Darling, You Lose

Chapter 11: The Trap Tightens

A few weeks later….

“Where were you last night?"

Rafael’s grip tightened around Elena’s wrist, his fingers pressing into her skin. His voice was low, steady, but she could hear the anger buried beneath it.

Elena forced herself to stay calm. She had expected this—his suspicion, his paranoia. It was getting worse.

“I told you,” she said softly, keeping her voice even. “I was with Isabel. We had dinner and I stayed up at her place.”

Rafael didn’t let go. His dark eyes searched her face, looking for a crack in her story. “You left early,” he said. “Isabel said you left before ten. It’s almost midnight by the time you got home. So I’ll ask again—where were you?”

Her heart pounded, but she didn’t let it show. She had rehearsed for this.

“I felt sick,” she lied. “Too much wine, maybe. I went for a drive to clear my head. I didn’t think I had to report every second of my night to you.”

His jaw clenched. “You do.”

Elena swallowed, lowering her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

For a moment, there was silence. The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioning and the distant noise of traffic outside their penthouse. Then, slowly, Rafael loosened his grip, but he didn’t step back.

“You’ve been different lately,” he murmured. “Distant.”

She forced a small smile, reaching up to brush her fingers over his jaw. “I’ve just been stressed. That’s all.” The words felt like poison on her tongue, but she made herself say them. She had to.

He studied her a moment longer, then exhaled sharply. “Let me see your phone.”

Elena’s stomach dropped, but she kept her face neutral. “Why?”

“You know why.”

She hesitated just long enough to make it look natural, then pulled her phone from her purse and handed it to him. Rafael took it without a word, unlocking it with ease. She had already deleted anything suspicious—no messages, no calls, no signs of the escape she was planning.

Still, he scrolled through her messages, her call logs, her location history. His eyes flicked to her, sharp and assessing.

“Why is your location off?”

She forced a laugh. “It drains my battery.”

Rafael didn’t smile. He stared at the screen for another few seconds before finally handing it back. “Turn it on,” he said. “Always.”

Elena nodded, slipping the phone into her pocket. “Okay.”

He cupped her chin, tilting her face up to his. “I don’t like when you lie to me, mi amor.”

She swallowed. “I’m not lying.”

His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, a touch that should have been gentle but felt like a warning. “Good.”

He kissed her—slow, possessive. Elena didn’t pull away. She couldn’t. Instead, she melted into it, let him believe she was his, let him feel like he had won.

Because if he suspected the truth—if he knew she was planning to run—he would never let her go.

And then, just as he pulled away, he leaned in close, his lips brushing against her ear.

“I’ll kill anyone who tries to take you from me.”