Chapter 5 - The Healing Touch
An hour later, the heavy steel door of the penthouse panic room unlocked with a sharp hiss.
I rushed out, holding Maya while Marcus followed with Lily. When I saw Elias standing in the main living room, his shirt torn at the shoulder, soaked in rain and blood, my breath hitched.
"Elias!" I dropped Maya into her crib and ran to him, forgetting every rule of caution I had built over years of abuse. I grabbed his uninjured arm, my hands trembling as I inspected the wound on his shoulder. "You're hurt! You need a doctor!"
Elias stood still, looking down at my hands on his arm. A soft, rare smile touched the corners of his lips.
"It's just a scratch, Ava," he said softly. "I've had worse from bad weather."
"Don't do that!" I cried, tears spilling down my face as I slapped his chest gently. "Don't act like you're invincible! You went out there for us! You could have died!"
Elias reached up with his uninjured hand, catching my wrist gently. He pulled me half a step closer, his eyes intense and warm.
"I went out there because no man hurts what belongs under my roof," Elias murmured, his thumb gently stroking the sensitive skin of my wrist. "Julian is gone, Ava. He’s in custody. He will never, ever touch you or those babies again. You are free."
The word free echoed through my mind. For five years, I had been a prisoner of fear, living under the constant threat of violence, believing I was useless because I couldn't produce a son. Now, standing in the penthouse of New York’s most dangerous man, I was finally safe.
My knees buckled under the weight of the sudden relief. Elias caught me instantly, sweeping his broad arm around my waist and pulling me flush against his chest. I buried my face into the crook of his neck, smelling the rain, the leather, and the warm, comforting scent of him, and I wept.
I cried for the years I had lost, for the pain I had suffered, and for the incredible, terrifying gratitude I felt for the man holding me like I was made of precious glass.
May you like
Elias held me through it all, his hand gently stroking my hair, whispering assurances into the dark room until my breathing finally stilled.
"Come," Elias said softly, lifting me into his arms as if I weighed nothing at all. "You need rest. Tomorrow, a new life begins."
