VEIL OF RICHES (Elite Shadow serie #1)

C - 7

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Shenaya sat on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The sun was setting, casting a golden hue over the horizon, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below was the only thing that calmed her racing heart. Italy had become her sanctuary, her place of peace. But she knew that peace was temporary.

She felt him before she saw him—Zachary. His presence was undeniable, even when he tried to be discreet. She had known he would find her eventually, despite her best efforts to disappear. The quiet footsteps grew closer, and Shenaya didn’t bother to turn around. She had been expecting him.

“Shenaya…” His voice was soft, almost pleading, as if he didn’t want to break the fragile serenity of the moment.

She remained still, her eyes fixed on the horizon. “I knew you would come,” she whispered, her voice carried by the wind.

Zachary stepped closer, stopping a few feet behind her. “I had to. You know I couldn’t let you go.”

Shenaya finally turned, her eyes meeting his. There was no anger in them now, only sorrow and exhaustion. “Why, Zachary? Why can’t you just let me be free?”

His jaw clenched, the familiar intensity in his gaze as he looked at her. “Because I love you,” he said, his voice raw. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t let go of what we had—what we could still have.”

She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “You don’t know what love is, Zachary. You don’t control someone you love. You don’t manipulate them, keep them like a prisoner.”

Zachary took a step forward, his hands reaching for her, but Shenaya backed away. “I’ve done everything for you, Shenaya. I’ve protected you, fought for you. I’m not perfect, but I did it all because I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”

Her heart ached hearing his words. She had once believed in him, in his strength, in the love he claimed to have for her. But that love had come with chains—chains she had spent so long trying to break.

Shenaya wiped the tears from her eyes, her voice trembling. “Love isn’t supposed to feel like this, Zachary. Love is supposed to be freeing. It’s supposed to lift you up, not suffocate you.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself before continuing. “When I first met you, I was drawn to your power, your confidence. But somewhere along the way, I lost myself in you. You turned me into someone I didn’t recognize—someone who was afraid to leave, afraid to live.”

Zachary’s face fell, and for the first time, there was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t realize…”

She took a step closer to him now, her hand gently reaching for his. “Zachary, you’ve been chasing me all this time, but you’ve never stopped to ask what I want. You can’t force someone to love you the way you want to be loved.”

His grip on her hand tightened slightly, as if afraid to let her slip away again. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered, the fear evident in his voice.

“You never had me to lose,” she said gently, her eyes softening. “Not truly. You loved the idea of me, the part of me that you could control. But the real me, the one standing here now… I need more than what you can give.”

Zachary’s breath hitched, and he lowered his head, his dark hair falling over his eyes. Shenaya could feel his inner turmoil, the battle between his desire to keep her and the realization that he had already lost her.

“I loved you, Zachary,” she said, her voice breaking. “Maybe I still do, in some way. But not like this. Not when it costs me my freedom, my peace.”

He looked up, his eyes red with unshed tears. “What do I have to do, Shenaya? Tell me… how do I make this right?”

Shenaya shook her head, her own tears falling freely now. “You can’t fix this, Zachary. Some things… they can’t be undone. What we had… it’s over. You have to let me go. That’s the only way you’ll ever truly love me.”

The words seemed to shatter him. Zachary stood there, silent and broken, the weight of her truth sinking in. He had fought for her, chased her across continents, but in the end, he realized that what he had been chasing wasn’t love—it was control.

Shenaya turned away from him, walking toward the cliff’s edge once more. “I need to be free, Zachary. I need to find myself again.”

There was a long silence, and for a moment, Shenaya wondered if he would say anything at all. But then, in a voice so low she almost didn’t hear it, Zachary whispered, “I’m sorry.”

She nodded, though she didn’t turn back. “I know.”

Without another word, Zachary turned and walked away, his footsteps growing fainter with each passing second. And as the sun dipped below the horizon, Shenaya closed her eyes, letting the warmth of its last rays wash over her.

For the first time in a long while, she felt free. Truly free.

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