Chapter 36

Elena closed her eyes and said softly, "Tobias, I'll do what you say. You don't have to worry." She owed him too much already—she couldn't let him down again. Tobias had always been there for her, ever since they were kids. He was the steady presence just next door, the one who quietly had her back through everything. Back then, she was blind to how he felt—too wrapped up in her crush on Emmanuel. She'd gone all in for someone who let her down in the worst way. And in the end, it was Tobias who had jumped in to save her, staged everything so she could escape her past, even faked her death, and brought her overseas for a fresh start. He kept her and Lucas safe all this time. Really, she should've let the past go long ago. But emotions weren't that easy to shut off. The second she set foot back in Velmont, everything hit her like a wave—memories, pain, regret. It overwhelmed her before she even realized it. The past three years had given her a new life—Lucas, photography, a job that fina