Twice Taken: 7. Tangled Loyalties

Elena's POV

The morning after the confrontation with the blackmailer, the house felt like a cage. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, but it offered no warmth. Every corner seemed charged with electricity, every shadow a reminder that someone—some faceless stranger—was watching.

I lay in bed, wrapped in a silk sheet, staring at the ceiling. Julian wasn’t beside me. He hadn’t stayed the night—not in my room, not in the guesthouse. He had left as silently as he had arrived, promising to “handle things,” but the weight of his absence pressed on me harder than any threat.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. A message. Unknown number.

“Nice trick with him. Very bold. But boldness has consequences.”

I nearly threw the phone across the room. My hands shook as I read and reread the message. Every muscle in my body tensed. Someone knew everything. Every stolen moment, every reckless touch, every whispered confession.

I ran my hands throug