Chapter 3 The unseen chains

Elena's POV

A few weeks had passed since that night at the jazz club. Elena's life had slipped back into its usual rhythm. No messages. No shadows. No reminders of Luca Romano. The city's pulse was steady again, and for a moment, she allowed herself to believe the storm had passed. The days blurred into one another, filled with the steady routine of hospital life-the endless rounds, the quiet moments between emergencies, the soft hum of machines and whispered conversations in sterile rooms. She tried to focus on her work, on the patients who depended on her, on the science and certainty of medicine.

Yet, beneath the surface, a restless knot of unease lingered in her chest. The memory of Luca Romano's cold, calculating gaze haunted her thoughts. The way his smile had lingered just a moment too long, as if he were savoring something only he understood. She pushed the thoughts away, telling herself it was over, that she had escaped whatever dangerous game he was playing.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Her phone rang one morning, the screen flashing her parents' home number from Saint Petersburg. She hadn't spoken to them in weeks, not since she had left for Lagos to pursue her career. The distance had grown between them-not just physical, but emotional. Their calls had become infrequent, brief, and strained. Now, hearing their number made her heart tighten with a sudden, inexplicable dread.

"Elena, darling, you need to come home," her mother's voice trembled on the line, urgent but strained. "It's important. Please, take the next flight."

Before Elena could ask why, the line went dead. The suddenness of the call, the fear in her mother's voice, left her breathless. Something was wrong. Something serious.

The next day, Elena found herself on a plane bound for Saint Petersburg. The cold Russian air bit into her skin as she stepped off the plane, the gray sky and snow-dusted streets a stark contrast to Lagos's warmth. The city felt foreign and unwelcoming, the chill seeping into her bones. But the cold she felt wasn't just from the weather-it was the heaviness in her chest, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her.

At the airport, her parents waited. Her mother's eyes were red-rimmed, her face pale and drawn, as if she hadn't slept in days. Her father's face was unreadable but tense, his usual stern demeanor softened by worry. They exchanged a brief, stiff hug that felt more like a formality than a reunion.

"Let's go home," her father said curtly, his voice low and clipped.

The drive was silent, the city's gray buildings rushing past the windows as Elena's mind spiraled with questions. What had happened? Why had they called her back so urgently? The tension in the car was palpable, thickening the air with unspoken fears.

Once inside the family home, the atmosphere was heavy, suffocating. The familiar walls that once held childhood memories now seemed to close in on her. Elena's mother sat quietly on the worn sofa, wringing her hands nervously, while her father stood by the window, staring out with a hard expression that betrayed nothing.

Finally, her mother spoke, voice barely above a whisper, trembling with emotion.

"Elena... you're going to marry Luca Romano."

The words hit Elena like a physical blow. She blinked, disbelief and shock warring inside her. Her mind refused to accept the reality of what she had just heard.

"What?" Her voice cracked, barely audible. "That's impossible. I don't even know him."

Her father turned slowly, eyes cold and steady, meeting hers with an unyielding gaze.

"It's already decided," he said flatly, as if stating a fact that required no argument. "Romano came to us. He made his intentions clear."

Elena's heart pounded wildly in her chest. "Why? Why would he want me? And why would you agree to this?"

Her mother looked away, unable to meet Elena's gaze, her voice barely audible. "It's complicated. We don't have much choice."

Elena's voice sharpened, frustration bubbling to the surface. "You don't have a choice? What does that mean?"

Her father's jaw tightened. "It's not up for discussion. You're family. This marriage will secure alliances. It's for your own good."

Elena's eyes widened in disbelief, a mixture of anger and hurt flooding her. "You're selling me like a commodity? I know it's always been Tony but do you really hate me this much?"

Her father's expression hardened further. "It's the way things are. You'll thank us later."

Elena paced the room, trying desperately to make sense of the cold, unyielding words. "You didn't even ask me. You just decided my life for me."

Her mother's voice broke, thick with emotion. "We wanted to protect you. We thought it was the best way."

Elena stopped pacing, staring at her mother, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Protect me? By giving me away to a man I barely know? To a man I don't even want?"

Her father's voice cut through sharply, leaving no room for argument. "Enough. You will prepare. The wedding is in two months."

Elena's chest tightened, the weight of his words settling like a stone. "Two months? Without even a conversation? Without my consent?"

Her father's eyes flashed with impatience, his tone cold and final. "This is not a negotiation."

Later that evening, Elena sat alone in her childhood bedroom, the walls closing in around her. The familiar surroundings felt foreign and suffocating. She stared at the framed family photos on the dresser-the smiling faces frozen in time, the memories of a past that felt distant and fragile.

Her phone buzzed quietly. She picked it up, her heart sinking as she saw a message from an unknown number:

"Welcome to the family, Doctor."

She swallowed hard, a cold knot forming in her stomach. The words felt like a brand, a chilling reminder of the path laid out before her.

The next day, Elena confronted her father again, desperation and anger mingling in her voice.

"Tell me the truth," she demanded, eyes blazing. "Why is this happening? What do you know about Romano that I don't?"

Her father's face remained unreadable, his expression guarded. "You don't need to know everything."

Elena's voice was fierce, refusing to back down. "I deserve to know. I'm not a child."

He sighed, a brief flicker of something-regret, maybe-passing through his eyes before he masked it with resolve.

"Romano is powerful. Dangerous. This marriage will protect us all."

Elena's hands clenched into fists, her voice trembling with frustration and disbelief. "Protect us? Or protect you?"

Her father's jaw tightened, his tone sharp. "That's enough."

That night, Elena lay awake, the cold ceiling above her a stark reminder of the chains tightening around her. Luca Romano was no longer just a man she'd met once in a hospital lounge. He was a force reaching into her family's life, binding them with secrets she wasn't allowed to know.

Tears pricked at her eyes, but beneath the fear, a fierce determination grew.

If this was the path laid out for her, she wouldn't walk it blindly.

She would fight!