Night of Destiny (Anastasia and Elliot) novel Chapter 358

Chapter 358 Fear of Intimacy

“Do you think I could leave you alone like this?” Elliot held onto Anastasia firmly, refusing to let her go.

The steel edge to her demeanor had returned, and when she spoke, it was in clear, unwavering tones. “I’ve survived for five years; I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine on my own for a night.”

Elliot pursed his lips and asked tentatively, “Is Jared really the child of that hooligan?”

Anastasia hated confronting the truth of Jared’s birth every time it came up, but reality was cruel, and there was nothing she could do to deny Jared’s father’s identity. “Yes,” she finally bit out through gritted teeth.

Elliot’s chest tightened. He understood that this was a painful topic for her, so he let it drop.

In the end, he got up and left after she insisted that he did. When the door closed behind him, an icy gleam flashed in his eyes as he vowed to uncover the wretched man’s identity even if Anastasia refused to speak of him. He needed to know what kind of a monster could bear to hurt her so badly.

Presently, Elliot waited at the door, but when he realized that Anastasia was not going to open it and invite him back into the house, he left.

The only way he could achieve a breakthrough in this case was to find out which clubhouse the incident had taken place in. Just because Anastasia was set on remaining tight-lipped about it, he was sure that others might have some idea as to what had happened on the night she was assaulted.

As he sat in the backseat of the car, he began to consider his options. Hayley knew about the details of that night, but he didn’t want to ask her about it. He sifted through the names in his mind, trying to pick the person most likely to give him some useful insight on the matter.

He settled on one person at last, and that was Erica, Anastasia’s half-sister. Given how she had brought up Jared’s birth the last time she threw a tantrum, there was a high chance that she knew about the incident. He was confident that she could provide him with some leads on this.

As he leaned into his seat, Elliot pulled out his phone and gave Rey a call. “I need you to arrange a meeting for me with someone.”

“Who would that be, President Presgrave?” Rey asked courteously.

“Erica.”

In the silence of the bedroom, Anastasia was holding a glass of water as she sat on the lounge listlessly. She felt guilty for having imagined Elliot as the man who had assaulted her five years ago while they were intimate. In truth, she was stunned as well that the trauma she thought she had buried deep inside her heart could be so easily brought to the surface with a single touch, triggering her fear of intimacy.