LOGIN∆NO POV∆"You finally found someone capable of affecting you emotionally, and your first instinct was to tighten your grip until he couldn’t breathe."Sorin’s voice broke through the heavy silence of the mansion like a blade cutting through rotting fabric.The morning atmosphere felt disturbingly quiet after the chaos of the previous night. Rain still fell outside, though softer now, grey clouds swallowing most of the sunlight beyond the massive windows.Inside the living room, Zachary sat alone on the dark leather couch with an untouched glass of whiskey resting near his hand.He hadn’t slept.Not even for a second.His black shirt from yesterday remained wrinkled and half-open near the collar, dried water stains still visible along the fabric from dragging Ezekiel out of the shower hours earlier. A faint scratch rested near his neck where Ezekiel had clawed at him during the argument.But none of that mattered.Because all Zachary could still see was Ezekiel’s face.That look, not a
∆NO POV∆"Ezekiel, are you going to open this damn door or not?" Zachary’s voice thundered through the locked bathroom door, rough with a mixture of fury and something dangerously close to fear. Rain continued to lash against the windows outside, but inside the room, the tension had become suffocating. He had given Ezekiel space for nearly ten minutes, longer than his patience usually allowed, but the silence behind the door only made his chest tighter.When no answer came, Zachary’s jaw clenched hard enough to ache. He could still see the blood on Ezekiel’s face from earlier, the way Ezekiel had looked at him with raw horror after the gunshot. That expression had been burning in his mind like acid."Ezekiel!" Still nothing.With a low growl of frustration, Zachary grabbed the door handle and twisted it violently. When it refused to budge, he didn’t hesitate. He stepped back once and slammed his shoulder into the door with brutal force. The lock shattered on the second impact, wo
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Ezekiel," Zachary said quietly, his eyes fixed on mine as I'm not letting go of his hand. "Move your hand.""No." My fingers tightened instinctively around his wrist despite the pain shooting through my injured shoulder. Behind us, the restrained man had started crying properly now, broken sobs slipping through bloodied lips while his entire body shook against the chair."Please…" he whispered weakly. "Please don’t kill me…" I could feel the tension in the room thickening with every second. The guards had gone completely still. Even Sorin stopped speaking, watching the situation carefully from nearby.Zachary looked down briefly at my hand wrapped around his wrist before lifting his gaze back to me again. His face remained calm. Too calm."You can’t kill him in front of me," I said again, forcing the words out through my tightening throat. "Not like this."For a moment, nothing happened. Then slowly, I felt the tension leave his arm. The gun lowered slightly. The man
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"What did you call him?" Sorin’s voice no longer carried the same lazy amusement from before. It had changed subtly, becoming quieter and far more attentive as he slowly turned his head toward the restrained man.My heartbeat slammed violently against my ribs.Officer.That single word echoed inside my skull louder than the screams had.The injured man seemed to realize his mistake too late. Panic flooded his swollen face instantly as his breathing turned uneven and desperate. Blood dripped slowly from his split lip while his terrified eyes darted wildly between me and Sorin."I... I..."Sorin tilted his head slightly, watching him carefully now like a predator noticing movement beneath water."Interesting," he murmured softly.Cold sweat crawled down my spine.The atmosphere inside the room shifted so suddenly it felt suffocating. Even the guards near the walls straightened instinctively.Just then I heard. "What is he doing here?"That voice came out to be deep, calm
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Stay on this floor and don’t wander around alone."Zachary adjusted the cufflinks around his ankle while speaking, his tone was calm but carrying that same dangerous firmness that always sounded more like an order than a request.I sat against the bed with my arms crossed. "You say that as if I’m some reckless child."His eyes slowly lifted toward me, and we both stayed silent for exactly two seconds.Then simultaneously, he stated flatly. "You got shot because you ran directly into gunfire, and you call yourself not reckless?" "As if you chaining me to bed can be considered as acceptable?" I shot back immediately.A faint smirk appeared on his lips as he tried to defend himself. "And yet somehow you’re still the impulsive one between us." I narrowed my eyes at him while he walked closer toward the bed. The chain around my ankle had finally been removed that morning after endless arguments and repeated promises that I wouldn’t try to do anything that might reopen my w
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"You’re staring again." Zachary pulled my cheeks, as if he is eagerly waiting for my recovery, and that imagination alone made me nearly drop the tablet in my hands. I frowned immediately and looked away from him toward the rain-covered windows."I’m not.""Hm."That single sound alone carried enough disbelief to annoy me.I shifted slightly against the pillows while narrowing my eyes at him. "Why do you always answer like some emotionally unavailable villain in a drama?""Because I am one." "That’s not something to be proud of."He ignored that completely and continued watching me with that same calm expression that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking half the time.Unfortunately for me, my eyes betrayed me again, because they kept drifting toward his mouth.Then toward the dragon tattoo partially visible beneath the rolled sleeves of his shirt.Then lower.Very unfortunate decisions overall, a faint smirk slowly appeared on Zachary’s lips, and that only
∆NO POV∆"Aren't you going to answer?" Zachary raised an eyebrow, his voice was low, but the seriousness in it left no room for avoidance.Ezekiel’s throat tightened.For a moment he simply stared up at Zachary, the weight of that question pressing heavily against his chest while the cold air again
∆EZEKIEL∆"What's your motive behind following me?" Zachary asked in a voice that had suddenly lost all trace of amusement as his eyes fixed on me with a cold intensity that made the air in the room feel heavier.My heartbeat stumbled immediately because that tone was very different from the teasin
∆EZEKIEL∆"Didn’t you say you would do anything I say just a minute ago?" Zachary asked from the door, watching me with the calm patience of someone who already knew how this situation would end.For a brief moment I simply stared at him, then I forced out a bright laugh that sounded far more confi
∆EZEKIEL∆"Spread my legs? My ass," I shot back before my brain could catch up with my mouth. "Try it and I’ll break yours."For half a second there was silence, thick and uneasy.Then they laughed.Not normal laughter, but the kind that crawled under your skin







