Five days after Roland Pike incident
ELENA'S POV
I woke up to the sound of rain tapping softly against my bedroom window. For a few seconds, I remained still beneath the covers, staring at the ceiling while I tried to remember where I was.
Home.
The realization brought a small sense of relief.
I slowly moved my hand toward my stomach, feeling the area around my surgical wound through my nightdress. It still hurt whenever I moved too quickly, but the pain wasn't as sharp as it had been a few days ago.
I had been recovering surprisingly well.
The doctors had warned me healing would take time, yet every morning I seemed to wake up a little stronger than the day before. After everything that had happened, I wanted nothing more than to feel normal again.
A gentle knock came from my bedroom door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and the home nurse stepped inside with a small medical bag.
"Good morning, Miss Elena."
"Good morning."
She smiled before walking toward my bed.
"How are you feeling today?"
"Better."
"Any dizziness?"
"Not this morning."
"Headaches?"
I paused for a moment.
"Not yet."
She gave me a knowing look.
"Not yet?"
I smiled faintly.
"Sometimes I still get them."
She nodded and then proceeded to check my blood pressure, temperature, and pulse before carefully examining the area around my surgical wound. Everything seemed fine.
The nurse packed her things afterward and reminded me to rest, avoid unnecessary stress, and take my medication as prescribed.
I nodded obediently.
At least someone in this house still believed I could follow instructions.
Once she left, I reached for my phone. I had barely unlocked the screen when I saw the time. My heart immediately sank.
I had promised Evan I would call him.
I pressed his name and waited—the call connected after several rings.
"Mommy!"
His little voice instantly brought a smile to my face.
"Hi, baby."
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
I leaned back against the pillows, closing my eyes as I listened to him talk.
He told me about breakfast, complained about vegetables, and proudly explained that he had managed to convince Agnes to give him an extra piece of bread.
I laughed quietly.
"You're becoming too clever."
"It's not that, Momma."
"Oh?"
"I was just hungry."
I laughed again. I missed him a lot.
"Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Are you coming to see me soon?"
My smile slowly faded.
"I will."
"When?"
"Very soon."
"You always say soon."
I swallowed.
"I'm sorry."
Silence followed, then he spoke again.
"Can you buy me something?"
"What do you want?"
"A teddy bear."
"A teddy bear?"
"Yes."
"What happened to the one you already have?"
"It's small."
I couldn't help smiling.
"So you want another one?"
"I want a big one."
"How big?"
"Very big."
I laughed softly.
"Alright. I'll see what I can find."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
He sounded satisfied.
"Okay, Mommy. Love you."
"I love you too, Evan."
The call ended a few moments later.
I stared at the phone for a while before placing it beside me.
*
About an hour later, I stood in front of the mirror while adjusting my clothes. I had chosen something simple. After everything that had happened, I didn't want unnecessary attention.
When I finally walked downstairs, Lucien was already waiting near the entrance.
His expression changed the moment he saw me.
"Miss Elena."
"I'm going out."
His eyebrows immediately drew together.
"Out?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
I picked up my handbag.
"Shopping."
Lucien stared at me for several seconds.
"Shopping?"
I looked at him.
"Is that surprising?"
"Considering what has been happening recently, yes."
I sighed softly.
"Lucien, I'm not going far."
"I understand."
He didn't sound convinced.
"I'll accompany you."
I shook my head.
"No."
His expression tightened.
"Miss Elena."
"I'm only going to buy a few things."
"I can stay nearby."
"No, Lucien."
He kept quiet, and I continued.
"I don't want you following me around."
Lucien remained silent.
I could tell he didn't like the idea.
I didn't particularly enjoy making things difficult for him, but I needed to do something by myself.
"I'll be fine," I assured him.
He looked at me for a long moment before finally sighing.
"At least allow me to drive you there."
"Fine." I sighed.
The drive to the store was quiet.
Lucien eventually stopped outside a small convenience store near the house.
I opened the door and stepped out.
He immediately followed.
"Miss Elena."
