Chapter 219

Ella

As I was driven home that day, after a day filled with confusion, raw emotions, and newfound allies, I felt utterly exhausted.

But the day was far from over.

I knew that Logan would likely be waiting for me when I arrived back at the mansion, and I was certain that the conversation we were bound to have would be no less exhausting than all of the others. His words from that morning continued to echo in the back of my mind, a constant reminder of the inner turmoil he was going through.

I knew that this was never just about the money or the inheritance; it was a deep-rooted yearning for his father’s acknowledgment and love, which was something he would never receive. He was too much unlike his father for that to happen. I didn’t know Logan’s mother, but something told me that he had taken after her; and maybe he always had. Maybe that was why he and his father never saw eye-to-eye.

As I pulled into the driveway, however, the lack of Logan’s red car in the driveway was a cause for concern.

“Is Logan home?” I asked the driver, to which he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I haven’t seen him today, miss,” the driver said as he pulled into the spot. “Figured he was out on work.”

I furrowed my brow, but said nothing. Once the car was parked, I climbed out and headed inside. The scent of freshly-baked bread greeted my nostrils, and although it was a comforting aroma, I couldn’t mask my worry. I made my way to the kitchen to find the housekeeper there, wiping down the counters with a washcloth as she whistled along to some music playing on the radio.

“Oh! Ella,” Mrs. Wentworth said as I entered, “I just baked some bread. Are you hungry?”

“That sounds nice, Mrs. Wentworth,” I replied with a smile, “but I was actually looking for Logan. He had an upset this morning and stormed out. Have you seen him around?”

Mrs. Wentworth paused what she was doing and knit her brows together. “No, I haven’t seen him,” she said. “Do you think he’s okay?”

As she spoke, I felt my stomach do a flip. So Logan wasn’t home; but I think I knew where he was. There was only one place where he could really think, one place where he liked to be alone.

The racetrack.

…

A little while later, I was pulling into the racetrack parking lot for what felt like the millionth time in recent history. The driver, a different one from before, pulled into the spot and shot me a quizzical look through the rearview mirror.

“You’re sure you don’t want me to wait here for you?” he asked. “You know, just in case?”

I nodded, my gaze sweeping across the race track. I could already hear the buzz of a car on the track, and the lights were on. Logan was definitely here, and he was alone. I was sure of it.

“I’ll be fine,” I said as I stepped out of the car, handing the driver a wad of cash from my wallet for the trouble. “Thank you.”

The driver shot me a nod of his own, and I closed the door behind me and began making my way across the parking lot toward the track. The sound of the car whizzing around the track grew louder in my ears, and as I rounded the corner of the stadium bleachers, I could make it out: it was, indeed, Logan’s car.

And he was going fast. Way, way too fast.

I stuck to the shadows behind the bleachers at first, watching him from afar as his car whizzed around the track. It moved so quickly that it was almost as if the noise of the car took a second to catch up, rumbling in my ears so loudly that it made my chest vibrate. I frowned as I watched him take a sharp turn, his tires skidding on the tarmac and filling the air with the scent of burnt rubber.

“Looks like someone’s being reckless,” Ema said, bristling a bit at his sheer speed. “Worse than last time, too. He’ll get himself hurt.”

“I know,” I replied, my voice barely audible over the roar of the car’s engine. “I don’t know what to do. It’s not like I can run out there and stop him.”

“I’ll expel a bit of my scent,” Ema said. “Maybe it’ll calm him a little, and he’ll be alerted to your presence.”

“Good idea.”

Just as promised, Ema released a bit of her scent for Logan to pick up. It took a few minutes, but I could see him slow down a bit once it finally reached him.

But it wasn’t enough.

“He’s still going far too fast,” I said under my breath. “He’s about to hit the fence.”

Unable to do anything, I watched in silent horror as Logan’s car skidded dangerously close to the edge of the track, flirting with disaster. I couldn’t take it anymore. My fear for him overcame my hesitation, and I found myself walking onto the track, my steps fueled by a mix of fear and anger.

“Ella, he’ll—” Ema began, but it was too late. Logan was coming down the straight, and I was standing in the middle of the track, my hands on my hips. I could make out his eyes through the windshield; he wasn’t wearing his helmet.

“Ella!” Ema shrieked. “Watch out!”

But I didn’t budge. I braced myself for impact, an impact that never came. The car came to a screeching halt, followed by a plume of smoke created from his tires screeching against the tarmac. A moment later, I heard the click of a door and Logan climbed out, his expression one of shock at seeing me there.

“Ella?” he exclaimed, storming toward me. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You could’ve been killed!”

But his words meant nothing to me; I was too angry, and I didn’t hold back. Marching up to him, I let out my frustration and fear in a punch to his arm that left my hand aching.

“You’re acting like a fool, Logan!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the empty stands. “This isn’t about the money! You’re risking your life, my life, for what? For your father’s approval? You should be ashamed of yourself. You scared the hell out of me.”

Logan looked at me, his shock quickly turning to something else—a raw, desperate need. In a moment, he pulled me close and kissed me, a kiss full of passion and a yearning for something more, something beyond the pain and the anger.

As our lips locked together, his hands curled around the collar of my jacket. I felt him whirl around and push me back against the car, the cold metal a shock against my skin. He pressed me there with his body as he fervently groped at my clothes, desperately searching for release.

And for a brief moment, I got lost in that feeling, lost in the sensation of being so close to him.

But reality crashed back as I pushed him away, my breath ragged. “You can’t just escape your problems with fast cars and... whatever this is,” I gestured between us as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, my heart still racing from the kiss.

Logan watched me with wide eyes, his chest heaving. For a few moments that felt like an eternity, we just stared at each other. Then, leaning back against his car, he gripped his hair in a gesture of frustration and despair.

“You’re right,” he murmured, his voice so low it was hardly more than a whisper. “I’m fucking trapped, Ella.”

He paused then, and the space between us felt smaller than ever. And when he spoke again, his blue eyes met mine, and I felt as though the world was tilting beneath our feet.

“I need you, Ella.”