Chapter 21: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The headlights from a passing car illuminated his face for a split second—and her heart stopped.
Same eyes. Same scar beneath the jaw. Same quiet intensity.
"...Noah?" she whispered, the word catching in her throat like a razor.
The man didn't answer.
She stood frozen on the curb, rain falling in relentless sheets, soaking through her satin dress. The world tilted.
He took a step forward.
"Elena."
It was him. Her older brother. The one she'd buried ten years ago. The one whose name had become a sacred echo in her memory.
"You're dead," she murmured. "I saw your grave."
"You saw what they wanted you to see."
Her knees buckled, but she didn't fall. Not now. Not in front of him.
"How—how is this possible?"
Noah looked over his shoulder, eyes scanning the dark streets. "We don't have time. They're watching us."
"Who?!"
"The same people who forced that contract."
Her breath caught. "The marriage?"
He nodded. "It was never about Zayn. It was never even about you. It was about control. Power. Our bloodline."
Lightning cracked across the sky. Her mind spiraled.
"You faked your death?"
"No. They tried to kill me. I barely escaped. I've been in hiding ever since, working to uncover what they did to our family. What they're still doing."
"And now you show up?" Her voice trembled with fury. "After everything?"
He stepped closer. "I couldn't risk them finding you. But now they already have."
Her chest tightened.
"What do they want from me?"
He hesitated, and that pause told her everything.
"Noah."
"They want your child."
Time stopped.
"I'm not pregnant," she said.
His eyes softened. "Not yet."
She stepped back. "This is insane."
"No. It's been in motion since before you were born. You and Zayn… you were bred to produce something they need."
"Stop."
"I wish I could."
Elena collapsed onto the curb, heart pounding.
"What do I do now?"
"We leave. Tonight. I have a safehouse—"
"No."
He looked at her. "What?"
"I'm not running." Her voice was steel now. "I'm going to them."
"Elena, no—"
"I need answers. From Zayn. From our families. From whoever's been pulling the strings. I'm done being a pawn."
Noah stared at her for a long moment, then slowly nodded.
"Then we go together."
---
Meanwhile
Zayn stood in the rain alone, his suit still soaked, that letter still folded in his breast pocket. His mind refused to settle.
He pulled out his phone. No new messages.
"She didn't call," he muttered.
He turned, ready to walk away again—when a black car pulled up beside him.
The window rolled down.
A voice he hadn't heard in years greeted him.
"Get in, Zayn. It's time you learned the truth."
His blood ran cold.
He got in.
---
Somewhere far away
A woman in a white suit closed a folder marked PROJECT HEIR.
"Phase One is complete," she said into the phone. "Initiate Phase Two."
She looked at the photo inside.
Elena. And Zayn.
Together.