ELI
The last thing I remember is struggling for air in damir's car trunk, i curled myself inside his trunk thinking he wasn't going far because the airport is just an hour away from home by car. but the journey took too long, I kept trying to push my nose through the tiny opening in the car trunk for air curling myself uncomfortably, I kept gasping for air until I felt so weak I couldn't keep my eye lids open and then…nothing.
My eyes opened to the dull ache pulsing through my skull, like my brain had been wrapped in cotton and shoved into a vice. My throat burned with dryness, and every breath scraped painfully through my nostrils. Blinking past the blur, I took in the room's familiar ceiling, the soft sheets tangled around me… but something was wrong.
Too quiet.
Then….
"What the FUCK were you thinking, Eli?!"
My body jerked upright like someone had poured ice water down my spine. My heart slammed against my ribs, and I turned toward the voice.
Damir.
He was pacing…no, storming…across the room like a predator that had tasted blood. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked carved from stone, his rolled-up sleeves exposing forearms covered in tension, and his fingers kept twitching, like he was trying not to break something.
His eyes…those beautiful, deep, dark eyes that always looked at me with heat, mischief, or something soft were now cold. Furious.
I barely recognized him.
I tried to speak, to call his name, but he cut through the air like lightning.
"You think this is a fucking joke?! You think this is some cute little prank?! You almost fucking died, Eli!"
My lips trembled. "I…."
"No! Shut your mouth. You don't get to talk right now!" he shouted, voice so loud it cracked. "You hid in my trunk. My fucking trunk! For three hours! There's no airflow, Eli! No light! You suffocated, passed out and could have never woken up…do you understand that?!"
I flinched, every word hitting me like a slap.
He advanced toward the bed, glaring down at me like I was some criminal.
"I can't believe you," he hissed. "What kind of selfish, stupid stunt was that?! Were you trying to die?! Huh?! Is that what you wanted?! Because that's how it looked to me like you don't value your life, or mine!"
I couldn't hold back the sob that escaped my throat. My hands clutched the blanket around me like it could shield me from the storm crashing down.
"I just… I didn't want you to leave me," I whispered. "I…I'm sorry"
"And you thought crawling into a fucking car trunk was the way to do it?!" Damir roared. His voice broke for the first time. Not into softness, but something worse.
He spun around, raking a hand through his hair, pacing faster. "Do you know what I had in that trunk?! Sensitive tech worth millions. I had a five-month deal going down FIVE MONTHS ,I only got the tech without the ledger and now it's ashes! Because of you!"
Each word was like a hammer, crushing what little self-worth I had left.
"I trusted you to be safe. I left thinking you were home, protected. And the next thing I know….bam! There you are, unconscious in my trunk, curled up like a fucking corpse! My heart fucking stopped, Eli. Do you even understand that?!"
My sobs were louder now, shaking me from the inside. "I didn't mean to ruin anything…i swear…i just wanted…"
"Wanted what?!" he cut in, stepping closer, towering over me. "To ruin my career? To get yourself killed?! You're not a child anymore, Eli. You don't get to throw tantrums and pull suicidal stunts because you miss me. You want to be treated like an adult? Then ACT like one!"
I covered my face with my hands, humiliated. My skin burned with shame. I didn't even notice the three maids standing by the door until one quietly set down a bowl of water and disappeared.
But Damir was still there.
Still raging.
"Do you know how many men would've killed to use you against me? One photo. One whisper. That's all it would've taken. I almost lost you".
He said that last part so low, so coldly, it felt like the final nail in my chest.
My voice came out broken. "I didn't mean to….."
"I don't care," he spat. "This isn't about meaning well. This is about consequences. Something you clearly don't fucking think about."
He turned away, as if looking at me any longer would make him snap.
"Damir… please," I begged, crawling toward the edge of the bed, my body trembling, my heart begging for even one soft look. "Don't say that. Please don't leave me like this."
He stopped.
But didn't turn around.
"I can't even look at you right now."
Those words gutted me more than the yelling. More than the accusations.
"I have to go fix the mess you made," he said. "Try to undo the damage. Try to salvage what's left of this operation. And I can't do that while thinking about you dying in my fucking car."
And then…
Bang!
The door slammed with such force the walls seemed to shudder, and suddenly the room felt ten times bigger.
Empty.
Wrong.
My breath came in hiccups as I collapsed back into the sheets, pressing my face into the pillow to muffle my screams. I didn't care that the maids had seen everything. That they were still there, now hesitating awkwardly in the corner like they'd witnessed something sacred unraveling.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to no one. "I didn't mean to ruin it. I just missed you…"
They didn't say anything.
They just quietly stepped out, closing the door behind them like it would help.
But it didn't. Nothing helped.
I curled into myself, the thick scent of Damir's cologne still lingering in the sheets. I pressed my face into it, sobbing so hard my ribs ached.
He'd never looked at me like that.
Never spoken to me like I was nothing but a burden.
But I deserved it. I deserved every word.
I'd crossed a line I couldn't uncross.
And now… I didn't know if he'd ever look at me the same again.