Chapter 2 Stop looking for him

Chapter Two

Elena's POV

The silence pressed against my ears, heavier than any scream.

"Riley?" My voice cracked as I stumbled through the hallway. "Riley!"

No bark. No sound.

My chest tightened as I tore through the rooms, calling his name again and again. Then, faintly, I heard it... a whimper.

"Riley?"

I sprinted toward the laundry room, heart in my throat. The door creaked open and there he was, my dog curled into the corner, trembling, ears flat against his head.

I sank to my knees, gathering him into my arms. His fur was damp with sweat, his body rigid. He wasn't just hiding. He was terrified.

"Shh, it's okay," I whispered, though the words sounded hollow even to me. Riley was no coward. He'd bark at shadows, chase strangers down the driveway. But now? Something or someone had broken him.

The broken CCTV, the missing clothes, and the fake inheritance papers... caused my throat to tighten. Whoever had been inside this house wasn't afraid of alarms, or locks, or even Riley.

And that terrified me more than anything.

I pulled him close, his heartbeat frantic against my chest. My mind reeled, connecting the fragments: Williams disappearing, Melissa's name resurfacing, now this intrusion. None of it was random. Someone was unraveling my life thread by thread.

My phone buzzed suddenly, jolting me.

Unknown number.

Hands trembling, I answered.

"Hello?"

At first, only silence. Then a distorted voice came through, low and rough, like it had been dragged through a machine.

"Stop looking for him, Elena."

My blood ran cold.

"Who is this?!" My voice cracked with panic. "Where's Williams?"

A pause. A faint chuckle. Then the line went dead.

I stared at the screen, numb. My fingers shook so badly I almost dropped the phone.

"God..." I whispered. My body wanted to collapse, but my mind snapped awake with a clarity I hadn't felt in months. This wasn't just grief anymore. It was war.

I pressed a trembling kiss to Riley's head, forcing myself to my feet. I couldn't let them see me break. Whoever "they" were, they wanted me fragile, helpless, drowning in sorrow.

But if they thought I was giving up they didn't know me.

I glanced at the sealed envelope on the table. Vicky's documents. Melissa's name which was boldly written in Red.

Answers waited inside.

And I was done running from the truth. The sudden vibration from my phone drew my attention.

The message glared at me from the screen.

'Stop digging or next time, it won't just be papers that go missing.' The message was written in capital letters and it was from a private number.

My thumb hovered over the reply button, but what could I even say? Who are you? What do you want? Where is my husband? Every word sounded weak, desperate.

And that's exactly what they wanted.

I dropped the phone onto the couch and pressed my hands against my face, trying to steady the storm in my chest. My inheritance was gone, my husband was alive but with Melissa, and now strangers were threatening me in my own home.

Riley whimpered at my feet, his eyes wide and watchful. I stroked his head, forcing my voice calm.

"It's okay, baby. I won't let them hurt us."

But the promise felt empty.

My gaze drifted back to the pile of documents Vicky had given me. Page after page of betrayal, lies, movements Williams had never shared with me. And there — Melissa's name written again and again, ink circling her like a curse.

Melissa.

If she was the last person seen with him, if she knew the truth then she was the one person who could end this torment.

My hand tightened around the papers. I couldn't sit here crying anymore. I needed answers, and she was going to give them to me.

I pulled out my phone again, this time searching for her name. It didn't take long before a charity event photo from two weeks ago, smiling beside a man I didn't recognize. Melissa looked radiant in this photograph, her life perfectly intact while mine is nothing but a crumbled castle.

A surge of anger spiked through me.

I scribbled down the address linked to her business profile. My heart thundered as I shoved the papers back into the envelope.

Tomorrow, I will go to her.

But tonight, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

I locked every door, checked every window twice, and even left a bulb glaring in every room. Riley followed me closely, never more than a step away.

When I finally collapsed into bed, exhaustion dragged at me, but sleep refused to come. Every creak of the house sounded like footsteps, every shadow stretched too long.

I clutched Riley close and whispered into the dark.

"I'm not afraid of you. Whoever you are... I'm not afraid."

But my voice betrayed me.

Because deep down, I was terrified.

And no matter how hard I tried to sleep, scary shadows kept finding their way to my vision.

The mere illusions of Melisa entangled in William's arms clouded my vision and prickled my skin like a thorn.

Was Williams having a good time now, was his head buried between her thighs sucking all her juices since Williams is such a pussy licker?

Was he cold? Has he eaten or not?

Thunder rumbled and a scream tore my throat, my soul almost leaving my body.

Damn!

Williams would be having a scary nightmare right now. Cause it's a thunderstorm and his nightmare would return, he won't be able to sleep. Williams would be burning with fever and who would soak a damp towel and spread it above his head?

I turned from my left side and sat upright, grabbing my phone.

I dialed the least number of the person I'd expected to dial.

Kai.

William's stepbrother, the black sheep of the family whom everyone feared and detested.

He was never regarded.

It was rumored that he was gay and worked underground for a dangerous Mafia group.

Williams had warned me to steer off his path but with his brother missing, and the police shutting me down, I guessed I was left with no choice but to call and beg him to help me.