

’Do I really want to leave him?’ she thought to herself quietly drying her tears with her palms.