CHAPTER 3

POV: SEBASTIAN

I watched her from a distance.

I was getting frustrated as I visited her house. If anything, this felt like robbery, except I wasn’t taking anything… except Melisa. It’s crazy to think about. Her house was filthy and messy, not even groceries or food in the fridge. She couldn’t even afford to buy milk. I sighed, all I wanted was to make plans for her. I started washing the dishes in the sink, realizing how busy she must’ve been working, completely neglecting herself ever since her helpless grandmother died. I went to the nearby grocery store to buy some ingredients, multitasking in the middle of this old, worn-down place. The fridge was practically empty, no food at all.

While mopping the floor and cleaning, I spotted a picture of her as a little girl, sitting on her grandma’s lap, holding a lollipop and this ragged toy. She looked so cute and innocent in that photo and yet,

she’s going to be mine.

I hurried to cook and set the table, wanting everything to be ready when she came home. For God’s sake, Melisa eats. And clean. Melisa. My throat aches for her. My body craves her. My soul restless wants nothing more than to bind itself to hers. Watching her from a distance drives me insane. I want to hold her. Now.

I want to pull her close, shield her from every shadow, every whisper of pain. Let me carry it, Melisa. Let me bleed for you. Just give it to me. She doesn't know I'm here. She never does. But I see her. Every detail. The way she brushes that one loose strand behind her ear, the tiny crease between her brows when she's lost in thought, the soft parting of her lips when she exhales without realizing it.

God, she's perfect.

She moves like the world isn't watching her—but I am. I always am. They think she's free. Walking, laughing, breathing like her heart doesn't belong to anyone. But they're wrong. She's already mine. She just hasn't accepted it yet. Sometimes I wonder if she can feel me if some part of her knows I'm there, hidden just out of reach. Watching. Wanting.

Protecting.

If anyone touches her, looks at her too long, I see red. They don't deserve to stand in the same room as her. She wasn't made for them. She was made for me. They don't love her like I do. They don't study her. Don't know that she sleeps on her left side or hums when she's nervous or that she still wears that broken bracelet like it means something.

I know.

And when the time is right...

I'll stop watching from afar. She won't have to wonder who I am anymore. She'll know. She'll finally know what it means to be mine. She sat on the bench, clutching that worn-out stuffed toy her grandmother gave her crying, broken, so utterly alone. My chest tightened. It hurt more than I could explain. I wanted to run to her, hold her, whisper that everything would be okay. That I was here. That I'd always been here.

But I didn't.

I couldn't.

I've been watching her for three years. Always from afar. Always careful. She never knew. She wasn't

supposed to. But that night... that night—I failed her. I froze. I didn't protect her. And for that, I will never forgive myself. But I made sure they paid.

Those five disgusting animals who touched her I slit their throats. One by one. I made them suffer. I carved fear into their final moments. Then I cut them into pieces and scattered them like trash. No one touches what's mine.

I did it all for Melisa.

Only her. I'd burn the world down just to see her safe. I'd bleed for her. Kill for her. Die for her. She doesn't know it yet, but she's mine. Only mine. And now... someone has taken her grandmother from her. The only family she had left. I saw the scene. The blood. The chaos. And I swear—whoever did

this will die screaming. When I find them... I won't just kill them. I'll erase them. Then maybe just maybe Melisa will see me. Maybe she'll understand. Maybe she'll finally love me the way I've loved her. Or maybe she won't. But that won't stop me. Not now. Not ever.

I set the table carefully for her favorite plate, the one with little daisies around the rim. I remembered she once smiled while eating out of it during her break at McDonald's. She didn't know I was there watching, memorizing everything. The food was still warm. I cooked it just the way she likes—comfort food, soft, gentle, like a warm hug. She needed comfort. She needed me.

In the center of the table, I placed a black rose.

Elegant. Rare. Eternal. Just like her. It wasn't just a flower. It was a message. You're not alone. I'm with you. Even if you don't see me. Even if you're scared of me. Even if you never love me the way I love you. I didn't want to scare her. No, I wanted to protect her. To show her that someone cares. Not like the world that kicked her down, not like those bastards I gutted for touching what wasn't theirs. They're gone. I made sure of that.

But I'm still here. Still watching. Still waiting. She doesn't have to know it's me. Not yet. This is just... my way of saying: You're mine, Melisa. You've always been mine.

And one day, you'll understand. One day, you'll thank me. One day... you'll love me back. There she is. My little bunny, gripping that crowbar like a warrior. So small, so fragile—yet trying so hard to

be strong. How cute. She thinks she can protect herself. And maybe she can... from the world. But not from me. She doesn't need protection from me.

She needs it from everyone else. And I'm the only one who can give her that.

I watched from afar, hidden in the shadows just outside her window. The moonlight kissed her skin as she looked around, cautious... scared. But she shouldn't be scared. Not now. Not when I'm here.

She finally put down the crowbar.

Good girl. Then she sat. She started eating—my food. So fast. So hungry. So desperate. She must have loved it. Her eyes softened just a little, her guard lowered for just a moment. My chest ached watching her. She was beautiful even in pain. Especially in pain. Because pain meant she still needed saving. And saving her... that's my purpose.

She's alone now. Broken. Bleeding. And I'm the only one left who truly sees her. No one else. Not her classmates who humiliated her. Not the man who cheated on her. Not even her poor, dead grandmother. Just me. Me and her. Like it was always meant to be. And one day, when she's

ready...She'll open her door. She'll look at me. And she'll know. That I was the one who fed her. That I was the one who protected her. That I was the one who loved her enough to kill for her. She'll say my name. And she'll smile. Like she used to—before the world tried to break her.

One day, my little bunny. One day soon.

I pulled into the long driveway of my estate, the black Mercedes humming low beneath me like a beast barely caged. The mansion stood tall in the moonlight, cold, elegant, empty... just like me. I stepped out, the gravel crunching beneath my polished shoes, adjusting my cufflinks as I walked past the marble statues and into the grand foyer. My butler, Andrew, met me at the door, already aware of the storm brewing behind my eyes. Inside my study, I poured a glass of scotch and leaned against the fireplace, staring into the flames. They flickered like the chaos in my mind.

"Report," I demanded, voice low and sharp. My private investigator handed me a folder. "We've narrowed down suspects connected to her grandmother's death. It wasn't random. Someone wanted her out of the way."

I tightened my grip on the glass.

"Find out who. Immediately," I said through clenched teeth. "And when you do—cut their throat." Andrew flinched from the shadows, ever the loyal voice of reason. "Master... I think that's too much. Another killing…"

"Don't tell me what to do, Andrew!" I snapped, slamming the glass onto the table. "I will do anything for Melisa!" He lowered his gaze, quiet for a moment. "But she doesn't even know you, sir. When was the last time she even remembered your face... let alone saw it?" I walked over to the window, looking out at the night, where somewhere across the city, she still existed, breathing, broken, perfect.

"She will," I whispered. "She will remember. She will see me. And when that day comes..." I turned, a twisted smile touching my lips. "She'll realize I've always been the one. Her protector. Her shadow. Her fate." Andrew bowed his head. He knew there was no point arguing. Soon, the world would bend to my love. And so would Melisa. You are Delusional. SHUT UP! No! Melisa will love me back. I know she will. I know she will need me.