Episode 5 : bounded by fate

Elena stood frozen, the book clutched tightly against her chest. The knock at the door was soft, deliberate-almost as if whoever was on the other side was savoring the moment.

Her breath came in shallow gasps. She shouldn't open it. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to walk away. But something stronger-something deeper -pulled her forward.

Her fingers curled around the doorknob. Slowly, she turned it.

The door creaked open, revealing the last person she expected.

Daniel.

He stood there in the dim light, his dark eyes burning with something unreadable. The years had changed him -his frame was leaner, his jaw sharper, but that intensity, that quiet obsession, was still the same. It was written in the way he looked at her, as if she was the only thing that had ever mattered.

"Elena," he murmured, stepping forward.

She took a step back. "What are you doing here?"

His lips curved into a knowing smile. "You read it, didn't you?"

Her grip on the book tightened. "You have no right to rewrite my past."

His gaze flickered to the book in her. hands. "I didn't rewrite it, Elena. I just filled in the parts you tried to forget."

A shiver ran down her spine. "This... this isn't real. You're twisting things."

He tilted his head. "Am I?"

Before she could respond, he took another step closer. Too close. His scent surrounded her-something dark, intoxicating, painfully familiar. She should push him away, tell him to leave, but she couldn't move.

His hand lifted slowly, his fingers ghosting over her cheek. "You're still the same," he murmured, voice dangerously low. "Still running. Still pretending you don't want this."

Her breath caught.

"This?" she whispered.

His thumb traced her lower lip, his touch featherlight but possessive. "Me."

Elena's heart pounded against her ribs. Everything about him was overwhelming-the way he looked at her, the way he owned the space around them, the way his presence made her feel caged and free at the same time.

"You think I don't remember?" he continued, his voice smooth, unshaken. "The way you used to hold onto me like I was the only thing keeping you steady? The way your body melted against mine?"

She sucked in a sharp breath. "Daniel-"

His fingers slid down to her throat, his touch both gentle and firm. "Tell me to stop."

She should. She needed to.

But she didn't.

His lips brushed against her ear, a barely-there touch that sent a shiver down her spine. "That's what I thought."

And then, before she could think, before she could fight, his lips crashed against hers.

It wasn't soft. It wasn't careful. It was desperate, claiming, filled with years of unspoken words and restrained obsession.

Elena gasped against his mouth, and he took advantage of it, deepening the kiss, his hands tangling into her hair as he pressed her back against the door. She felt caged, overwhelmed-but she didn't push him away.

She hated him. She wanted him.

And that terrified her more than anything.

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