CHAPTER 57

CHAPTER 57

EZRA

The night air was heavy—wet with the scent of rain and pine. I stepped outside, needing space.

I wasn’t expecting to see the black sedan still parked at the end of the drive.

My jaw tightened. Of course he hadn’t left.

The door opened, and he stepped out.

Adrian Cross.

Expensive suit, perfect smile, the kind of man who thought the world bowed when he raised a brow.

“Looking for me?” he asked lightly.

I didn’t answer. My hands were already curling into fists in my pockets.

He took a slow step closer. “Still as charming as ever, I see.”

“What do you want, Adrian?” I said flatly. My voice came out low, colder than I intended.

“Relax.” He lifted both hands, mocking peace. “Just thought I’d drop by and say hello. It’s been what—three years?”

“Not long enough.”

He smiled, that same arrogant curl of the mouth that used to make witnesses crumble. “You haven’t changed. Still pretending to be holy.”

I ignored the jab. “Say what you came to say.”

He circled me like a vulture. “You really traded the courtroom for a collar. Interesting career choice.”

“I’m not interested in your commentary.”

“But you are interested in the boy, aren’t you?”

My blood turned to ice.

He smirked when I didn’t answer. “What’s his name again? Ezra, right? Pretty thing. Choir voice, wide eyes—”

I moved before I thought. One second his mouth was running; the next, my fist met his face.

The sound was sharp. Satisfying.

He stumbled back, hand clutching his jaw, eyes wide with shock and dark amusement. “There he is,” he rasped. “There’s the man I remember.”

“Leave him out of your mouth,” I said. My knuckles throbbed. “If you so much as look at him, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” he asked softly. “Sin again?”

I took a step forward. He didn’t.

“I’d kill you,” I said simply.

He laughed—a low, broken sound. “That temper will destroy you, Dorian. It always does.”

I turned away before I could do something worse. “Get out.”

Behind me, his voice floated, still smug even with blood on his lip. “I’ll be seeing you around, Father.”

I didn’t respond. The door slammed behind me harder than I meant it to.

Inside, the air felt different—quieter. I found Ezra already asleep on the couch, a blanket pulled halfway up his body. His face was soft, peaceful in a way I’d never seen before.

The anger in me twisted, turned into something else entirely.

Possessive.

Dangerous.

I crouched beside him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. My hand lingered too long.

He murmured in his sleep, turning toward me, and the ache in my chest was unbearable.

Adrian’s words echoed in my head—pretty thing, wide eyes.

No.

He wasn’t Adrian’s anything.

He was mine.

The thought startled me. I wasn’t supposed to think like that. I was supposed to protect him, guide him, not—

I exhaled slowly.

It was already too late.

I sat down beside him, the couch dipping under our weight. Carefully, I pulled him against me, his head resting on my chest. He didn’t wake, only sighed softly, curling closer.

The storm outside started again, rain tapping against the windows.

I stared into the darkness, still tasting blood on my tongue.

Maybe I’d lost control tonight. Maybe I’d lose it again.

But as long as Ezra was safe, I didn’t care.

He was my undoing.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted to be saved.