Ten years ago, I walked away from the love of my life, convinced that I was making the right decision.
Her name was Elowen. She was wild, unpredictable, and had this magnetic energy that made people want to be around her.
I was no exception. From the moment we met in our early twenties, I was hooked.
We were inseparable, the kind of couple that burned fast and bright. But it didn’t last.
One night, she vanished. No warning, no goodbye—just gone. I searched for her, called, texted, even asked her family, but no one had answers.
It was as if she had been erased from my life overnight. Eventually, I had to accept that she didn’t want to be found. So, I moved on—or at least I tried.
A decade later, I had built a stable life. I had a good job, a home, and a fiancée, Celeste, who was everything Elowen wasn’t—calm, reliable, and steady.
But despite the years and the distance, Elowen still haunted me. I never got closure, and that lack of answers gnawed at me in ways I couldn’t explain.
Then, one evening, I saw her.
I was walking down a quiet street when I spotted her outside a bookstore, her head tilted as she flipped through a novel.
My breath caught in my throat. She looked the same—her auburn hair, her sharp green eyes, that same untamed spirit in the way she carried herself.
Before I could stop myself, I walked up to her. “Elowen?”
She turned slowly, her expression unreadable. For a long moment, she just stared.
Then, a flicker of something crossed her face—guilt, fear? I couldn’t tell.
“I was hoping you’d never find me,” she whispered.
Her words sent a chill through me. “Why?”
She glanced around nervously, as if expecting someone to appear from the shadows. “Not here. Not now.”
But I wasn’t letting her slip away again. “I need answers, Elowen. You disappeared without a trace. Do you have any idea what that did to me?”
Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but then she hesitated. Instead, she reached into her bag, pulled out a slip of paper, and pressed it into my hand. “Meet me tomorrow at this address. Noon. Come alone.”
Then she walked away.
That night, I barely slept. Celeste noticed I was distracted, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her why. I just needed to know what had happened all those years ago.
The next day, I arrived at the address—a small, run-down house on the outskirts of town.
When I knocked, the door creaked open slightly, revealing Elowen’s pale face. She looked different in the daylight, tired, worn down, as if life had taken something from her.
She led me inside, and the moment the door shut behind us, I demanded, “Tell me the truth, Elowen. Why did you leave?”
She exhaled shakily and sank onto the couch, wringing her hands. “Because I had no choice.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
She hesitated, then whispered, “I was pregnant, Rowan.”
The words slammed into me like a punch. My knees nearly buckled. “What?”
She nodded, her eyes glassy. “I found out just before I left. But it wasn’t safe for me to stay. I had to disappear.”
I stared at her, my mind racing. “But… why? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
She hesitated before finally saying, “Because someone was after me. Someone dangerous.”
My stomach tightened. “Who?”
Her lips trembled. “My father.”
I remembered her father well—Luther Dovak. A powerful man with deep connections and an iron grip on his family. He never liked me, but I had no idea things were this bad.
“He found out I was pregnant,” she continued, voice barely above a whisper.
“And he lost it. He told me that if I kept the baby, I’d regret it. That neither of us would be safe.”
My fists clenched. “So he forced you to leave?”
She nodded. “I was terrified, Rowan. I didn’t know what else to do. I ran. I changed my name, hid for years.”
My heart was pounding. “And the baby?”
She inhaled sharply, looking away. “She’s alive.”
I nearly collapsed. “She?”
Elowen nodded. “Her name is Alara. She’s nine now.”
A daughter. I had a daughter. And I had spent ten years not knowing she even existed.
Tears burned my eyes as I whispered, “Where is she?”
Elowen hesitated, then shook her head. “I can’t tell you. It’s not safe.”
Fury rose in my chest. “Not safe? I have a right to know my own child!”
“You don’t understand,” she said, gripping my hands.
“My father is still looking for us. If he finds out I told you, he won’t stop until he destroys everything.”
I pulled away, shaking my head. “No. I’m not walking away again. I lost you once, but I’m not losing my daughter.”
She looked at me with desperation in her eyes. “Then we have to be careful.
If we do this wrong, it could cost us everything.”
I didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was certain—my life had just changed forever.
And I wasn’t going to let my daughter stay hidden any longer.
