Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Divider

Alex gazed blankly at his computer screen in his corporate office. Months of insomnia had taken its toll. His instincts for business strategy had strengthened his companies back into top form, but the rest of his life was consumed by a new obsession. The hope of finding Elaina was the only thing that kept him going at all.

Her absence had ripped away any sense of meaning from his life. Everything that had felt special in his life—special about him—had vanished. Without her, he was nothing.

Even the success of his Safe Home, Safe Child Foundation in breaking ground for domestic violence shelters across the state couldn’t distract him. Each official function he attended served only as a reminder that he wished he could share the accomplishment with the one who’d gotten away.

The text streaming across his monitor confirmed his inability to leave the situation alone. His computer ran continuous internet searches on countless words: Elaina, Drake, Volus, Albania, dragon, jewelry, gold, silver, gem, theft, stolen, the description of every piece of her treasure he knew of, the fake name she’d used for their travels last fall, and anything else he could think of in every European language.

Whenever three or more keywords came up in an article, his search program flagged it for him to check. But months had passed with no trace.

The uncertainty of whether she was alive or dead killed him more each day.

The last record of her was a security photo taken at JFK airport the afternoon she’d left him. Despite her paranoia that had prevented him from having any pictures of her, much less of them together, she’d stood in front of a security camera at an Air France gate with a large sign that read Këtu kam ardhur. “Here I come” in Albanian.

The stunt had landed her in several newspapers and online news sites. Homeland Security had searched for her to see if she was a threat. They hadn’t found her either. No doubt, however, her message to her father had been received.

A printed copy of that picture—one of the few pieces of evidence left behind of her existence—lay on his desk. Under that was her letter to him, the final proof of their life together. Together with the A & E ring he still wore, they seemed to hint at a hidden meaning beyond his grasp.

Or he liked to think so. Hoped so.

His eyes stung from staring at the screen, where he scanned search results long after everyone else had gone home for the day. He rubbed his eyelids and forced his shoulders back to prevent them from tensing up after his workout.

The strenuous gym routine was the other half of his obsession. He wanted to believe she’d gone to Europe to enact the harebrained idea she’d mentioned their last night together—steal the hoard of an elderly dragon. The workouts and internet searches were his way of helping her. He’d be prepared when she was ready to go up against her father.

But if that plan was her intention, why had she written the letter?

The letter. The essence of all his fears laid bare. The bitter truth that echoed the loudest voice in the back of his mind, which suspected she really had broken up with him.

At first, he’d hoped she’d written the note simply to make sure he did what she wanted—come back and take care of his companies. And he’d done that. Months ago.

If that was the explanation, why hadn’t he heard from her?

His fingertips pressed on his temples. It didn’t help. Getting angry at her cold “Dear John” method of leaving him wouldn’t fix the situation.

Every accusation she’d written was one hundred percent accurate. He was the one who’d let things spin out of control.

Unable to help himself, he slid the photo across his desk, uncovering the letter. The words swam in front of his eyes, but they’d burned themselves into his memory.

 

Dear Alex,

 

By the time you read this letter, I’ll be long gone. I can’t stay with you any longer.

When we first met, you were strong. I liked that. I thought your strength would make us a good match. You’re not strong anymore. Instead of spending your time building an empire, you’re whittling scraps of wood.

When we first met, I was weak and needed to get strong. I thought you understood my needs. Instead, you’ve held me back from getting stronger, as though you thought rewarding me like a dog for good behavior would be acceptable. It’s not.

I denied the truth for a long time, but I can’t ignore it anymore. We don’t belong together.

Don’t bother to look for me. You’re not good for me, and this is goodbye.

 

Elaina

 

Manipulation or not, her words scalded his heart every minute of every day. His attention landed on the woodcarving he’d made for her during their time on the island. The dragon sculpture seemed to mock him, but he hung on to it as a reminder of how special she was.

And how much he’d screwed up.

She’d told him that she suffered by not stealing, but he’d asked it of her anyway. The trinkets he’d given her were like a reward for obedience.

And then on the island, she’d nearly died in her attempt to follow those rules. His rules.

Once again disrespecting her differences, he’d never accepted that she might need to steal sometimes. No, worse than that. He’d tried to control her.

A dragon. That had to be the stupidest thing ever attempted.

He’d ended up no better than his father.