Elena's POV
I left the hospital. I was walking down the street when two men came up behind me. They dragged me toward a car, covering my mouth. I tried to scream. I was struggling for my life as they forced me into the car.
We arrived at an unfamiliar street filled with old, abandoned houses. They pulled me out and dragged me into one of the buildings. Then they pushed me to the floor.
"Hey, pretty," one of the men said, beginning to take off his trousers.
He reached for me and tore my dress while the other man held me down tightly.
Luckily for me, someone was approaching.
To my surprise—it was Mr. Mystery, the man I had a one-night stand with.
He stormed in with his bodyguards, and the two men immediately fled.
He carried me like I was his, making me feel safe and at peace. I looked into his eyes and whispered, "Hey, Mr. Mystery."
He gave me a charming smile, and I leaned against his chest, feeling comforted.
He took me back to Aunt Vivian's house.
We stepped out of the car, and for the first time, I looked at him properly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked gently.
"I can help make sure those perverts don't come back." If I hadn't seen and followed you, what would have happened?
"I am fine… and thank you so much, Mr. Mystery," I said.
He laughed lightly. "Hey, I'm Julian Hart."
"Ohhh, I didn't know that," I replied, blushing a little. "By the way, I'm Elena."
"Thanks again, Julian."
I made my way to the house. I didn't discuss what I went through with anyone. But I stayed up all night thinking about Julian Hart.
He was effortlessly handsome. Tall, with broad shoulders and a strong body. His jaw was sharp, and his eyes… they were deep, like he could see through me. His dark hair was a bit messy, but it suited him. The way he stood, calm and confident—it was hard not to stare.
A call woke me up in the morning. It was from an unknown number, but I picked it up anyway.
It was Callum's voice.
"Hey, Eli. I think we've found a way to remove your scar," Callum said with excitement.
"It's not going to work, Callum. I've tried," I replied with frustration. "Plus, I don't have the money for the surgery."
"Eli, you don't have to worry about that," Callum said gently. "I'm working with one of the best surgeons. We just need you here."
"Okay… I'll give it a try," I said, finally giving in.
I went to the hospital. They examined me, and after some tests, they scheduled the surgery.
It was set for three days from that day.
I came back to the hospital on the day of the surgery. They prepped me in.
I lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. My heart was racing. Everything felt cold and too quiet.
Callum stood beside me. He held my hand gently.
"You're safe, Eli. I'm here with you," he said softly.
I nodded, trying not to cry. I didn't know if it would work, but I had hope.
A nurse came close. "We'll give you something to help you relax," she said.
Soon, my eyes felt heavy. The room became blurry. The last thing I saw was Callum's face watching me before everything went dark.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Everything felt quiet.
I saw lights above me and heard a soft beeping sound beside me.
"Elena…" I heard someone call.
It was Callum.
He came closer, smiling. "You're awake."
I looked at him. My head felt heavy. "Did it work?" I asked weakly.
"Yes. The surgery went well," Callum nodded.
"Really?" I asked, tears in my eyes.
He held my hand gently. "Yes, Eli. You will heal with time. The scar bruises will fade."
I closed my eyes again. A tear rolled down my cheek.
"Thank you, Callum," I whispered.
"I am always here for you," he said softly.
I reached up to touch my face, but Callum gently stopped me.
"Be careful," he said. "There's still a plaster over the scar. We will remove it in a few days."
Days passed. Finally, it was time to check if the scar was healing.
I dressed up, looking nice and feeling excited.
I got to the hospital, and Callum checked the wound. It was healing really well.
"Your wound is healing nicely, Eli. I'm proud of you," Callum said, holding me gently.
"I can't thank you enough, Cal," I responded.
"Ohhh, you can take me out for dinner," Callum said, smiling softly.
"We can work with that. But you're paying," I replied jokingly.
"That's fine. 8 p.m. it is. Send me your address, okay?" Callum asked, holding my hand and looking into my eyes with so much care.
I looked deep into his eyes, feeling the bond we always had.
"Okay, Cal," I said, blushing.
The restaurant was quiet—just how I liked it. We sat across from each other, eating in peace.
"How are you feeling?" Callum asked.
"Better. I still can't believe the scar is fading."
He smiled. "Told you we'd figure it out."
A soft silence settled.
"This feels like old times," he said. "Fries and milkshakes?"
I laughed. "We were always getting into trouble."
"I missed you," he said.
I smiled.
We ate, laughed, and joked. For a while, I forgot everything else.
Outside my house, we sat in silence.
"I had a great time, Eli," he said.
"Me too."
He hugged me. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Cal."
I watched him drive off, heart warm.
I thought about how life was going to turn out. My scar leaving my face was the best thing that would ever happen to me.
The next day, I went out to get groceries at a supermarket when I noticed a random lady staring at me. She started walking toward me.
"Hey, bitch…" she called. "You slut… You're the one chasing Julian around."
She was holding a bottle of juice she had been drinking—and then she poured everything on my body.
I was so shocked.
Wait… Is this Julian's wife? I asked myself. So he's married or in a relationship… and we slept together?
"How will Julian stoop so low to follow a lady like you? What's that on your face? Maybe that happened to you because you were sleeping around with people's men. Slut," she said rudely, with hatred burning in her eyes like she wanted to kill me.
Then someone spoke from behind.
"No, that's a scar that has been there forever." It was Amira.
"Hold on… Are you trying to take that scar off? You know it's not possible, darling," Amira said, smirking.
"Did you see her with your husband?" Amira asked the lady.
"I found this whore with my fiancé, Julian, while I was coming home from work," the lady replied.
"She's a slut. And she deserves to be taught a lesson."
Amira and Julian's fiancée started walking toward me with hateful words. They tried to hit me and pushed me to the ground. I didn't know what to do—I just shut my eyes. People were staring, but no one helped, even when they could see that these two women were humiliating me.
But then, someone stretched out his hand to help me up.
It was Sebastian.
"You two, just stop it!" Sebastian yelled.
He pulled me up, asking if I was okay, but I couldn't help but cry.
"I get it now. This is one of them," Amira said.
"Hey, slut… I don't want to see you hanging around Julian again. He is mine and mine alone. Unless you want to be dealt with," Julian's fiancée sneered, pointing at me.
She left, with Amira following her.
I looked at Sebastian, tears streaming down my cheeks. "How could I be so unfortunate? What have I done wrong? I'm tired," I whispered.
Sebastian pulled me into a tight hug. "Hey, it's okay. Everything will be fine. I'm here, okay?"
I just cried on his shoulder without saying a word.
We walked into the café and found a spot by the window.
The waiter brought us hot coffee.
I held the cup in my hands, quiet. Sebastian didn't say much either.
He looked at me. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.
"I'm just tired," I replied, staring into the cup.
"If you ever want to talk… I'm here," he said, leaning forward a little.
I looked at him and nodded. "I know."
It was quiet for a while. Not awkward. Just calm.
Sebastian kept looking at me. Like he wanted to say something but held back.
"I missed having you around, Elena," he finally said.
I smiled a little. "I missed you too."
We didn't talk about the past. We just sat there. Together.
It felt calm… like the silence understood us.
We talked about my surgery too.
He smiled when I told him it was healing well.
"I'm happy for you, Elena. You deserve this," he said.
He looked at me like he truly meant it.
And for once, I felt seen.
And somehow, it felt peaceful.
Sebastian dropped me off and gave me a warm hug.
It was the kind of hug that made me feel safe for a moment.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" he said softly.
I nodded, holding back tears. "Thank you, Sebastian."
He smiled gently, then watched me walk to the door before driving off.