Chapter 23 - ON HIS KNEES
|
The quiet that followed Victoria's departure was heavy and suffocating. The soft, rhythmic hum of the pool filter was the only sound left on the vast terrace, alongside the weak, exhausted whimpers of the baby resting against Marcus’s chest.
Marcus turned slowly toward Elena.
She was still sitting on the damp limestone tiles, her navy uniform completely drenched, her body shivering violently from the cold night air. The side of her face was already turning a deep, angry purple where his palm had struck her. Her lips were split, tracing a thin line of dried crimson down her chin.
Marcus felt his heart tear violently in his chest.
Holding his son securely with his left arm, Marcus crossed the patio and dropped heavily to both knees right in front of Elena. The billionaire, a man who commanded thousands and bowed to no one, knelt in the pool water trickling off her clothes.
“Elena…” his voice cracked, raw with unbearable guilt. “My God… what have I done?”
He reached out a trembling hand, aiming to gently touch her swollen cheek, but the moment his fingers neared her skin, Elena flinched back.
The instinctual movement hit Marcus harder than any blow could have. He pulled his hand back, his dark eyes brimming with unshed tears.
“I hit you,” Marcus whispered, his voice choked with self-loathing. “You saved my child’s life… you risked your life in that water… and I laid a hand on you because I believed a monster’s lie.”
Elena looked at him through wet, heavy eyelashes. Her eyes weren't filled with anger. They were filled with something far more painful—absolute disappointment.
May you like
“You didn’t ask me a single question, Marcus,” Elena said softly, her voice raspy from swallowing pool water. “You just looked at me… and decided I was capable of killing a child.”
Marcus closed his eyes as a single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek, burning against his skin like fire.
