Beyond The Gaze: A Love Unseen

Chapter 53

Glancing back at Elysia, I saw her standing frozen in the same spot, her eyes fixed on my arm. An unsettling feeling gripped me; she didn't appear okay. Worry surged within me, urging me to go to her instantly. However, as I turned towards her, one of Eric's men charged at me, diverting my attention.

I glanced at Sebastian, deeply engrossed in combat, and signaled for Maron to make his move. In an instant, our men emerged from their concealed positions, catching the opposition off guard.

Dodging an attack, I landed a punch on the man who lunged at me, followed by a kick to his stomach. As I readied for another strike, my hand froze mid-air, a sudden cold chill running down my spine.

The abrupt noise gripped everyone in shock, freezing even Eric and his men in their tracks. My lips parted in disbelief as I turned toward the source of the unexpected voice.

No, it wasn't a voice...

It was a scream...

I'm a man. In thirty years of my life, I've witnessed and endured countless experiences, especially since I left the country in the past, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

My surroundings seemed to blur, and time stood still as my gaze fixated on the source of those piercing screams.

Elysia...

What was happening to her?

She knelt on the ground, her hands tightly gripping her hair, head bowed, and bone-chilling screams echoing from her. Each scream felt like a sharp, agonizing stab to my heart, but in that moment, I realized one thing then and there; those distressed screams would haunt me for a lifetime.

It was a horrifying, heart-wrenching scream, as if she had lost something or someone incredibly dear, resembling someone who had lost everything.

"NOVA!!!" Her third scream snapped me out of my daze, making me realize what she was desperately shouting.

A sudden, forceful punch landed on my jaw, sending me sprawling to the ground. Before the assailant could strike again, one of our men restrained him.

My eyes returned to Elysia, who was growing increasingly hysterical, desperately yanking at her hair. Shocked and helpless, my mind went momentarily blank as I watched her in anguish.

In the next instant, I rushed towards her, stumbling in my steps, my head in a jumbled state.

"Elysia," I crouched down in front of her in panic, desperately holding her hands. She refused to release her grip on her hair and pulled away from me.

"Elysia! Please don't do this, you're hurting yourself." I tightened my hold on her wrists, but she seemed deaf to my pleas. Tears streamed down her face, and her desperate, agonized screams tore at my heart. "Sweetheart, please look at me. Everything is okay; let go of your hair, you hear me?" I tried to speak calmly, but my voice shook; intense distress enveloping me.

My heart squeezed in my chest, seeing her clenching broken strands of hair in her fists from pulling too hard. My eyes widened when she suddenly let go of her hair and began scratching her face.

"Sh*t! NO! ELYSIA!" I exclaimed in horror, instantly restraining her fingers, clutching them in my hands. My sole attention was on her, the chaos behind us completely forgotten.

She started scratching my palms, fighting to break free from my hold. I didn't want to use force, but I couldn't bear to see her like this, and I certainly couldn't allow her to hurt herself.