The Abyss of Night

Elena's POV

The sound of my own bedroom door locking from inside was the sound that finished shattering my reality. Their laughter — Julian's and Sofia's — seeped through the wood, mocking my three years of devotion, my three years of being lied to. I stood in the hallway, trembling, the pregnancy test still clenched in my fist like a worthless talisman.

The pain wrapped itself around me with the cold grip of truth — a truth that was killing every dream I'd ever had of building the family I'd wanted so desperately.

There was no time to grieve, no time to process my ruin. Ten minutes later, the door swung open and Julian stepped out, already shirtless, wearing an expression of annoyance that turned my stomach. He walked downstairs carrying a small overnight bag, which he tossed at my feet.

"Your basics are in there. I don't want you spending another night under this roof," he said, pointing at the front door. "Rosa has orders not to let you in tomorrow or ever again. If you try to make a scene, I'll call security and tell them you're having a psychotic episode. You know they'll believe me."

His eyes held no trace of empathy. Still, my naivety drove me to beg for mercy.

"Julian, it's raining... it's midnight," I managed, my voice a threadbare whisper. "Please, at least let me stay in the guest room until morning." I was losing the last shred of dignity I had left.

"No," Sofia cut in, leaning through the doorway wrapped in one of the silk robes Julian had given me. "This house needs an energy cleanse, Elena. And that starts with you — out. Now!"

The hatred blazing in Sofia's eyes was something I couldn't comprehend. How could someone fake so much affection while plotting to steal another person's life?

I walked mechanically toward the exit, the suitcase banging against my knees. Rosa was standing in the vestibule with her head bowed. I saw a tear roll down her cheek, but she didn't dare speak — she feared the Ferraras' power too, and I couldn't blame her. When I stepped outside, the cold storm struck me full in the face. The sky seemed to explode with lightning, briefly illuminating the mansion's facade — the structure I'd helped decorate and that was now spitting me into the darkness.

I walked to my car, the small sedan my father had given me when I graduated, the one Julian had always dismissed as "too humble" for his garage. I climbed in, soaked to the bone, and started the engine. My hands shook so badly I could barely grip the wheel, and tears fogged my vision.

I have to get to my aunt's house,* I thought, trying to calm my hammering heart. I have to protect the baby. Tomorrow I'll find a lawyer. Tomorrow I'll get my lands back.*

I pulled out onto the road, determined to return the next day with the documents that would force Julian to give back what was mine. I drove along a highway that skirted the mountains, a winding and dangerous route under the torrential rain. The windshield wipers could barely keep up. Then a blinding light appeared in my rearview mirror. A black SUV with tinted windows locked onto my rear bumper.

"What are you doing?" I screamed into the emptiness, accelerating to gain distance.

The SUV rammed me. The impact slammed my head against the side window, stunning me for a second. Panic seized me. This was no accident — I was being hunted. Julian didn't want a complicated divorce; he didn't want a fight over the lands or an heir that wasn't Sofia's. He wanted me gone for good.

I reached a steep slope, a tight curve that dropped straight toward a cliff above the lake's jagged rocks. I stomped the brake in desperation.

The pedal sank to the floor. No resistance. No screech of tires.

"No... no, no, no..." I pumped the brake over and over with frantic force. Nothing.

The brakes had been cut. In that instant, I understood everything: Julian had thrown me out at that hour, in that storm, knowing I'd take this route and that my car was a deathtrap on wheels.

The black SUV gave me one last sideswipe, shoving me off the asphalt. The world began to spin. The sound of twisting metal and shattering glass filled my ears. I felt the emptiness in my stomach as the car sailed off the edge.

My baby — that was my last conscious thought as the vehicle struck the rocks and the water.

The cold liquid engulfed me. The smell of gasoline was overwhelming. Through a haze of blood running from my forehead, I saw the black SUV stop at the road's edge above. A figure stepped out, surveyed the wreckage for a few seconds, then climbed back in and drove away without urgency.

The car began to sink. Water reached my knees, then my chest. The seatbelt was jammed. I fought it, but my strength was draining. Just as the water covered my face and the silence of death began to claim me, a hand smashed through the side window.

A dark figure — a man I couldn't recognize — pulled me from the seat before the car sank completely into the depths. It wasn't Julian. It wasn't the police.

"Hold on, Elena," a deep, unfamiliar voice said before I lost consciousness. "Your vengeance is just beginning."

I was unconscious for weeks. When I woke from that induced coma, the world I'd known had vanished, and all that remained was a woman stripped of her soul — a woman who'd been robbed of what she loved most: her unborn child.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***