How To Love A Murderer.
He promised to protect him from a killer. He never said he was one.
When journalist Ian Parker witnesses a brutal murder, he should have been the killer's next victim. Instead, he wakes up in the hospital, saved by Zhedya Hunter…a brilliant forensic pathologist, a reclusive CEO, and a man with chilling grey eyes that feel hauntingly familiar.
Charismatic and dangerously possessive, Zhedya offers Ian shelter in his opulent penthouse, a gilded cage where every comfort is a chain.
As Zhedya's obsession deepens, Ian's career skyrockets, with damning evidence against the city's most wanted criminals mysteriously falling into his hands. But each exclusive story comes with a price: a fractured memory, a drugged haze, and a growing pile of bodies connected to anyone who threatens their twisted paradise.
Now, Ian is trapped in a nightmare of luxury and lies, unraveling a truth more terrifying than any headline: his savior is a predator, his sanctuary is a crime scene, and the man who claims to love him is the most prolific murderer he will ever interview.
Learning how to love a murderer is easy. Surviving him is the real story.
Baca
Chapter: Making Choices.Chapter One Hundred and One: Making Choices. Ian’s foot slammed down hard on the brake. The car skidded, gravel flying, before lurching to a violent stop. He sat there, his knuckles bone-white where they gripped the steering wheel, his breath coming in ragged gasps.In front of him was the dark, open road. Freedom. Safety. Behind him was the warehouse door, a black hole of fire and death.‘He deserves to burn. After everything he did to you, to Elijah, to everyone… he deserves to be ash.’But his eyes wouldn’t listen. All he could see was the image burned into his brain… Zhedya lying broken on the concrete, leg twisted, his face pale as the moonlight. Not a powerful monster, just a man…a man who was about to die.“No!”The word tore from his throat, raw and painful. It wasn’t a thought; it was a reflex. A stupid, suicidal reflex.He wrenched the steering wheel hard, slammed the car into drive, and stomped on the gas. The engine roared in protest as he aimed right for the warehouse
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-24
Chapter: The Right Thought.Chapter One Hundred: The Right Thought.The warehouse door groaned like a dying animal. Ian stepped inside, the air thick with the smell of rust, oil, and dust. The only light came in through broken windows high above, cutting through the darkness in thin, sad slivers.His own heartbeat was a frantic drum in his ears, louder than his footsteps on the concrete.A laugh echoed from the metal catwalk above, cold and bouncing off the empty walls.“Look who actually showed up!” the voice called down. “I didn’t think you were that stupid, Ian. The hero complex is real.”Ian’s eyes darted, trying to find the source. Then he heard it…the rattle of heavy chains. He whipped his head to the right.There, dangling from a hook attached to a massive overhead crane, was Elijah. He was bound and gagged, his eyes wide with terror. One wrong move, and he’d plummet fifty feet to the hard concrete below.“Ryan!” Ian shouted, his voice cracking. “I’m here! Let him down!”Slow footsteps descended the met
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-23
Chapter: The Trap. Chapter Ninety Nine: The Trap The front door opened and closed with a heavy, final thud that echoed through the quiet glass house. Ian found Zhedya in the foyer, not standing tall like he usually did, but leaning heavily against the wall like it was the only thing holding him up. His tie was undone, hanging loose, and his usually perfect blonde hair was a messy, disheveled halo around his head. He smelled like expensive whiskey and cold night air. He wasn’t falling-down drunk, but the cracks in his perfect armor were wide open for anyone to see. “My angel,” he slurred, a soft, wobbly smile touching his lips. His grey eyes were glassy, fixed on Ian with a desperate kind of worship. “You’re awake.” “You got drunk, Zhedya,” Ian stated flatly, walking over to him. He slipped an arm under Zhedya’s shoulders, taking his weight. The man was solid, heavy with more than just alcohol…heavy with something dark and sad. Ian helped him up the grand staircase, each step a strug
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-23
