Chapter 40
Elijah Vaughn.
The warmth surrounding me felt strangely comforting, like a silent refuge against everything that had happened. My eyes were heavy, and may body me to sink into something soft, holding me up as if keeping the pain from pulling me into an endless abyss.
Slowly, awareness crept back. I blinked sluggishly until I realized where I was.
My face was resting on a warm, firm chest. The steady rhythm of breathing and the woodsy scent made it instantly clear–1 was lying on him. I tried to move, but my muscles felt like lead, drained from exhaustion.
Then the memories hit like blades cutting into flesh.
David’s visit. The cruel words poured out without remorse. The revelation that my parents had erased me from existence, discarding everything that once belonged to me.
I was forgotten–swept away like unwanted dust.
The love I always thought was unshakable revealed itself to be a cold, calculated lie.
And Sabrina… the one who said she loved me, who had planned a future by my side. Her betrayal had been the final blow.
My breath caught, and a knot formed in my throat.
The familiar heat of tears threatened to return, but I swallowed hard, refusing to cry again.
None of them deserved my tears.
Not a single one.
Suddenly, I felt fingers gliding gently down my back, tracing slow, deliberate circles.
I didn’t need to lift my face to know Dante was awake.
“What happened, little bunny?”
The voice was low, almost a murmur, but laced with curiosity–and something that sounded like… concern?
“Who made you cry?”
I shut my eyes tightly, lips pressed together as I tried to hold back the flood of emotions. o
I took a deep breath, struggling to pull the air in, then released it slowly in a useless attempt to regain
The words came out weak, hesitant.
“My brother…”
The bitter taste of that title lingered in my mouth.
‘He came here just to laugh at me. To throw in my face how pathetic I am for ending up in this hell.”
His silence was suffocating.
control.
“He admitted he did all of this because he hates me.”
A dry laugh slipped past my lips, completely void of humor.
“He said he could never stand how our parents always gave me attention… en he decided to destroy me
My chest tightened, but I kept going.
“I did everything I could to be perfect, to be useful, to be worthy of their love. And what did I get? Abandonment. David told me they threw Te things like I never existed. They declared me dead. Like I was nothing
My hands clenched without thinking.
I was always a good son. I shared my dreams, my hopes… I just wanted to leave that town and see the world. They raised me from the first day, but in the end, they chose to believe a girl they’d known for only two years.”
Frustration built up, tangled with disgust.
“What a fucking life.”
The tears threatened again, but I forced them back.
They didn’t deserve it.
Not a single drop of my pain.
He remained silent, but I felt his presence even closer now.
Then his voice came again, edged with sharp interest.
“And your hand?”
He took hold of my wrist, and only then did I notice the dried blood on my fingers.
“Why is it stained?”
I looked down at my own hands, at the remnants of the rage that had boiled over earlier.
A low laugh escaped me.
‘I smashed David’s face in.”
I confessed, feeling a bitter satisfaction at the memory of the punch landing.
‘I was so angry. I just went for him. Broke his nose. It was… satisfying.”
He let out a soft laugh, almost appreciative.
You’re perfect, little bunny.”
His fingers slid through my hair.
‘But you should’ve hit him with a chair. That would’ve been even better.”
There was amusement in his voice, as if the thought genuinely pleased him.
‘How was your first fight?”
1 swallowed hard.
‘Strange, I admitted, choosing my words. But also… satisfying. Knowing he finally felt even a fraction of what he put me through.”
He kissed the top of my head.
He said he could never stand how our parents always gave me attention… so he decided to destroy me.”
My chest tightened, but I kept going.
*I did everything I could to be perfect, to be useful, to be worthy of their love. And what did I get? Abandonment. David told me they threw away all my things like I never existed. They declared me dead. Like I was nothing.”
My hands clenched without thinking.
*I was always a good son. I shared my dreams, my hopes… I just wanted to leave that town and see the world. They raised me from the first day, but in the end, they chose to believe a girl they’d known for only two years.*
Frustration built up, tangled with disgust.
“What a fucking life.”
The tears threatened again, but I forced them back.
They didn’t deserve it.
Not a single drop of my pain.
He remained silent, but I felt his presence even closer now.
Then his voice came again, edged with sharp interest.
“And your hand?”
He took hold of my wrist, and only then did I notice the dried blood on
“Why is it stained?”
my fingers.
I looked down at my own hands, at the remnants of the rage that had boiled over earlier.
A low laugh escaped me.
“I smashed David’s face in.”
I confessed, feeling a bitter satisfaction at the memory of the punch landing.
“I was so angry. I just went for him. Broke his nose. It was… satisfying.”
He let out a soft laugh, almost appreciative.
You’re perfect, little bunny.”
His fingers slid through my hair.
“But you should’ve hit him with a chair. That would’ve been even better.”
There was amusement in his voice, as if the thought genuinely pleased him.
“How was your first fight?”
I swallowed hard.
“Strange,” I admitted, choosing my words. But also… satisfying. Knowing he finally felt even a fraction of what he put me through.
He kissed the top of my head.
My heart skipped a beat.
It wasn’t fear,
It was something else.
Something I couldn’t name.
“You did great, little bunny.”
His voice was low against my hair, sending a shiver down my spine.
“You didn’t lower your head. You didn’t show weakness. I’m proud of you.”
A strange satisfaction stirred in me.
Why?
Why did those words awaken something that shouldn’t be there?
My hands were cold, but the warmth coming from him wrapped around me like a suffocating cocoon.
His breath grazed my skin as he pulled me closer, long fingers tangling in my hair.
The heat of his body surrounded me–suffocating, possessive.
Confusion swelled inside me.
I should pull away.
I should resist.
But instead, I stayed there, trapped in that embrace, absorbing warmth that shouldn’t have comforted me.
Then his voice came, low and laced with something dangerous.
“You know, little bunny… your family never really deserved you.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of those words.
They echoed deep inside me, hitting a spot I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond.
He let out a short laugh, thick with disdain.
“And look where that got you.”
His fingers slid down my arm, the touch slow and calculated.
“They threw you away like dead weight. Your parents, your brother… a bunch of cowards.”
My throat tightened, and I looked away.
“They were never really your family.”
His voice dropped to an almost hypnotic tone.
Because family protects you Family Nghts
My hands trembled and he
kept going.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
