Darling, You Lose

Chapter 35: The Night Before the Wedding

“You’re nervous,” Rafael whispers, his breath warm against her skin as he leans in closer. Elena stiffens, but she doesn’t pull away. Not yet. His fingers brush against her arm lightly, almost teasing, as if he’s trying to read her every move. She tries to stay calm, to control her emotions, but the tension in the air is thick.

She can’t lie to him—not anymore. He’s too perceptive. Too careful. His eyes flicker with suspicion, and Elena can feel it in the pit of her stomach. She knows that he senses something’s off. She’s been acting differently ever since she overheard the plan to escape, but she can’t let him know. Not yet. She’s too close.

“I’m fine,” she says, trying to sound convincing, but her voice betrays her. It’s barely above a whisper, and even to her ears, it sounds shaky. She turns her head away, trying to hide the fear in her eyes.

Rafael doesn’t seem convinced. He leans even closer, his lips brushing against the side of her neck. “No, you’re not,” he murmurs, his tone soft but insistent. “You’re hiding something from me, Elena.”

The words hit her like a punch in the chest. He knows. She can feel it. But what can she do? She can’t tell him the truth. She can’t risk it, not when everything is so close to falling apart. She can’t tell him that she’s planning to run. She can’t tell him that there’s a chance she might escape his grasp forever.

“You’re just imagining things,” she says quickly, shaking her head, but the words don’t sound as convincing as she’d hoped. Rafael’s fingers curl gently under her chin, guiding her face back toward his.

“I know you too well,” he says softly, his voice low and dangerous. “You’ve been distant lately. Something’s on your mind.”

Her breath catches in her throat. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest, and every instinct inside her is screaming to push him away. To tell him everything is fine and go along with whatever he wants. But she can’t. She can’t lie to him like that. Not anymore.

“I’m just tired,” she finally says, her voice barely above a whisper. She hopes it’s enough to satisfy him, but something in his gaze tells her it isn’t.

Rafael watches her for a moment, his eyes unreadable. For a second, she thinks he’s going to press her further, but instead, he leans back, his grip on her chin loosening. “Fine. But if you want to sleep, we’ll do it together.”

Elena’s stomach twists, and she forces herself not to flinch. She can’t tell him no, not when he’s watching her so closely. She doesn’t know what he’ll do if she pushes him too far.

“Okay,” she says, trying to sound calm, trying to hide the dread that’s crawling up her spine. She gets up from the chair she was sitting in and moves toward the bed.

The air feels thick with tension as she climbs under the covers, trying not to make any sudden movements. She feels Rafael’s presence beside her as he settles down next to her, his body close enough that she can feel the heat radiating from him. He pulls her toward him, his arm sliding around her waist, pulling her into his chest.

“Elena,” he says, his voice barely a whisper, but the weight of his words makes her heart skip a beat. “I want you to be happy tomorrow. I want you to be mine. Completely.”

She doesn’t know how to respond. How can she say anything when she’s drowning in fear? How can she act like she’s okay when every part of her is screaming to run, to get away before it’s too late?

“I will be,” she says, trying to keep her voice steady, but she knows it sounds empty. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a lie she’s telling herself to survive.

Rafael presses a soft kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for a second longer than necessary. “Good,” he whispers, as if everything is already decided. As if she has no choice in the matter.

She forces herself to relax, to close her eyes and pretend like everything is okay. But inside, her mind is racing. The clock is ticking. Tomorrow is the wedding. And it feels like everything is about to unravel.

The minutes tick by, and the sound of Rafael’s steady breathing lulls her into a false sense of calm. She tries to sleep, tries to block out the fear and the panic, but it’s impossible. Every time she closes her eyes, all she can think about is what’s coming. The plan. The escape. The moment when everything will finally fall into place.

But as much as she tries to push it all away, it’s always there, lurking in the back of her mind. She knows she can’t keep this up forever. She knows she’s running out of time. But right now, she has to stay calm. She has to keep her head clear. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose everything.

She doesn’t even realize she’s drifting off to sleep until she feels a weight shift beside her. She blinks, her eyes slowly fluttering open, and when she does, her heart skips a beat.

Rafael is watching her.