Chapter 12

Adrian’s POV

When I got back to Ethan’s apartment, the first thing I noticed was the silence.

Not the normal quiet kind. This one felt empty and cold.

“Ethan?” I called as I stepped inside, dropping my keys on the small table near the door. Normally he would answer right away, even if it was just to tease me or complain that I was late.

I walked further in, checking the living room first, then the bedroom. The bed was untouched. The lights were still off. His camera bag was gone, but that didn’t mean anything — he could have taken it with him.

I pulled out my phone and called him.

One ring.

Two.

Three.

Then the call failed.

I frowned and tried again, but it didn’t go through this time either. A strange feeling settled in my chest, but I pushed it away.

He probably just went for a walk, I told myself. After everything that had happened earlier, it would make sense. Maybe he just needed space. Maybe he didn’t want to talk yet.

So I sat down on the couch and waited.

Ten minutes passed, then twenty, then almost an hour. The silence started to feel heavier with every second.

I picked up my phone again and called him once more.

Still nothing.

That’s when the fear really started.

I grabbed my keys again and left the apartment quickly. If he wasn’t here, there was only one place he could be.

The studio.

The moment I got there, I knew something was wrong.

The door wasn’t locked properly. It was slightly open like someone had left in a hurry. My heart started beating faster immediately.

“Ethan?” I called, pushing the door open.

The studio lights were off, but the streetlight outside made it easy enough to see. My eyes moved slowly across the room — the camera on the table, the chair pushed back too far, one of the light stands knocked sideways.

And on the floor, there were things scattered everywhere.

A lens cover

A piece of paper.

One of his jackets.

My stomach dropped instantly.

“No… no, no, no,” I whispered, stepping further inside. My hands were already shaking. Ethan would never leave his studio like this. Never.

Something had happened.

I didn’t even think before dialling 911.

“My boyfriend is missing,” I said the moment someone answered. My voice sounded strange, like it didn’t belong to me. “I think something happened to him. His studio is a mess and he’s not answering his phone. Please… you have to help me.”

They asked questions — his name, what he was wearing, when I last saw him — but I could barely think straight. All I could see in my head was Ethan alone, scared, somewhere I couldn’t reach him.

When the call ended, I didn’t go home.

I searched the streets instead.

I walked for hours.

Every corner, every quiet street, every place he liked to go. I checked the café. The park. Even the small store near his studio. I kept calling his name even when I knew he wouldn’t answer.

The night felt endless.

By the time the sky started turning pale, I hadn’t found anything.

Not a message.

Not a clue.

Not Ethan.

The next morning, I finally called Daniel.

He answered almost immediately. “Adrian? What’s wrong? You sound—”

“Ethan is missing,” I said quietly. My voice barely sounded human anymore. “I think someone took him.”

There was silence on the other end.

“I’m coming,” Daniel said immediately. “Don’t move. I’m coming right now.”

When he saw me, the look on his face changed instantly.

I knew what I looked like, I hadn’t slept. My eyes burned, my hands were still shaking. I probably looked like someone who had lost something he could never get back.

“Adrian…” he said softly, walking closer. “You look… you look completely lost.”

I didn’t answer. Because he was right.

I was.

Daniel placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice quieter than I had ever heard it. “Listen to me. The police will try, but sometimes they don’t move fast enough. If we wait, we could lose time.”

My chest tightened. “What do we do then?”

“We hire someone,” he said. “A private detective. Someone who will focus only on finding him. No delays. No excuses.”

For the first time since the night before, something like hope appeared in my chest.

“Do it,” I said immediately. “I don’t care how much it costs. Just find him.”

Because right now, nothing mattered more than bringing Ethan back.

......................................

Ethan’s POV

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the smell.

It wasn’t the smell of my apartment. It wasn’t the smell of the studio either. This place smelled old, like dust and something that hadn’t been opened in a long time.

For a few seconds, I didn’t move. My head felt heavy, like everything was slow. Then the memory hit me all at once — the studio, the two men, the girl, the way they grabbed me before I even had time to think.

My chest tightened instantly.

I opened my eyes properly and looked around.

The room was small, bare walls, one tiny window high up near the ceiling. The light coming through it was weak, like it was still early morning. I was sitting on a chair, my hands tied behind my back so tightly that my wrists already hurt.

Panic rose immediately.

“No… no, no,” I whispered under my breath, trying to move my hands, but the rope only tightened more. My heart started beating so fast that it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

I forced myself to breathe slowly. If I panicked too much, I wouldn’t be able to think.

Adrian will notice, I told myself. He will come looking for me. He won’t just ignore this.

That thought was the only thing keeping me calm.

The door opened suddenly.

I flinched immediately, my entire body tensing.

The girl stepped inside slowly, like she wasn’t in a hurry. She looked calmer than before, but her eyes were still strange — too focused and too sure of what she was doing.

“You’re awake,” she said quietly.

I didn’t answer.

“What do you want from me?” I asked instead, my voice shaking even though I tried to hide it.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall like we were having a normal conversation. “I don’t want anything from you,” she said. “I just want you to stay away from him.”

My stomach twisted.

“I didn’t force him to love me,” I said quietly. “He chose me.”

Her expression changed instantly, anger flashing in her eyes.

“No,” she said sharply. “You tricked him. People like you always do that. You make them feel special, then you ruin them.”

I stared at her, completely confused. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” she replied.

My hands hurt more every time I tried to move them. The rope was too tight. My shoulders were starting to ache too. I swallowed hard and tried to stay calm.

“Listen,” I said softly. “If you really care about him, then you should let me go. Because when he finds out what you did, he’s not going to forgive you. Not ever.”

She didn’t answer right away.

Something like doubt crossed her face.

But it disappeared almost immediately.

“He won’t find you,” she said quietly.

My heart dropped.

I leaned back slightly, trying to stay calm even though fear was spreading through my chest again.

And I realized that this wasn’t just someone trying to scare me. She actually believed she was saving him and that made everything much worse.