Chapter 3 Regret

The knock came hard and sharp-three strikes that cut clean through the silence.Elias didn't flinch.He was already on his feet before the third knock landed. He reached the door and opened it just enough to reveal himself.

And there stood Liam.The music from the club thudded faintly down the hallway behind him, but the moment his eyes met Elias's, the bravado drained from his posture. His shoulders stiffened as fear flickered quickly and instinctively.

He feared Elias just like everyone that even his name brought chills to his spine.

"What do you want?" Elias asked calmly.

Liam swallowed. "I-I'm looking for Layla."

Elias's gaze sharpened by a fraction. "She's resting."

Something dark twisted in Liam's expression.

"Resting?" he repeated, disbelief lacing his tone. He tried to peer past Elias's shoulder.Elias didn't move aside-but Liam saw her anyway.

Layla lay on the bed, turned slightly on her side, hair fanned across the pillow, chest rising and falling slowly and peaceful,untouched by the chaos she'd left behind.

Liam's face went red.

"What the hell is this?" he snapped. "That's my-"

"She chose where she is," Elias cut in coldly. "You don't get to question it now."

Rage ignited in Liam's eyes. His hands curled into fists.

He didn't dare argue,Instead, he turned abruptly and stormed down the hallway, footsteps echoing violently against the walls.

The bathroom door slammed so hard the mirrors rattled.

Liam staggered forward, breathing like a cornered animal. He gripped the sink, veins bulging in his forearms, and ripped it loose with a roar.

"Mine," he snarled at his reflection-at the blood already trickling from his knuckles.

"She was mine."

He swung again and the mirror exploded.

Shards rained down, slicing his skin as he punched through the glass, again and again, until his fists were slick with red. He didn't feel it.

"Bitch, you made me look weak," he hissed, grabbing a bottle of cleaner and hurling it across the room. It shattered against the tiles. A chemical stench burned his lungs.

He kicked the trash can hard enough to dent the metal, then tore the towel rack free and slammed it into the wall, over and over, until drywall crumbled beneath the blows.

"I warned her," he spat. "I warned her not to embarrass me."

His chest heaved up and down.

"She thinks she can crawl into his bed and walk away?" His laugh was broken, hysterical. "I'll ruin her. I'll make her regret ever pointing at him."

He dragged his bloody hand down his face, smearing red across his cheek.

"I'll kill her," he whispered, voice shaking with promise. "If she thinks this ends tonight, she's dead wrong."

Back in the private room, silence returned.

Elias closed the door slowly and locked it.

He turned as Layla hadn't stirred.

She looked younger and softer in sleep- Vulnerable in a way she hadn't been when she lifted her chin and pointed at him in front of everyone.

Elias crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed.Carefully, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. His touch was light as in protective and possessive.

"This world doesn't forgive choices like yours," he murmured as his jaw tightened.

"And it doesn't forgive men like me for accepting them."

He studied her for a long moment-this girl who had stepped into danger without hesitation, who had burned bridges without looking back.

Quietly, as if admitting it aloud made it real, he said:

"Layla... we're in this shit together now."

He stood up at the edge of the bed for a long moment, watching the slow, steady rise of her chest. He bent and slipped one arm beneath her knees, the other around her back, lifting her easily against his chest. She stirred faintly, a soft sound leaving her throat, but she didn't open her eyes. Instinctively, she curled closer, her fingers brushing his shirt before going still again.

Elias froze and for a brief, dangerous second, something twisted tight in his chest.He adjusted his grip, holding her more securely, and moved toward the door. The hallway outside was dim and quiet now-the party dulled, the chaos distant. A few people glanced up as he passed, their laughter dying when they saw who it was and who he carried.

No one dared to say a word.

Elias walked through the club without slowing, Layla's head resting against his shoulder, her hair brushing his jaw. Neon lights washed over them, but he didn't look around.

Outside, the night air was cool and sharp. He opened the passenger door, laid her down carefully, and fastened the seatbelt himself. Even then, he hesitated-adjusting her jacket, brushing her hair away from her face once more.

A mistake, his mind warned but he did it anyway.He closed the door and went around to the driver's side.

Elias drove in silence, the engine's low hum the only sound filling the space between them. Layla remained still beside him, her body curled into the passenger seat, lost in sleep. Her face, serene in unconsciousness, betrayed none of the turmoil she had felt hours earlier.

Elias' eyes flicked to her briefly, watching again the rise and fall of her chest, his hand still gripping the steering wheel, fingers white-knuckled with a tension that hadn't left him. He wasn't used to feeling anything other than control, but the first time of meeting Layla... everything felt different. From the moment she was near him left him unsettled and tethered to a dangerous obsession.

When they reached Layla's home,he parked in the driveway and killed the engine. The street was quiet, the air cool and crisp, and the house in front of them stood still-unaware of the storm that had unfolded the night before.

He glanced at Layla who was still asleep.He could see the faint bruises of exhaustion under her eyes, the subtle tension in her jawline that betrayed the internal conflict she was trying to suppress.

Layla stirred slightly, but didn't wake. Her hand curled slightly, fingers twitching, like her body was still fighting against the reality of what had happened. Elias sighed quietly, wishing there was an easier way.

He opened his door and walked around the car to the passenger side. He hesitated for a moment as the weight of the situation pressing down on him, before gently shaking her shoulder.

"Layla," he murmured softly, his voice low but commanding. "You're home."

Her eyelids fluttered, and for a brief second, he saw a flicker of recognition but when her eyes opened fully, they were vacant and distant.

The moment hung there, thick with unspoken words, before she hastily unbuckled her seatbelt with stiff movements. She turned her head away from him, eyes focused on the house in front of her, as if it were the only thing she could tether herself to.

Without a word, she opened the door, stepped out, and rushed to the front door of the house. Her steps were quick, almost frantic, as though if she could just get inside, she could forget everything that had happened, bury the mess of it all behind the walls of her home.

Elias watched her go, his gaze fixed on the back of her retreating figure and later at the door she had just slammed behind her, hearing the finality in the sound, the weight of her decision hanging in the air.

With a heavy exhale, Elias slowly turned and made his way back to the car.

As he pulled away from the curb, the house fading into the rearview mirror, Elias couldn't shake the feeling of her absence in the car, the quiet left behind after she had stepped out of his world and into hers. He had been prepared for everything but this-her leaving, shutting him out without a word.

Her face burned in his memory, the way she had looked at him earlier, vulnerable but determined. She thought she could walk away.The sound of tires on asphalt drowned the heavy silence. Elias's jaw clenched, and for the first time in years, he felt the pull of regret in the pit of his stomach.

Layla had made her choice, but she didn't understand that there was no going back now. She had stepped into this world with both eyes wide open. She had chosen him-whether she admitted it or not-and now the consequences of that choice would be felt.There were no innocent decisions when it came to him. No easy exits.

The only question now was how long it would take for her to realize that.