LOGINTHEA°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ I woke up to the soft beep of machines and the faint smell of antiseptic. My eyelids felt heavy, like they’d been glued shut for days, but I forced them open anyway. Every part of my hurt, my wrists were bandaged, my throat raw, my body weak and heavy like it belonged to someone else. But none of that mattered the second my eyes found him.He was right there beside the bed, sitting in a chair pulled so close his knees touched the mattress. His head was bowed, dark hair falling forward, and my hand was clasped between both of his in a prayer-like way. His lips stayed pressed against my knuckles like he was trying to breathe life back into me through that single point of contact. He looked exhausted with shadows under his eyes, jaw tight, with the same charcoal sweater he’d been wearing when he left me with Caroline now wrinkled and stained with something dark I didn’t want to think about.I don’t remember what happened. I don’t remember when I passed out. The last
God, I hate him. He then straightened his shoulders, the mask sliding back into place like it had never cracked, and said in that same cold, measured tone that always made my blood boil, “Wear your clothes. You’re taking me to her.” “I said I don’t know where the fuck she is,” I snarled, stepping closer until I was right in his face, close enough to smell that fucking sandalwood cologne that still clung to Thea’s things like a brand. “You think I’m hiding her somewhere?” He didn’t move. Didn’t step back. Didn’t raise his voice again. He just looked at me, then exhaled, a long, controlled sigh through his nose—and said in that same infuriatingly calm tone, “Then call Caroline. I’ll have someone track the call. Thea is in trouble and I’d rather not have you make another mistake that you’re going to blame on me.” And with that he turned and walked out of the room, the door closing behind him with a click. I sank back onto the edge of the bed, head in my good hand, the pain in
A day earlier…NOAH-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-I woke up to the worst fucking headache of my life, the kind that starts behind your eyes and spreads like poison through every cracked bone and bruised muscle in your body, and the first thing I registered was the low, familiar creak of the leather chair in the corner of my bedroom being sat in by someone who had no right to be there. My hand was already wrapped around my cock—half-hard from some half-remembered dream about Thea that I immediately hated myself for—stroking slow and lazy out of pure habit because my body still thought it could fuck its way out of the mess my life had become. I jerked my hand away like I’d been burned, eyes snapping open, and the sight of my father sitting there in the dim morning light, legs crossed, looking every inch the calm, collected bastard who owned the fucking world and everyone in it, made the rage surge up so fast I almost puked right there on the sheets.“What the fuck are you doing here?!” I snarled, yanki
“Noah?” I rasped. “What are you talking about?” He turned his head toward me, his gaze sweeping over me again and his face twisted with fresh anger. He then lunged toward Reyes again, swinging wildly. “You piece of shit!” He snarled, throwing himself at Reyes like he couldn’t stand the sight of me like this for another second. But Reyes was ready this time. He sidestepped and slammed Noah back down to the ground with brutal force, pinning him there with a knee on his chest. Noah gasped in pain, struggling underneath him, but he couldn’t get free. Reyes held him down easily, breathing hard, blood still trickling from the cut above his eyebrow. I watched it all through my tears, my body shaking uncontrollably from the cold and the overwhelming wave of despair crashing over me. Noah had been in on this? At least part of it? The thought made me feel sick to my core. “I’m sorry,” Noah gasped out, still pinned, his voice rough and strained with pain. “Thea… I’m sorry.” He repea
Before he could finish the sentence, Noah launched himself forward with a growl that echoed off the concrete walls. He slammed into Reyes even though his body was clearly still fucked up and the two of them crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs, the bucket clattering away and spilling the last of the cold water across the concrete. Noah’s fist connected with Reyes’ jaw with a sickening crack, and I watched, tears still streaming down my face, as the fight exploded right in front of me.“You fucking piece of shit,” Noah snarled, voice loud with rage. “What the hell did you do to her?”Reyes tried to fight back, throwing a punch that grazed Noah’s cheek, splitting the skin there with a fresh line of blood. But Noah was fueled by something wild and desperate, something I hadn’t seen in him in a long time. He kept grappling with Reyes like his life depended on it, like my life depended on it, grunting with effort as they rolled across the wet concrete floor in a mess of limbs and cu
The words sank in slowly and sickening, and my stomach dropped like I’d been punched. No. No, no, no. No!I started struggling again, yanking at the ropes with everything I had left, my muscles screaming in protest. “Stay away! Stay away!!”Don’t touch me!He ignored me completely, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small knife. The blade glinted under the ugly dull light, and my heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst. I thrashed harder, twisting my body side to side, the chair rocking dangerously beneath me as I fought with every ounce of strength I had left. “Gage!” I screamed, the name ripping out of me like a prayer and a curse all at once. “Gage, please—where the fuck are you?”The chair tilted back suddenly, the front legs lifting off the concrete with a screech. I cried out as it toppled over completely, crashing to the floor with me still tied to it. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, pain exploding through my shoulder and hip where
I shook my head against his neck, tears threatening again. “Please. Just… don’t stop.”He went still for a heartbeat. Then his arms tightened around me, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of my head, fingers threading through my hair, the other pressing firm against the small of my back.“You’
The sincerity in his tone made my throat tighten unexpectedly, and I had to swallow hard before I could speak again. “And I could live without sleep for a week if it meant not having to think about tomorrow yet,” I said, matching his honesty with my own, “but we both know that’s not sustainable.
She turned back to the coffee she’d been finishing, pouring the last of it into both mugs with that same careful precision she applied to everything, but her movements were slower now. “He was about your age when things went wrong between us,” she continued. “I thought I was doing what was best, w
She blinked, caught off guard. “What?”“Of what?” I repeated, louder this time, stepping forward without meaning to. The space between us felt smaller suddenly, the Christmas tree lights flickering across her face in reds and golds that made her look almost unreal. “You keep saying you were scare







