Chapter 18
Karl didn’t ask again, he knew I was holding something back. I didn’t know if I was ready to say it out loud.
Karl came closer, and then said quietly. “What happened. Ellen!!
1 hesitated.
His eyes were already dark, watching me like a fuse waiting to be lit
“I woke up in a bed,” I said slowly. “next to Darren. I don’t remember anything and he said… he said we had a nice time.”
His jaw twitched.
“I didn’t even know how I got there,” I added, my voice trembling again, “I think I was drugged.”
Karl’s hand curled into a fist so tight the veins in his arm flexed. He didn’t speak, he just turned around and started walking.
“Karl,” I called, panic flooding me. “Where are you going?”
What room is he in?”
“Wait, Karl, please don’t do anything crazy…”
“Ellen.” He stopped and turned, his voice rough low, dead serious. “What room!”
1 swallowed hard, pointing down the corridor with a trembling hand.
He didn’t wait. He marched straight toward the hall, his pace unshaken.
1 followed behind him, my heels clicking fast against the tiles as I whispered his name again and again, but he wasn’t hearing it. His entire body moved like a man on a mission. Controlled rage, like the only thing stopping him from burning the entire building down was me behind him.
He reached the guest room and didn’t even knock.
The door slammed open with a force that shook the hinges.
Darren and Layla flinched, mid–argument, both of them snapping their heads toward the sudden explosion of sound.
Karl stepped in like he owned the place.
Before Darren could form a word, Karl’s fist shot out, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him hard into the wall,
The vase on the nightstand rattled. Layla let out a startled scream.
“What the hell–Darren choked out, struggling
Karl didn’t respond.
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out his phone with one hand, the other still pinning Darren by the throat, and hit a single contact. “Officer Vance, Karl said into the speaker, his voice cold and clean, “send a unit to the resort, private wing guest room live, bring backup. I want him in a holding cell within the hour. Charges include drugging and attempted sexual assault.
He ended the call before Vance could even respond.
Darren gasped, trying to push Karl off, but Karl didn’t move. He pulled back and hit him, once, twice. The sound of the impact echoed Blood spattered against the wall.
“Karl!” I yelled
His shoulders froze, lists still curled mid–air, his caest rising and falling with each breath. He looked at me, eyes wild and red.
I hook my head slowly, silently, pleading
His jaw locked. Then slowly, reluctantly, his hand dropped.
Darren collapsed to the floor, coughing, clutching his face,
1/3
Chapter 18
That was when the door swung open again.
Two uniformed officers stepped in, followed by a tall man in a suit.
“Mr. Lever?”
Take him.” Karl said simply, stepping back
Darren shouted something, but the words were garbled through blood and spit. The officers hauled him to his feet, cuffed him, and dragged him
out
Layla shrieked, crying, holding her hands over her mouth.
Karl turned to her next, his expression unchanged.
Layla dropped to her knees without warning, grabbing onto Karl’s arm with both hands. Her voice cracked as she cried out
“Please, don’t take him,” she sobbed, her mascara running down her face. “I know he messed up but he’s all I have. Please don’t let them arrest him. I’ll do anything, Karl. Anything!”
Her cries echoed off the walls, loud and frantic, her hands shaking as she clung to him.
Karl didn’t even flinch.
He turned slowly, his eyes dark and unreadable, and looked at her with such stillness it made the entire room feel frozen.
Then he reached behind him.
His hand found my wrist, his fingers curling gently around it, and without a word, he pulled me toward the door,
I didn’t resist.
He didn’t spare Layla another glance.
The car ride was dead quier
Neither of as spoke. The only sounds were the soft hum of the engine and the occasional shift of gears. I sat with my hands clenched in my lap, staring out the window, but I could feel him.
Every few minutes, Karl would glance over at me. Not for long. Just a flicker of his eyes in my direction, then back to the road. Like he was checking if I was still breathing.
When we pulled into the driveway, he didn’t park right away. He let the caridle for a moment, fingers still wrapped around the steering wheel.
As soon as the engine cut off, he reached for his phone. It rang before he could unlock it.
He picked up without hesitation. “Yeah.”
I was already halfway to my room when I heard him speak again.
“That was Vance”
I stopped.
His voice was calm, but I could feel something different in it now.
“They reviewed the footage from the resort. The stall provided access to the hallway and bedroom feeds.”
I turned slowly, my heart thudding again.
“He didn’t touch you, Karl said. “He drugged you but once he realized there were cameras everywhere, he staged it. He made it look like something happened, but didn’t
The breath left my lungs all at once. My knees wobbled
Karl’s voice stayed steady. “He’s still gening charged for what he did. He won’t be walking away from this.
Something broke in me I didn’t even try to hold it back this time. I clutched the edge of the wall and dropped my head, the sob slipping out before I could stop it. My shoulders shook as the weight finally lifted off me.
2/3
Chapter 18
When I looked
up
Karl was staring at me.
He looked almost… helpless Like he didn’t know what to do with someone crying in front of S
But then, slowly, he moved
He stepped closer, one foot in front of the other, stopping just a breath away from me. His hand came up, hovered for a second, then lowered like he thought twice about touching me.
And then he leaned in, just a little. His voice dropped so low it barely scraped the air.
“Come here.”