I turned toward him.
He looked toward the entrance before looking back at me.
"Will you be alright?"
I smiled.
"Yes."
He hesitated, and for a moment, I thought he was going to argue again. Instead, he nodded reluctantly.
"I'll remain outside."
"Thank you."
I turned toward the store.
I could still feel his eyes following me as I walked inside.
The store was small and quiet. Only a few customers moved between the shelves, and the soft music overhead made the place feel strangely peaceful.
I picked up a basket and began walking around.
A few minutes later, I found the children's section. A large brown teddy bear sitting on the bottom shelf caught my eye.
I crouched down carefully and picked it up. It was bigger than I expected.
Evan is going to love this. I thought.
"That's a rather large teddy bear."
I froze as a voice came from behind me.
I slowly turned around and saw a man standing a few steps away.
He wore a beige suit, and a beige hat rested neatly on his head, casting a small shadow across his face. His expression was calm.
For some reason, I found myself staring at the hat before looking back at him.
"It's for someone special," I said politely.
His eyes briefly dropped toward the teddy bear.
"Someone special?"
I nodded.
"My son."
Something changed subtly in his expression.
"Ah."
He smiled.
"That makes more sense."
I wasn't sure what he meant.
I adjusted the teddy bear in my arms.
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he could, my phone began ringing.
I glanced at the screen.
Agnes.
"I should take this."
The man stepped aside immediately.
"Of course."
I stepped aside and answered Agnes' call. When I finished, I turned back toward him to find him still standing in the same spot.
For some reason, his eyes remained fixed on me.
"Nice hat you've got there."
He raised his brow and blinked.
"Thank you."
I nodded.
He chuckled softly, almost as though my comment had caught him completely off guard.
I gave him one last polite smile before walking toward the counter.
As I paid for the teddy bear, I looked over my shoulder and caught him still looking at me. I picked up the shopping bag and walked outside.
Lucien immediately straightened when he saw me.
"Everything alright?"
"Yes."
He looked at the teddy bear.
I smiled.
"Evan requested it."
Lucien's expression softened slightly.
"That explains the size."
I laughed quietly.
"Apparently, small isn't good enough anymore."
I let him take the shopping bag from me, and the drive home began.
For some reason, I kept thinking about the man in the black hat even though I had only spoken to him for a few minutes.
***
We reached my home safely. I sat down on my bed and carefully placed the teddy bear on the chair beside it.
I picked up my phone, but my fingers suddenly slipped, and it fell from my hand and hit the floor with a soft sound.
I frowned.
"Seriously?"
I bent down slowly to pick it up, but a strange sensation suddenly moved through my head.
My body froze.
The room around me seemed to melt into darkness. I closed my eyes and opened them again, hoping it was only my imagination. But the darkness remained.
I tried to open my eyes once more, but this time, I couldn't.
Then I saw the man from the store in a beige suit and beige hat. Only this time, he wasn't standing several steps away from me.
He was directly in front of me and staring into my eyes.
I could neither move nor speak.
He stepped closer, and my breathing became heavier. He slowly reached toward me and brushed my jaw with his fingers.
I shivered.
Why was he touching me?
Why couldn't I move?
His hand lifted my face gently, forcing me to look directly into those strange grey eyes.
I wanted to pull away, but I couldn't.
The vision suddenly vanished.
I gasped and opened my eyes. The room was normal again.
My heart was pounding violently, and I looked around. The room was empty, and I was all alone.
My hand immediately moved toward my chest as I tried to steady my breathing.
"What was that?"
I stared at the floor where my phone had fallen. I slowly picked up my phone and looked at the screen.
My gaze slowly shifted toward the teddy bear sitting beside my bed.
For some reason, the sight of it made me remember the man again.
His beige hat.
His quiet smile.
The way he had looked at me.
I frowned.
Who was he?
And why had I seen him?
I had no answer.
But somewhere deep inside me, a quiet feeling told me that our meeting at the store had not been as ordinary as I thought.
To be continued...