𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐨𝐰𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟒

ELENA

"Thank you, Principessa," Zade says as he pecks my lips. I nod, feeling a pang in my chest. Zade's leaving tonight at 10 pm, which is in two hours because his flight to New York is at 3 am. We've been packing for about four hours and I'm exhausted.

I guess this is what being a fiancée or a wife is-helping your fiancée or husband by packing his clothes and removing his coat when he comes back from work. Or making sure dinner is ready by the time he comes back home. Thankfully, I don't do the dinner part; the cook does. But even if I had to cook every day for him, I wouldn't complain.

Zade looks over at me, concern etched on his face. "Elena, I know it's going to be hard with me gone. You'll be sleeping alone, and I remember you mentioned having nightmares sometimes. Do you want to talk about them? Maybe I can help."

I look down, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. The thought of sleeping alone without Zade beside me is daunting. "I have nightmares about the night my parents were murdered," I admit softly. "I didn't see it happen, but sometimes I dream that I did. I see their faces, the fear, and then... I wake up feeling helpless."

Zade's expression softens, and he steps closer, wrapping his arms around me. "Elena, I'm so sorry you have to go through that. It must be terrifying. But I want you to know that you're safe now. No one can hurt you here."

"I know," I whisper, leaning into his embrace. "But it's just so hard. The images feel so real, and being alone makes it worse."

He pulls back slightly, lifting my chin so our eyes meet. "Listen to me, Butterfly. You are stronger than you think. I left you some of my shirts, and whenever you feel scared or alone, you can wear them and feel like I'm right there with you. And we'll talk every night, no matter what."

Tears well up in my eyes, and I blink them away. "Promise?"

Zade kisses my forehead, his touch gentle and reassuring. "Promise. I hate leaving you, but this trip is important. I need to personally oversee the resolution of a serious issue at our New York branch. And on the bright side, I'll be going with Atlas. You'll finally be happy that we're bonding, just like you wanted."

A small smile tugs at my lips. "I guess that's a good thing. Maybe you two will finally stop bickering."

He chuckles. "Maybe. But no matter what, you know you're always on my mind. I love you, Elena."

"I love you too, Zade," I whisper, holding him tightly, wishing time could just stop so we wouldn't have to say goodbye.

As time passes, we only have forty minutes left. I look at my Fiancée, who has me wrapped in his arms and I think it's time to finally ask him. "I need to tell you something. So sometimes being home alone really sucks with you gon-" I say.

"Would you like me to stay home more often? Or how about I never leave the house to accompany you? I'll tell Atlas to go alone and I'll stay here with you." He interrupts me. He's so considerate and his words just make me want to melt. But no, I want him to work and go out and not stay in for me.

I tear away from his hold and start speaking. "No, it's really nothing like what you think. you should go. I want you to go. I mean I don't like want you to go, I mean like I'm fine with you going, I will miss you but I'm not going to stop you." JUST GET TO THE DAMN POINT, ELENA. "So I was thinking that maybe I should start my own fashion business. My cousin Claire, Olivia, you know Olivia, and I started a tiny business when we were fourteen, we earned like 90 euros, which we obviously split. So maybe we could get the team back together. So can we?" I add.