Darling, You Lose

Chapter 14: Alexander’s Growing Doubts

“Why is she still with him?”

Alexander’s hands curled into fists as he watched from the darkened corner of the rooftop bar. Down below, through the massive glass windows of the upscale restaurant, he could see them—Elena and Rafael, sitting side by side at a table set with expensive wine and candlelight.

Elena was smiling. Not a real smile, but the kind she put on when she needed to play her role. She laughed at something Rafael said, tilting her head just enough to make it look natural. But Alexander saw the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers gripped the stem of her wine glass just a little too tightly.

Still, doubt crept in.

If she was so desperate to leave, why was she still sitting there with him, dressed in an elegant red dress Rafael had probably picked out for her? Why was she pretending everything was fine?

Was she really trapped, or was she playing both sides?

Alexander exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. No. He couldn’t think like that. He knew Elena. Knew her heart. She wasn’t like that.

But the questions wouldn’t stop. He thought back to their last meeting.

What if she’s not coming with me?

The thought made his stomach turn. He had spent years regretting leaving her, blaming himself for letting Rafael take her away. And now, after all this time, after everything they risked to meet again—was she really going to choose Rafael over him?

He needed answers.

***

That night, Alexander sat in his apartment, staring at his laptop screen. He had started with basic searches—news articles, business records, anything connected to Rafael Castillo. Most of it was what he expected: real estate investments, high-profile deals, photos of Rafael smiling at charity events like a perfect gentleman.

But the deeper he went, the uglier it got.

There were whispers. Reports that never made it to the headlines. Stories buried under legal threats and payoffs.

And then, he found them.

Women.

Not just Elena.

There were others.

A handful of names, all tied to Rafael in some way—former girlfriends, fiancées, women he had been seen with. But what sent a chill through Alexander’s spine was what happened to them.

They disappeared.

One after another.

Some had been reported missing. Others were said to have “moved away” without a trace. No real investigations. No one asking too many questions.

And then, he saw a face that made his blood run cold.

A woman named Camila Rojas. Missing for three years.

Her picture stared back at him from the screen—a grainy photo from an old news article. Dark hair, soft brown eyes, a familiar curve to her lips.

She looked like Elena.

Alexander’s breath came short and fast. This wasn’t just control. It was something worse.

Rafael had a pattern.

And if Alexander didn’t get Elena out in time…

She might be next.