Page 52 of Protected By My Playboy Billionaire

I take a step closer, and Victoria takes a step back, her expression shifting slightly.

“You’ve crossed a line you can’t come back from.”

“I won’t tell him if you admit to what we both feel for each other.” She meets my gaze, unflinching, a challenge in her eyes. “You know how good it can be. I know you’ve imagined it more than once.”

“Get. The fuck. Out,” I spit out through gritted teeth.

“You’ll come to your senses. I know it.” With those words, Victoria calmly leaves the kitchen, her heels clanking away. I hear the elevator door slide open and then close, and I finally let out a long breath. There are so many thoughts rushing through my head, that I can’t concentrate on one alone. Calm the fuck down. She has no way of contacting Ethan.

I walk out of the kitchen and make my way upstairs. The door to Elana’s room is still closed, so I knock on it and wait. Silence.

“Elana?” I call out for her and knock again. Nothing. I slowly twist the handle and push the dooropen.

Walking into her room, I’m met with silence, the emptiness of the space echoing my growing sense of dread.

“Elana?” I call out again, but there’s no response. My eyes dart to the bed, more specifically on her pajama bottoms and T-shirt thrown over it. She’s changed her clothes.

Panic rises within me as I realize she’s not here. Frantically, I search the room, my heart pounding with fear. Why did she change her clothes? And then it hits me like a bolt of lightning. Victoria. The pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and a sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. Elana must have seen Victoria kissing me. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Elana!” I call out again, louder this time, desperation creeping into my voice. But there’s still no answer, only the haunting echo of my own words.

She’s gone. Fuck.

Chapter twenty-two

~ELANA~

I’m suffocating. Each breath is a struggle, my chest tight with pain that threatens to consume me. I pace the building’s huge, dimly lit lobby, casting fleeting glances outside where rain pelts the street and trees dance in the wind. I can’t stay here. I can’t bear to witness more of what I’ve seen. Her hand on his knee, her lips on his—a confirmation of all the doubts and fears that had gnawed at me, that she planted in me. Everything she said is true.

The pain in my chest deepens, and I struggle to remain upright, to resist the urge to crumble. How stupid was I to believe that Adrian could ever settlefor me? Hot tears trace paths down my cheeks, and I hastily brush them away with the back of my hand.

I need to leave. I need to call a taxi and go somewhere, anywhere but here. But my keys, my money—they’re all upstairs. I can’t face it; I can’t face him. I can’t bring myself to think about what I’d see if I go back in there. He’ll notice my absence soon. When he’s done… doing whatever he’s doing with her, he’ll notice that I’m gone, and I need to be far, far away when he does.

The ding of the elevator interrupts the quiet of the lobby, and my heart lurches in my chest. Adrian? I turn, my gaze fixated on the sliding doors, only to find her standing there. Victoria.

“What do we have here?” Her voice cuts through the silence like a blade, dripping with malice as she regards me with that twisted smile. Instinctively, I draw myself tighter, recoiling from her gaze.

“Leave me alone,” I warn, my voice cracking.

Victoria strides forward, her steps deliberate and filled with wicked pride as she closes the distance between us.

“Stupid, poor little thing. You really thought he’d choose you?” Victoria’s words slice through the air like shards of glass, each one laced with disdain and contempt. “I hope now you finally realize that you’re nothing, Elana. Nothing but a passing fancy, a temporary distraction.”

I want to protest, to refute her venomous claims, but her words bear down on me, crushing any semblance of resistance. The doubts that lurked in the shadows of my mind now emerge, amplified by everything I’ve seen and heard.

“I think now you know Adrian will never choose you,” she continues, her voice dripping with scorn. “You are simply another plaything, easily discarded when he grows bored. Tell me, was it at least good? Did he fuck you the way you imagined he would? I can give you a list of naïve women he loved to fuck until they were all used up, and he got rid of them. Perhaps you all could compare notes with each other?”

Fuck you. Leave me alone. Tears blur my vision as I struggle to maintain composure,to hold on to some semblance of dignity in the face of her relentless assault.

“Not feeling talkative today? That’s unfortunate.” She fake pouts and throws a look outside.

I will not break in front of her. I will not show her weakness. I will my legs to hold on for a moment longer and plead with my eyes to swallow back the tears.

“I don’t want to keep my driver waiting. Have a lovely evening.” Finally, Victoria turns and leaves, her departure as swift and cold as her arrival. Her car waits outside, and as the doors finally slide shut behind her, I crumple to the floor, unable to hold my weight any longer.

Alone in the dimly lit lobby, I allow my tears to escape, my sobs echoing off the walls as I cling to the cold, unforgiving ground.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I fish it out. Adrian’s name pops up on the screen. Now that Victoria’s left, he’s definitely noticed my absence. I can’t bear to face Adrian—not now, not like this. I hear the elevator’s gears move as it begins its ascent. He’scoming. Panic grips me, urging me to flee, to escape him.