Lahat ng Kabanata ng EXCEPTION: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 36

Four hours had passed since Julian brought me back to the Redstone Building. He had been stationed right outside the door the entire time, guarding the perimeter without a word. Left alone inside, the silence began to grate on my nerves as I waited for Courtney to show up.I stood before the full-length mirror, looking at what was left of myself. My hair hung down in loose waves, contrasting with the dark pajamas and oversized shirt I had changed into. But as I stared, the reflection blurred, replaced by the chaos at the warehouse. The threats, the sharp crack of gunfire—it all echoed in my head like a constant scream.Yet, it wasn’t just the violence. It was Courtney’s strange hold over the people at that party. He carried himself like a man who owned the room, blending in so effortlessly that he almost seemed harmless to the untrained eye. Charismatic, composed. But he was only charming on the surface. Only those who dared to cross him knew the darker truth lurking beneath the suit.

The sentence hung between us like a thick cloud of stagnant smoke, suffocating and heavy. My fork slipped from my numb fingers, clinking weakly against the porcelain plate before rolling onto the white tablecloth. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even blink. I just stared at the calm, terrifyingly detached man sitting across from me, his face showing absolutely no remorse for the bomb he had just dropped.“Send me away?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper, though it carried the weight of a desperate scream. “Just like that? You drag me into your bloody war, you let me see the bodies, you let me feel the heat of your gun, and now that things are getting complicated, you want to throw me out like trash?”Courtney didn’t look up. He reached into the inner pocket of his tailored coat, pulled out a silver cigarette case, and picked one out with agonizing slowness. His movements were calculated, designed to make me feel small. “It was never a game, Adeleine,” he said, his voice droppi

The metallic taste of blood was heavy on my tongue, and my vision swam every time I tried to focus. My jaw throbbed where Blaine’s fist had hit me, and my ribs burned with every breath I forced into my lungs. I was an absolute mess, tied down to that cold iron chair, my skin already turning into deep purple bruises.Yet, the physical pain was not what was tearing me apart. It was the memory of our last conversation at the restaurant. I think it’s time I send you away. He had wanted me gone. He had pushed me away, built his walls higher, and basically told me I did not matter to him.But despite the ice in his eyes, despite the brutal rejection that had broken my heart hours ago... a stubborn, desperate part of me still believed he would come. I was terrified, yes, but beneath the terror was a foolish, burning hope that Courtney would never let another man destroy what belonged in his world.Blaine stepped back into the flickering light, tossing his phone to his man with a cruel smile.