My Tyrant Husband Blackmailed Me To Stay

The Reyes family gathered in the sitting room while Elaina held an ice pack against her forehead.

Natalia paced in front of the fireplace. “Two outings, two injuries. At this rate, the third one will require an ambulance.”

“It was an accident,” Elaina said.

Reece leaned forward. “Was it?”

Adrian shot him a look. “Don’t start.”

“I’m serious. The skate fastening failed. Someone should have checked it.”

“The rink manager already apologized,” Adrian said. “Their staff inspected the equipment afterward.”

“And?”

“The leather strap was worn. It should have been replaced.”

Reece was unconvinced. Once their parents left the room, he followed Elaina upstairs and closed the door behind them.

“Tell me exactly what happened.”

“I put the skates on myself. They felt fine at first. Halfway around the rink, my ankle twisted and I fell.”

“Did Grant choose them?”

“No.”

“Did he touch them?”

“I don’t know. He helped tighten one strap, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

Reece studied her face. “And the hike?”

“I stepped backward while talking and caught my heel near his boot.”

“Near his boot, or on his boot?”

Elaina lowered the ice pack. “You think he tripped me?”

“I think he finds things amusing that other people don’t.”

She wanted to dismiss the idea, but the memory of Grant’s brief smile after she fell unsettled her.

“He carried me back down the trail,” she said. “Why would he deliberately make me fall and then carry me for nearly a mile?”

Reece had no answer for that.

The following weekend, the Wheelers hosted a garden luncheon at their temporary residence outside Seattle. There would be no hiking, skating, or horses. Elaina considered that an improvement.

After lunch, Grant suggested showing her the estate’s renovated observation pavilion. Linda, Natalia, and several guests were nearby, and a security officer walked behind them.

The pavilion stood above the lake and included a short glass-floored viewing platform. Elaina did not realize what it was until she stepped through the doors and looked down.

Her breath vanished.

The lake, gardens, and stone terrace seemed to drop away beneath her feet. Her pulse raced, and her knees weakened so quickly that she had to grip the railing.

Grant glanced at her. For one second, she thought she saw amusement in his eyes.

Then his expression changed.

“Elaina?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“I’m afraid of heights.”

He immediately stepped off the glass and held out his hand. “Come back this way.”

“I can do it.”

“You don’t have to prove anything.”

The words surprised her. She closed her eyes and tried to move, but her body refused to cooperate.

Grant lowered his voice. “Don’t look down. Look at me.”

Elaina opened her eyes. His hand remained between them, steady and patient.

She placed her fingers in his.

He guided her back onto the stone floor without pulling or rushing her. Once she was safe, he released her immediately.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know.”

Elaina’s face was pale. “It’s alright.”

“No, it isn’t. I should have asked.”

For the first time, his apology sounded sincere.

They returned to the terrace, where Linda noticed Elaina’s color and ordered tea. Grant stayed beside her but did not tease her.

That should have reassured Elaina.

Instead, she kept remembering the brief flash in his eyes before concern replaced it.

She could not decide whether she had imagined it.