Chapter 15

Adrian’s POV

The police lights were still flashing outside the warehouse, but I didn’t really see them. All I could feel was Ethan’s hand holding onto my shirt like he was scared I would disappear.

“Adrian… don’t leave me,” he whispered quietly.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said immediately.

“I’m right here. I’m not leaving you again.”

He nodded, but he didn’t let go.

We sat in the back of the police car for a few minutes while the officers spoke to Daniel and the detective. Ethan stayed very quiet beside me. His fingers were still holding onto my sleeve tightly.

I looked at him carefully. His eyes looked tired, but also distant, like his mind was still inside that room.

“Ethan,” I said softly. “You’re safe now, look at me.”

He slowly turned his head. The moment his eyes met mine, something inside him finally broke.

He didn’t cry loudly. He just leaned forward and buried his face in my chest, holding onto me like he was scared the world would take me away.

“I thought I was never going to see you again,” he whispered.

My chest tightened immediately. I wrapped my arms around him carefully and held him closer.

“I would have searched the whole city if I had to,” I said quietly. “There is no way I was going to lose you.”

We stayed like that for a long time.

The noise outside slowly faded, but I didn’t care about anything else. I only focused on the way he was breathing against me slowly, till a little shaky.

I rested my chin on his head and closed my eyes for a moment.

When we finally left the warehouse, Ethan didn’t walk far from me. His hand kept finding mine again and again, like he needed to be sure I was still there.

When we got home, the apartment felt strangely quiet. The same place that used to feel warm now felt empty for a second, like everything had changed.

Ethan stood in the middle of the room and didn’t move.

I walked toward him slowly. “Hey… it’s okay. You’re home now.”

He nodded, but his eyes suddenly filled again.

“I was really scared,” he said softly. “Not because of the girl… but because I thought you wouldn’t find me.”

That hurt more than anything else.

I stepped closer and pulled him into a gentle hug. This time he didn’t hold back. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, almost like he needed the warmth to feel real again.

“I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m not letting anything happen to you. Not ever again.”

We stayed like that for a long time, no talking, just holding each other.

Then I understood something clearly, It wasn’t just love anymore, but losing him would have destroyed me completely, and I knew one thing for sure — nothing in the world was more important than him now.

Ethan’s POV

I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, the same thing came back. The dark room, the chair, the rope around my hands, the sound of the door opening and closing again and again. I kept thinking I was still there, like my mind didn’t understand that it was over.

So I stayed awake instead.

Adrian was lying beside me, one arm wrapped around my waist. His hand was holding the edge of my shirt even in his sleep, like he didn’t trust the night either. I didn’t move, I only stayed close to him, listening to his breathing and trying to calm down.

It helped a little.

I turned my head slowly and looked at him properly.

His face looked tired. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was messy like he hadn’t slept well for days. I suddenly realized how scared he must have been when he couldn’t find me.

My chest tightened.

He really came for me.

I moved closer and rested my head against his chest. His heartbeat was steady and warm. I focused on that sound until my breathing finally slowed down.

I didn’t realize I was crying until a tear slipped onto his shirt.

It wasn’t loud crying, It was quiet, the kind that just happens when the fear finally starts leaving your body.

His hand moved slightly in his sleep and pulled me closer. That small movement made my throat tighten even more.

I whispered softly, even though he couldn’t hear me.

“Thank you for coming for me.”

Morning came slowly.

The light through the curtains didn’t feel warm. It felt strange, like everything was normal again except me. My body felt heavy, and my hands still hurt where the rope had been.

I tried to sit up, but the moment I move away from him, I feel empty. I didn’t want to leave his arms. I didn’t want to feel alone again, even for a second.

Adrian woke up not long after. His eyes opened slowly, then immediately focused on me.

“Ethan?” he said quietly.

I didn’t answer at first. I only looked at him.

He sat up a little and gently touched my face. “Did you sleep at all?”

I shook my head.

His expression changed instantly, not angry but worried.

“You don’t have to talk about anything,” he said softly. “Just stay here with me, okay?”

I nod and lean closer to him again. He wrap his arms around me carefully, like I was something fragile that might break if he hold me too tight.

We stayed like that for a long time.

No noise or talking about the warehouse. Just silence that felt safe instead of empty.

After a while, I finally spoke.

“When the door opened… I thought it was her again,” I said quietly. “I didn’t even look up at first, I thought if I stayed still maybe she would just leave me alone.”

Adrian didn’t interrupt. He only listened.

“But then I heard your voice,” I continued. “I thought I was imagining it. I really thought my mind was just trying to make me feel better.”

His hand tightened slightly around mine.

“I was scared I wouldn’t get there in time,” he said quietly. “That was the only thing in my head, nothing else mattered.”

I looked at him properly after that.

His voice sounded calm, but his eyes didn’t. They looked tired in a way I had never seen before. Like he had been carrying fear for hours and still hadn’t fully let it go.

“You looked so angry when you saw me tied to the chair,” I said softly.

“I was,” he replied immediately. “Not at you, but them, at everything. I just wanted to get you out of there.”

Something about the way he said that made my chest feel warm and heavy at the same time.

I lean closer and rest my forehead against his shoulder.

“I was really scared,” I said quietly. “Not because of the girl, not even because of the room. I was scared that you wouldn’t find me and everything would just end like that.”

He didn’t answer with words this time. He just pull me closer and held me tighter than before.

I close my eyes and stay there, listening to his heartbeat again. It was the only thing that made me feel calm.

Later that morning, I finally stood up and walked slowly toward the bathroom. My legs still felt weak, like my body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

When I looked at my wrists in the mirror, I froze.

The marks were still there.

Red lines where the rope had been tied too tight.

I stared at them for a long moment without saying anything. It didn’t hurt much anymore, but seeing it made everything feel real again.

The door behind me opened quietly.

Adrian stepped inside and stopped when he saw what I was looking at.

He didn’t say anything at first. He only walked closer and gently took my hand in his.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said softly.

I shook my head. “It’s not your fault.”

“I still hate that I wasn’t there sooner,” he replied quietly.

I turned around slowly and hugged him.

This time I didn’t try to hide how I felt. I just held onto him tightly and closed my eyes.

He hugged me back immediately, one hand gently resting on the back of my head.

“You’re safe now,” he whispered.

I didn’t answer, but I held him even tighter.

I nodded against his chest, but I still didn’t let go. I could feel his heartbeat again, steady and warm, and it made me relax little by little.

After a moment, I looked up at him.

His eyes were already on me. Not worried this time. Just soft… like he was still making sure I was really there.

I move closer and rest my forehead against his, then he leaned down slowly and kissed me.

It wasn’t rushed or desperate, just soft and careful, like he didn’t want to hurt me. His hand stayed on the side of my face, warm and steady, and I held onto his shirt.

I kissed him back just as slowly, feeling the tension in my chest finally start to disappear.

When the kiss ended, I didn’t move away. I stayed close to him, my forehead still resting against his.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said quietly.

I closed my eyes for a second and nodded.

“I know,” I whispered.

And this time, I really believed it.