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Chapter Seventy Seven: The Only Thing That Scares HimJust a little more…Ian leaned forward, his fingers starting to slip on the cold glass. The wind screamed in his ears, but underneath it was a quiet, peaceful whisper. The roar of the waves on the rocks far below sounded like an ending. A clean, final end. He let his body go loose, ready to meet it.“IAN!”The scream tore through the wind, raw and desperate. It was Zhedya’s voice, but it was a sound Ian had never heard from him before…not a command, not a purr, but pure, unfiltered panic.A split-second before his balance tipped into nothing, iron-strong arms wrapped around his chest and yanked him back so violently the air was knocked from his lungs.He was hauled back from the edge, crushed against a solid chest. They stumbled and landed hard on the cold balcony floor in a tangled heap.“No. No, no, no,” Zhedya chanted into his ear, his voice cracking. The arms around Ian weren’t just holding him; they were shaking. “What w
Chapter Seventy Six: If It Was KindnessClink. Clink.The sound of Ian’s fork pushing peas around his plate was the loudest noise in the room. He wasn’t eating, he was just moving food from one side to the other, making a sad little mess.“Hurry and eat, baby,” Zhedya said, his voice a soft, sticky-sweet command. He scooped another serving of mashed potatoes onto Ian’s already full plate. “I wouldn’t have you waste away in front of me.”Ian forced a single, cold piece of carrot into his mouth. He chewed slowly, like it was made of cardboard, his eyes fixed on some invisible point beyond Zhedya’s shoulder. It was his only rebellion left…this heavy, silent no.Zhedya watched him for a long minute. Then, his own fork hit the china plate with a sharp, startling CLANK!Ian flinched, his gaze snapping back to the present.“I did what you wanted,” Zhedya said, his voice tight. He wasn’t yelling, but the hurt in it was somehow worse. “I spared her. Is this my thanks? This… this miserable s
Chapter Seventy Five: Betrayal and Bargain Bodies tangled in the rumpled sheets, John flipped Elijah onto his back with a hungry grin, pinning his wrists above his head. The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over their skin, but the heat between them was all their own…raw, urgent, chasing away the shadows of last night's worries. "John..." Elijah breathed, voice shaky, eyes wide but dark with want. His heart hammered, a mix of nerves and that pull he couldn't ignore, even after everything. John's body pressed down, hard and heavy, cock already stiff against Elijah's thigh. "Shh, just feel it," John whispered, lips brushing Elijah's ear before trailing hot kisses down his neck. He nipped at the pulse point, sucking hard enough to leave a mark, claiming. Elijah's hips bucked up involuntary, grinding against him, friction sparking fire low in his belly. John's free hand roamed, fingers teasing over Elijah's chest, pinching a nipple until it peb
Chapter Seventy Four: A Familiar Voice “I have some business in the city. The hospital needs its CEO to show his face and I’ll be gone a few days.”Zhedya placed his sketchbook and pencil on the bedside table. Another page filled with careful drawings of Ian asleep, Ian staring out the window, Ian’s profile. It was a creepy ritual, and Ian hated it.Ian didn’t even turn his head. He kept staring at the same patch of ocean he’d been staring at for what felt like years. “Whatever. I hate you are here, and I hate seeing you anyway. Don’t hurry back. Frankly, I hope your plane crashes.”Zhedya just chuckled, a soft, infuriating sound. “So mean to me, my love. I’ll miss you.” The bed dipped as he sat on the edge. “Since you’ve gotten stronger, I thought… I could sleep in here with you tonight. I could read to you. Something nice.”Ian finally looked at him. The casual possessiveness in Zhedya’s voice, the way he was already reaching for a book on the nightstand, lit a fuse inside him.
Chapter Seventy Three: My Religion"I hate it here," Ian said flatly, his voice as dull as his eyes. He stared past the balcony railing to where the ocean met the sky in a cruel, endless line. "It's all stupid glass and I have to look at you, and this view, every single day. I feel like a sick fish in a bowl. A zoo exhibit."Zhedya didn't even blink. He just smiled that infuriating, gentle smile. "Do you? We can get another house, maybe? Or a little cabin buried in the snow? Just say the word, my love. I'll build it."Ian swallowed hard. He felt more awake today, his mind clawing through the usual drug-fog. That's why he had asked…no, demanded..to be wheeled out of the bedroom he was rotting in. He was sick of staring at the ceiling. Now he was just sick of staring at everything else.Zhedya turned and knelt right in front of the wheelchair, the movement too smooth, too possessive. He placed his hands on Ian's bandaged thighs, his touch light but trapping."Please," Zhedya whisper
Chapter Seventy Two: Approaching SolitudeThe pain came first. A deep, hot sting in both thighs that dragged his mind kicking and screaming back to his body. Then the memories hit like a freight train. The chase to the gunshot..Zhedya’s face and the world going dark.Ian’s eyes flew open. He stared at a wooden ceiling he didn’t recognize, his heart hammering against his ribs. A slow, steady drip caught his eye. An IV line was taped to his forearm, a clear tube snaking up to a bag of fluid. Panic, cold and sharp, flooded his veins.The door creaked open.Zhedya walked in, calm as ever, carrying a small tray with a glass of water, pills, and a syringe.Instinct took over. Ian tried to shove himself up on his elbows, a desperate move to run, to fight, to do anything. But his body betrayed him. A white-hot lance of pain shot from his legs up his spine, stealing his breath and dropping him back onto the pillows with a choked gasp.“Get your hands off me!” Ian’s voice was a dry rasp, b







