Chapter 3
Dominic had always hated Elena’s discipline.
At first, he called it impressive.
Then intimidating.
Then cold.
He liked the uniform when it made him proud at public events. He liked her military salary when bills needed paying. He liked telling people his wife trained soldiers for impossible conditions.
But at home, he wanted obedience.
Elena noticed the change slowly.
The way Dominic asked where she was, then demanded.
The way he called her fieldwork “playing soldier.”
The way Chloe began appearing at charity dinners, then private dinners, then conversations Dominic claimed Elena was too tired to attend.
When Elena questioned the closeness, Dominic smiled.
“You see threats everywhere. That’s what the Army did to you.”
The phrase was meant to make her doubt herself.
It did not.
Then came the remote cabin.
Dominic said there were insurance forms connected to the property and winter damage that required Elena’s signature. He insisted they drive together before the next storm system arrived.
Elena did not like the timing.
But she trusted preparation more than comfort.
She packed gloves, a thermal layer, a small blade inside her boot, and an emergency whistle.
Dominic laughed when he saw the gear.
“It’s a cabin, Elena. Not a war zone.”
She looked at him.
“Cold doesn’t care what you call it.”
He drove.
The roads narrowed.
Snow thickened.
Cell signal disappeared.
At the cabin, Dominic’s mood changed completely.
He stopped pretending to be annoyed.
He became calm.
That was worse.
The padlock was already hanging near the door.
Heavy.
Steel.
New.
Elena noticed it before he touched it.
And when he shoved her inside and locked the door, one terrible thought crossed her mind.
May you like
He had bought that lock for this.
Read the full story 👉 Dominic thought the mountain storm would hide everything, but Elena noticed the lock before he used it.
