CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

JENNI’S POV

The lecture hall felt hotter than usual, or maybe it was just me. I sat in the back row as always, notebook open, but the words on the page blurred every time my mind wandered back to the little apartment.

Ivan.

Alone there.

Probably trying to leave anyway, stubborn as he was. I kept checking the wall clock, counting down the minutes until four o’clock. My leg bounced under the desk until the girl beside me shot me a look. I had to force it to remain still.

Professor Parker’s voice went on about market strategies, but I barely heard a word. Dad kept glancing my way from the front of the room, that same worried crease between his eyebrows he had worn all week. I smiled at him quickly, the kind of smile that said everything was fine, even though nothing felt fine anymore. How could I explain any of this? That the man the whole city whispered about as a monster had slept in my bed last night and eaten my pancakes this morning?

The lecture finally came to an end, and I shoved my things into my backpack before anyone could stop me. The hallway was loud with chatter but I kept my head down, my dark hair falling like curtains over my face. I did not want to run into Allison today, not with everything else spinning in my head. The last thing I need is her words cutting through me like broken glass.

Outside, the sun had dipped a little lower, painting the sidewalk in long golden streaks. I walked faster than I meant to, purse bouncing against my hip. My mind replayed the way Ivan had looked at me over breakfast, those green eyes searching mine like he was trying to solve a puzzle he did not want the answer to.

 He had said one more day. But what if the pain had eased enough for him to slip out while I was gone? What if I walked in and found the apartment empty, the bed made as if he had never been there at all?

The thought made my stomach twist. I turned the corner onto my street, heart picking up speed. The familiar creak of the front door when I pushed it open sounded louder than usual. I stepped inside and closed it softly behind me, listening.

Silence.

My breath caught; the living room looked exactly how I left it, the sunlight slanting across the couch, where the blanket was still folded from last night. No sign of him. I set my backpack down and moved towards the bedroom, my pulse was racing. The door was half open, and I nudged it wider.

He was there.

Ivan sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless again, staring down at the fresh bandage I had changed before I left for class. He had not left, relief flooded through me so fast my knees almost buckled.

“You stayed”, my voice was softer than I meant it to be.

He lifted his head, those green eyes met mine and something shifted in them, a flicker I couldn’t quite read. 

“Pain is still bad”, he answered with his thick accent. 

“I try to stand, not good”. He said while rubbing his jaw that stubble was beginning to appear.

“I should have gone anyway, for you”

I stepped closer, heart doing that stupid flip it kept doing around him. 

“I told you it is too soon. You would have opened the wound again.”

 I dropped my purse on the chair and knelt in front of him without thinking, reaching to check the bandage. My fingers brushed his skin, warm and solid, and I felt him tense under my touch. “It looks okay. No bleeding. But you need to rest more.”

He caught my wrist gently, the same way he had this morning. His thumb moved once across my pulse point, slow, like he was memorizing the beat. 

“You worry too much, Jennifer. I am not worth it.”

The way he said my name again with the hard r rolling of his tongue sent heat rushing up my neck.

I did not pull away.

“You keep saying that but you’re here and you have not hurt me once” I replied looking up to him close enough to see the faint lines at the corner of his eyes.

The scar that cut through one eyebrow.

“Maybe I’m the one who’s not so good at listening to warnings”

A low sound escaped him, almost a laugh but rougher, like he had not practiced the feeling in years. He let go of my wrist but did not move back.

The air between us became heavy again, the same charged quiet tension from the couch last night. I could smell faint soap on his skin mixed with something warmer, something that was just him.

My gaze dropped to his mouth for a half second before I forced it back up.

“You went to school today”, he said, changing the subject. “Everything normal?”

I nodded and stood up, suddenly aware of how close I had been kneeling.

“Yeah. Classes. The usual”

I did not mention Alison or the way Dad had watched me. Not yet.

“ I brought some things from the store on the way home, soup if you think you can take something light and fresh bandages, just in case.”

He pushed his feet away slowly, testing his balance. The movement made the muscles in his stomach flex under his bandage. I had to look away fast, my cheeks were burning.

He was forty-one I reminded myself, dangerous.

The kind of man who left bodies behind him. But none of that stopped the pull I felt when he looked at me like I was the only safe thing left in this world.

“I stay here one more night “, he said quietly as he watched me move toward the kitchen.

“Then I find place, I promise”

I paused at the counter, back to him, and let out a breath I had not realized I was holding.

One more night should have felt like a warning. Instead, it felt like a gift.

“Okay”, I whispered even though I already knew I would fight him on it tomorrow too.

“One more night”.

The apartment was filled with the quiet sound of me heating the soup. I could feel his eyes on me the whole time, heavy and thoughtful.

Whatever this was between us, it was growing faster than either of us could stop.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted it to.