Chapter: Whispering Birds.Chapter Ninety Eight: Whispering BirdsThe email popped up in a secure, encrypted folder on his phone. A folder Ian didn’t even know he had until a text from an unknown number told him how to find it. The sender was just a string of letters and numbers. The subject was blank.His hands shook as he opened it. There were no words but just attachments.He opened the first one. A photo. Two skinny teenagers, arms slung around each other’s shoulders, grinning at the camera like they owned the world despite having nothing. One was a younger John, his hair messy, his smile huge. The other… was him. Ian. His own face, younger, softer, but undeniably him. He was wearing a faded band t-shirt he didn’t remember.He scrolled to see another photo. Them on a beat-up couch, sharing headphones. Another was a document scan from the foster system. Their names linked. Case numbers. It was all there, in cold, official ink.Proof.A stone dropped into the pit of Ian’s stomach. He wasn’t lying…none of
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-23
Chapter: I Believe You, I Lied. Chapter Ninety Seven: I Believe You, I Lied. The nightmares wouldn’t stop. For days now, Ian woke up gasping, his sheets soaked with cold sweat. Visions of gunshots in the dark, the sickening crack of a neck, the feeling of falling endlessly into water below. He looked exhausted, with deep purple shadows under his eyes that even Zhedya’s expensive skincare couldn’t fix. Zhedya noticed, of course. He’d become extra attentive, extra gentle…bringing him tea, running him baths, touching him like he was a porcelain doll. It should have felt comforting. Instead, it felt like being smothered. And Ian was keeping a secret. A big one. He hadn’t mentioned the bookstore. He hadn’t mentioned the frantic man who’d called him Ian, who’d hugged him with tears in his eyes. John. The name was a stone in his gut. He didn’t know why he was keeping it from Zhedya, only that a deep, screaming instinct told him he had to. Tonight, Zhedya sat behind him on the massive bed, his stron
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-22
Chapter: Do You Remember Me? Chapter Ninety Six: You Don’t Remember Me? A whole week. Seven days of silence. No calls, no texts, or sign of Elijah. John had filed a missing person report, but it felt like shouting into a void. The police weren’t moving fast enough. The dread in his gut was eating him alive. He flew to Halton a mess. His clothes were wrinkled, his face unshaven, his eyes red from too much coffee and no sleep, feeling like he was cracking apart. He didn’t have a plan. He just knew he had to see the one person connected to Elijah who had the power and resources to actually do something. He stormed the sleek glass doors of the Sixteenth Hour headquarters, shoving past a startled receptionist. “I need to see Zhedya Hunter! Right now! It’s about his cousin! It’s an emergency!” Security guards in dark suits moved toward him, their faces stern. “Sir, you need an appointment…” John ignored them, his voice rising in panic. “Zhedya! It’s John! Elijah is missing!” He tried to dodge t
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-21
Chapter: After All This Time.Chapter Eighty Nine: After All This Time. The air was thick and hot and tasted like dust. Julian had been crammed in the tight, dark space above the ceiling for two whole days. A sub-ceiling crawlspace…a forgotten vein in the building’s body. He had survived on protein bars that tasted like chalk and sips of warm water.A small, hidden earpiece played quiet classical music, a lifeline to keep the creeping claustrophobia and the pounding in his skull from driving him insane.The pain was a white-hot drill behind his left eye. He bit down hard on the leather sleeve of his jacket, the taste of oil and grit filling his mouth, swallowing back the groan that wanted to escape. He fumbled in the dark for the orange bottle, shook out two pills, and dry-swallowed them, wincing.Just a little longer. Just hold on. Don’t you dare pass out now.His own stubborn will was the only dam holding back a tidal wave of agony.Then, he heard it. A change in the rhythm of the building. The muffled thump-
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-04
Chapter: A New Page is Turned.Chapter Eighty-Eight: A New Page is TurnedThe room was dead quiet. Julian’s whole vibe had changed. The jumpy energy was gone, replaced by this scary, icy calm. His eyes looked different and sharp. Like he’d turned off his heart and left the machine running. He pointed at the blueprints.“First plan’s trash. The gala entrance is a steel trap now. We don’t walk in with them.” His finger jammed down on the roof plans. “I go in two days early. Right here.”Caesar felt his gut twist. “Where?”“Mechanical alcove. For the climate system. Cameras don’t see it.” Julian’s voice was flat. “I wait there. Forty-eight hours.”“You’ve lost your mind,” Caesar breathed, going pale. “Two days up there? Exposed? What if your head goes off? What if you have an episode? And the cold, Julian. And food? Water? This isn’t a plan, it’s a death wish.”A ghost of a smile touched Julian’s mouth. A cold one. “The headache’s always there. It’s part of the furniture. The cold won’t kill me.” He shrugged. “The
