Divorce and Freedom No More Homemaker for Him novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24 Left Behind in the Dark

Ayla’s eyes, drained of life, stayed locked on Troy.

If he had only looked back at Ayla, he would have seen her like a stray kitten, abandoned and shivering, pain and heartbreak hiding in her gaze.

But he didn’t. He turned his head away and pressed the gas pedal down. In a blink, his car vanished into the night.

Darkness swallowed her whole. Ayla stood there alone, fragile against the wind.

A sharp pain exploded in her head, making her body jolt. She forced herself out of the spiral of fear and faced the cold truth–he had left her.

The night was pitch–black. Strange noises stirred in the trees, and her mind filled with all the murder stories she had seen on the news.

Terror clawed at her chest. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone and fumbled to turn on the flashlight. Her fingers were stiff from the cold; she almost dropped it. The light finally came on, and Ayla bolted toward the estate.

Her legs carried her faster than she thought possible. Thank God she still had the strength to run despite her sickness.

By the time she reached the yard, her lungs burned, her body was frozen, and her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst through her chest.

She clutched the gate, heavily gasping for air.

The rush of her body’s panic left no space for thought–until her eyes caught something.

A light glowed from the second floor, in one of the guest rooms.

It was Draven’s room.

In the dark, any glimmer pulled the eye. Ayla couldn’t look away.

She waited there, trying to calm her breathing before sneaking back to her room.

Ayla knew she was on the edge of getting sick. If she didn’t take medicine soon, she’d be down by morning.

But there was no medicine in her room, and she couldn’t exactly ask Lincoln for help now. Tomorrow, she was bound to be sick.

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Chapter 24 Left Behind in the Dark

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She wanted to leave and go home, anywhere but here.

But she didn’t arrive here with a car.

And calling a cab up the mountain in the middle of the night? Impossible.

The thought hit her like a wall, and despair sank deep.

And just then, the light in the guest room went out.

Whether Draven went to bed or not had nothing to do with her.

Finished

Still, the weight of everything that had happened pressed down on her at once. Ayla’s emotions broke apart. Tears slid down her cheeks, silent and hot.

She leaned against the doorframe, crying quietly by herself.

And tears, no matter how endless they feel, always run dry. Especially in the freezing dark of night.

Ayla cried until her whole body shook from the cold.

She wiped her tears, gave in to reality, and turned back.

When she lifted her head, a tall, imposing figure blocked her path.

In the dim light, Draven’s shadow swallowed her whole.

The next second, a warm coat was draped over her shoulders.

Ayla caught the faint scent on the fabric.

It was a clean, woody fragrance–like pine trees standing tall in the winter snow.

He had given her his trench coat, leaving himself only in a thin black shirt. The diamond cufflinks on his sleeves reflected a sharp, cold light, much like the man himself. Someone you instinctively wanted to keep your distance from.

Ayla hadn’t even cried in front of Halle, yet Draven had seen her at her weakest.

Shame and embarrassment burned through her, but she didn’t rush to wipe her tears away.

She stared at him blankly, the tear streaks on her cheeks catching the glow of the streetlamp.

To her, Draven was just a stranger she had spoken to a couple of times, someone distant and unapproachable.

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Chapter 24 Left Behind in the Dark

Finished

She didn’t know what to say or what expression to wear–so her silence became her answer.

Five seconds passed.

“Can you drive?” His voice broke the silence.

Ayla nodded.

He tossed her a set of keys.

She caught them on instinct.

When she looked up again, Draven was already opening the back door of the Bentley and sliding inside.

As he passed, she caught the same crisp cologne that lingered on the coat.

Draven had made it clear; he needed her to drive him home.

It was strange. They barely knew each other, yet he had chosen her to be his driver for no

reason.

Ayla looked at the coat around her shoulders, then at the keys in her hand.

She was freezing, so she didn’t give the coat back. Instead, she slipped her hands into the long sleeves, tied the belt tight, and rolled the cuffs.

And she really wanted to leave this place. So she gripped the keys, turned toward the car, and got in.

The engine started. Neither of them spoke.

To avoid waking anyone at the estate, Ayla pulled out slowly, steady on the wheel. But once they were farther down the road, she couldn’t help it–her foot pressed harder on the gas, her movements smooth and sharp, the way she had always driven.

After two sharp turns, a deep, cold voice came from the back seat.

“Slow down.”

The words were calm, but the weight behind them pressed on her chest.

Ayla froze for a moment, then realized–she had been driving too fast on a mountain road. No wonder the man in the back seat felt uncomfortable.

Annoyed at herself, she eased up on the pedal. She had gotten carried away, forgetting she wasn’t alone.

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Finished

Easing off the gas, she steadied the car. After a while, she risked a glance in the rearview mirror -only to meet his dark, unblinking eyes.

It wasn’t by chance–they had been there all along. Watching. Studying her. Ayla had no idea how long she had been watched.

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