Married to a Malfoy

CHAPTER 45 | Old Friends

[EDITED]

CHAPTER 45 | Old Friends

Elaina's POV

"I don't understand." Is the first thing I say. My lips quiver with shock, a shiver running down my spine as his brown eyes continue to stare into my own.

But he only stays quiet as if he too couldn't make out what was happening. Then without a second though he presses his lips together, "Elaina...I understand you may have questions, but please be aware of the fact that my 'death' wasn't something I had planned."

I swallowed hard, the words coming like a punch to my stomach. "J-Just tell me the truth."

"Okay," he breathes in heavily, his eyes flashing with an emotion too quick for me to catch. "Whatever happens next, I'm going to need you to put your emotions to the side."

I only nod, my fingers digging into the metal bar before me. Not even noticing the drop of blood that falls onto the pavement below me.

"First let me begin with how it all began." His eyes fall to his left hand, looking at it almost pityingly. I struggled to keep my face neutral, my eyes sweeping over his figure.

"I have to know." I whispered.

His eyes flashed with an emotion, "Elaina the body you saw in my casket wasn't me, it was only a setup to hide the real me. I didn't know what was happening till a few days later." He swallowed hard, not meeting my eyes. "I promise you, I didn't fake my death on purpose, all I know is that one day I was headed to your house and the next I was knocked unconscious."

"I thought you died." I breathed.

"I did too, but then I woke up. And I was in a cell much like this one, except I was surrounded by masked men. They threatened me to become a Death Eater, leaving me without food and water for days on end, and the next thing I know I was forced into an agreement to fake my death."

I creased my eyebrows in worry. "But you escaped right?" I asked almost pleadingly.

His eyes met my own. "I wish I did."

"No." I whispered.

"Elaina, please." His fingers gripped the bars before him, his head hung low. "In the end I asked for some time to think about it, but they only told me I had to decide now or else they would've killed you all. I didn't want to at first, hoping your father would've noticed me missing. Except the next thing I know they were already making me agree and a couple days later I was shown the newspaper with my name sprawled across the headline showcasing my death to the entire Wizarding World."

"Henry."

He shook his head, "That's when the realization dawned on me, after showing me the newspaper I asked them what the whole fuss was about. I was so worried thinking about all of you, I never bothered to know who the people behind it were."

My eyes widened, my heart pounding against my rib cage.

"Except I didn't have to take a guess to know who was behind this. The men followed me everywhere until they finally brought me to their leader, I didn't understand at first thinking these men were only after my fortune, but they were after something so much more."

"Voldemort."

He nodded, his lips pressed tightly. In a flash he brought his left arm up, furiously pulling down his sleeve I watched in horror as the Dark Mark was revealed in front of my eyes.