Darling, You Lose

Chapter 50: The Ultimate Betrayal

“If you want him back, you know what to do.” Rafael’s voice crackles coldly through the phone, sending a chill straight to Elena’s bones. Every word is sharp, deliberate, and laced with menace.

Elena’s fingers tighten around the phone, her knuckles white. Her breath catches in her chest as panic floods her veins. She wants to scream, to shout at him, to tell him she’ll never give in. But the cold, hard truth settles in—she has no choice.

Rafael has Alexander.

Her heart races, her thoughts spinning. The pain in her chest is unbearable, a heavy weight pressing down on her, suffocating her. She can barely think straight, her mind locked on the image of Alexander in her head. She doesn’t know where he is, doesn’t know what he’s going through, but she can’t let him die. Not like this. Not after everything they’ve fought for.

She closes her eyes, taking a shaky breath. “What do you want me to do?” Her voice trembles despite her best efforts to keep it steady.

Rafael’s laugh is low, almost mocking. “It’s simple, Elena. Come back to me. Let go of your little fantasy of escape. You return to me, and Alexander lives. If you don’t—well, you know what happens.” His words hang in the air like a threat, and Elena can feel her heart beat faster with every syllable.

“You’re a monster,” she whispers, barely audible, more to herself than to him.

“Maybe,” he says, his tone unfazed. “But you’ve always known what I am, Elena. Don’t act surprised now.”

She clenches her teeth, trying to push back the tears that threaten to spill. She can’t cry now. She can’t fall apart. But it’s so hard. Her chest aches with the weight of the choice in front of her.

“You’re lying,” she finally says, her voice a little stronger. “You won’t kill him. You need him. He’s useful to you.”

Rafael’s voice darkens, cold and threatening. “If you really think that, Elena, you don’t know me at all.”

The silence between them stretches out, thick and suffocating. Elena’s mind races, her heart pounding in her ears. She needs a way out. She needs a miracle. But there’s nothing. Just the phone call, the empty space between them, and the realization that she’s losing control of everything.

She rubs her forehead, trying to think. Trying to make sense of the mess she’s in. She wants to fight. She wants to keep running, to tear herself away from Rafael, from the life he’s forced on her. But Alexander… If she walks away now, if she doesn’t go back to Rafael, he’ll die. She can’t let that happen.

“Please,” she says quietly, her voice barely a whisper. “Please, just let him go. I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t hurt him.”

Rafael’s laugh is cold and emotionless. “That’s the point, Elena. You’ll do anything I want. I’ve made sure of that. You’ll come back. You’ll beg for forgiveness. You’ll be mine again. And in the end, Alexander will walk away with his life.”

The words cut into her like knives, each one twisting deeper than the last. She knows she’s beaten. She knows she has no other option. But it feels like a betrayal. Betraying everything she’s fought for. Betraying Alexander.

She closes her eyes again, squeezing them shut as if the act could block out everything. Her heart aches with the weight of it all. This is her life now. A life filled with decisions like this. One wrong move and everything could fall apart. One moment of weakness, and everything she’s tried to protect could be taken from her.

Rafael’s voice is smoother now, almost coaxing. “You’ve always been mine, Elena. You’ve known that deep down. Don’t fight it. Just come back to me, and everything will go back to the way it was. You won’t have to worry about Alexander anymore. You’ll be safe.”

She wants to scream. She wants to tell him to go to hell. But the words stick in her throat. Because, deep down, she knows he’s right. She’s made her choices. She’s already in too deep.

“Don’t hurt him,” she says again, her voice pleading. “I’ll come back. I’ll do whatever you want, just please… don’t hurt him.”

For a long moment, there’s only silence on the other end of the line. Elena’s breath hitches, her heart pounding in her chest, and she waits, every second stretching into an eternity.

Finally, Rafael speaks again, his voice low and satisfied. “Good. I knew you’d come around. I’ll be waiting for you, Elena. Come back to me. And remember—you chose this.”

Elena’s hand shakes as she presses the phone to her ear, her mind reeling. She doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t know how to feel. But one thing is clear—if she’s going to save Alexander, she has to give Rafael what he wants.

She’s trapped. In every way that matters, she’s trapped.

The phone call ends, the line going dead, leaving her in the deafening silence of her own thoughts.

Her chest rises and falls with uneven breaths, and she stands there, feeling the weight of it all crushing down on her. She knows she has no choice but to go back. She knows that if she doesn’t, Alexander will die.

But that doesn’t make the decision any easier.

For a long moment, she stands there, staring at nothing, her mind empty except for the sick feeling of betrayal in her stomach. She doesn’t know how she’ll live with this. But she knows one thing—she’ll do anything to keep Alexander alive.

Taking a deep breath, she finally whispers to herself, “I’ll come back. Just don’t hurt him.”