Se connecter“I don’t belong to anyone,” Eva whispered fiercely.He stepped closer until he was standing over her.“You will understand,” he said. “When you’re not being influenced.”Influenced.As if Daniel were the manipulator.As if she had no mind of her own.She turned her head away.“I will never love you after this,” she said quietly.He didn’t flinch.“Love evolves,” he replied. “So will you.”The room felt suffocating.The house felt cut off from the world.Her strength was returning slowly—but not fast enough.She needed time.Clarity.An opening.Adrian stepped back toward the hallway.“There’s a bedroom upstairs,” he said. “You’ll sleep there tonight.”She didn’t move.“I’m not going upstairs.”He looked at her.“You’re not walking anywhere in your condition.”Her jaw clenched.He approached again, clearly intending to carry her.This time, as his hands slid under her knees and back, she didn’t protest physically.She saved her strength.Her mind, though hazy, began to sharpen with one
Sound came first.A low, constant hum.Then movement.Not her own.Eva surfaced slowly, like someone rising through thick water. Her eyelids fluttered but refused to open fully. Her head throbbed dully, heavy and stuffed with cotton. Every thought felt delayed, as if it had to travel through layers of fog before reaching her.Where…?The air smelled different.Not Adrian’s cologne.Not the sterile cleanliness of his apartment.Something colder. Dustier.Her body shifted slightly—and that’s when she realized she wasn’t lying down.She was sitting upright.Her head rolled weakly to one side.Dark interior. Upholstery. The faint vibration beneath her.A car.Her eyes snapped open properly this time.Streetlights streaked past the window beside her, blurring into golden lines against the night. The vehicle was moving steadily along a road she didn’t recognize.Her breath hitched sharply.The last thing she remembered—The juice.The smirk.Darkness.Panic tried to surge, but her body felt
The first thing Eva noticed was how steady Adrian’s voice sounded.Calm. Measured. Persuasive.As if nothing had happened.As if he hadn’t locked her inside his apartment.As if his hand hadn’t struck her face less than ten minutes ago. The room looked ordinary. Tasteful. Neat. A place where civilized conversations should unfold.Not captivity.Not fear.Adrian sat across from her on the couch, posture relaxed, one ankle resting over his knee. He looked composed—doctor-like again. Controlled.Eva wrapped both hands around the glass of juice he had handed her, though she hadn’t realized she’d taken several sips already. Her throat had been dry. Her mind frantic. The sweetness coated her tongue, heavy and artificial.“Let’s try this again,” Adrian said gently. “Without dramatics.”She forced herself to meet his eyes.“You locked me in.”“For your own good,” he corrected smoothly. “You’re emotional. You’re confused. I needed you to stay long enough to listen.”Her cheek still throbbed f
Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He reached up calmly and turned on a lamp, flooding the room with warm light that did nothing to soften the horror blooming in her chest.“You should sit,” he said evenly. “You look like you might faint.”Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.“You said you were sick,” she breathed.“I am,” Adrian replied. “Just not in the way you thought.”Realization hit her like a physical blow.“This was a lie,” she said. “You faked it.”His lips curved into a slow smile.“I needed you here,” he said simply. “You wouldn’t have come otherwise.”Eva backed away instinctively until her legs hit the edge of the counter.“This is insane,” she said. “Unlock the door. Right now.”Adrian tilted his head, studying her. “You ran when you were scared before. I couldn’t let you do that again.”Her pulse roared in her ears.“You manipulated me,” she said, voice cracking. “You pretended to collapse, do you know what kind of monster that makes you?”He stepped closer.“Ca
He stepped aside, gesturing toward her car. “Get in.”Eva hands shook as she unlocked the door and slid into the passenger's seat. Adrian got in beside her, seated fully on the driver's seat and locked the doors immediately.Her heart raced, she kept checking her mirrors as he started the engine.As they pulled out of the parking lot, Eva felt like prey being taken rather than a woman choosing to talk.The drive was silent, tense. Every red light felt like an opportunity to flee, and every green one felt like surrender.They stopped at a small café. The place was nearly empty, the late hour leaving only a few patrons scattered inside.Adrian parked, she took a steadying breath, and got out.Inside, the air smelled of coffee and baked sugar. Soft music played overhead, oblivious to the storm sitting at one of its tables.They sat.Eva chose a seat near the window, where she could see the street.Adrian leaned forward, eyes locked onto her.“Now,” he said quietly. “Tell me why you’ve be
Eva stood frozen in the parking lot, her heart racing, her mind reeling.The morning felt suddenly colder. Sharper.She looked around instinctively, half-expecting to see Adrian’s car watching from somewhere nearby.Nothing.Just ordinary people going about ordinary lives—unaware that her world had just tilted dangerously off its axis.Her phone buzzed in her bag.She flinched.When she pulled it out, her breath caught.Adrian calling.Eva stared at the screen, the woman’s words echoing in her head.He would destroy you.Her hand shook as she declined the call.Slowly, deliberately, Eva slipped her phone back into her bag.She walked toward the office doors, every step heavy with new fear and new resolve.She had been planning to call Adrian after work.Now, she wasn’t sure that was safe anymore.Because whatever Adrian Cole truly was—He was far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.----Closing time crept in quietly, like a thief.By the time Eva shut down her computer and slip