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-02
Chapter: The Wrench.Chapter Eighty Seven: The Wrench “I found someone.” Peter dropped into the huge leather chair beside Julian’s desk, buzzing with nervous energy. “This guy. Ravi. He’s in Bangalore, completely off-grid. I took your advice…someone with no ties, no clue who the Liberty Circle even is.” Julian looked up from the blueprints, a flicker of relief in his tired eyes. “He’s a ghost in the machine,” Peter continued, leaning forward. “The absolute best at remote penetration and data streaming. He says with the schematics and the codes you got, he can create a ‘digital ghost’ in their system.” “Once it’s in, the feed is untraceable. They won’t know they’re broadcasting their own nightmare.” As Julian reached for a notepad to jot down the contact, the afternoon light slanted across his hand, catching the platinum band on his finger. It wasn’t flashy, but it was impossible to miss. Peter’s eyes snapped to it. His excited chatter died. He stared, his brow furrowed. “Jules…” he started, his v
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-31
Chapter: The Quiet Before and Rings to Forever.Chapter Eighty Six: The Quiet Before and Rings to Forever. Julian stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of the mansion, his forehead resting against the cool glass. He’d been staring at the same patch of sky for an hour. The walls, usually a symbol of their safety and power, felt like they were breathing in, pressing closer. He spoke softly, not turning around. “Let’s get out of here.” Caesar looked up from the financial reports on his desk, a pen poised in his hand. “Hmm?” “Somewhere with no walls,” Julian said, his voice a little stronger, laced with a quiet desperation. “I’m tired of the walls, Caesar. I just need… air.” Caesar didn’t hesitate. He set the pen down, closed the folder. The reports, the threats, the empire…it all vanished from his focus. His eyes were only on the tension in Julian’s shoulders. “Okay,” he said, simple and sure. “Anywhere.” ***** The city park was a burst of life and noise, a world away from their silent fortress. The sun was warm,
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-30
Chapter: The Final Countdown.Chapter Eighty Five: The Final CountdownThe study looked like a war room after a bomb had gone off. Not from violence, but from frantic, desperate thought. Papers were everywhere. Maps were pinned to the walls, connected by a spiderweb of red string and scribbled notes. A giant digital calendar glowed on the wall, with one date screaming in bold, blood-red letters.THE OASIS ANNIVERSARY.In the middle of the storm was Julian. He looked like a man possessed. His eyes were bright, but it wasn’t with health…it was a feverish, burning intensity. He pointed at the circled date, his voice rough from too many nights with too little sleep.“The anniversary gala is their cover,” he explained to Caesar, who stood in the doorway, a silent mountain of worry. “Eleanor Vance, the whole rotten inner circle… they’ll all be there, patting themselves on the back. Smiling for cameras while their hell runs downstairs. It’s our only shot to catch them at the scene.”Caesar’s eyes went from Julian’s t
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-28
Chapter: The Ghost and Its Oasis.Chapter Eighty Four: The Ghost and Its Oasis. The visiting room was a cage of cold air and fluorescent light. Julian sat, his posture deceptively relaxed, as Ryan was led in on the other side of the thick, scarred plexiglass. Ryan looked smaller in the orange jumpsuit, leaner, harder. But the smug glint in his eyes was the same. It was the look of a man who thought he still had cards to play. “Julian. Or should I say, Mr. Hart?” Ryan’s voice crackled through the intercom, oily and familiar. “To what do I owe the pleasure? Come to gloat?” Julian leaned forward, keeping his voice low, for Ryan’s ears only. “The information you gave Peter is a breadcrumb. I need the whole loaf. The next dinner. Dates. Attendees. How they get there. All of it.” Ryan leaned in too, a cruel, intimate parody of a shared secret. “So eager. So demanding.” He clicked his tongue. “It’s cute. What’s in it for me? A conjugal visit with you?” He let the ugly suggestion hang, his smile widenin
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-27
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