a romantic novel of sacrifice,secrets and soulmate

The velvet curtains felt like heavy stones against her back. Eliana could hear the thumping bass of the music through the floorboards, vibrating up into her heels.
"Don't look at their faces, Eli," Anita whispered, adjusting the crimson lace mask that covered the upper half of Eliana’s face. "Just look at the lights. Imagine you’re alone in your room. Do it for your mom."
Eliana took a shaky breath. The scent of expensive cigars and perfume wafted in. She stepped out into the spotlight. The room went silent. She wasn't like the other girls; she didn't move with practiced seduction. She moved like a willow tree in a storm—fragile, elegant, and heartbreakingly beautiful.
In the far corner, tucked away in the shadows of the VIP section, a pair of cold, grey eyes locked onto her. Liam lowered his glass of scotch, his heart doing something it hadn't done in years. It beat.
"Who is she?" Liam asked, his voice a low growl.
"They call her the Girl in Red," his associate chuckled. "New. Mysterious. Doesn't talk to anyone."
Liam didn't hear the rest. He only saw the way her fingers trembled as she reached for the pole, and the single tear that escaped from behind the red lace. In that moment, the billionaire who had everything realized he had finally found something he couldn't resist

Liam moved through the sterile, white-tiled corridors of St. Nicholas Hospital with the focused intensity of a man on a mission. He had scrubbed the rain and the street grime off his skin, but he couldn't wash away the image of Eliana crumpled on the asphalt. He had ensured the Chief of Surgery was personally overseeing her case, sparing no expense to ensure the "Girl in Red"—his Eliana—was out of danger.


When he stepped into the private suite, the rhythmic hum of the heart monitor was the only sound. Eliana was awake, propped up against a mountain of bleached white pillows. She looked small, her head bandaged and her skin pale, but her eyes—those gold-flecked amber depths—were wide and alert.


"How are you feeling?" Liam asked, his voice rougher than he intended. He stood at the foot of the bed, his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets to hide the fact that they were still trembling. "The doctor says the concussion is mild, but you have a hairline fracture in your wrist."


Eliana looked at the expensive floral arrangement on the bedside table, then back at him. "I... I'm okay. Thank you for bringing me here. I shouldn't be in a room like this, though. I can't afford—"


"It's handled," Liam interrupted, his gaze narrowing. "Where were you going in such a rush, Eliana? It was a torrential downpour. No one should have been running across that intersection."


Eliana's fingers tightened on the edge of the thermal blanket. 


Laim immediately remember she Didn't tell him her name herself 


"Well I saw your name in your identity card "he answered 


"It seems you don't want to tell me were you rushing to that you couldn't wait for the rain to stop "he asked again as he walked towards the window of the room


She thought of the medicine bottle, the hospital deposit, and her mother's fading breath. But she couldn't tell him. To tell him the truth was to reveal the "Girl in Red," the desperation, and the debt. "I was just... going home," she lied, her voice dropping an octave. "I didn't see the car. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you."


Chapter 50 - chapter 50