All Chapters of Love Me Then Destroy Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

(Lana—POV)The lights in the hospital were too bright. They hurt my eyes like knives. I blinked and held my head because it felt like it was cloudy and thundering. I could taste iron in my mouth. My tongue felt weird and moved like it belonged to someone else.A voice softly said my name. I looked away. A man stood very still outside the glass door. He didn't act like a guest. He stood like someone who had been waiting his whole life.When I looked at him, he said, "Lana." He spoke in a low, warm voice. It put something in my chest that I couldn't put a name to."Who are you?" I asked. My voice sounded wrong and deep.He opened the door without asking and came very close. He seemed too tall for the small room. His hair was dark and well-kept. His suit had a faint smell of rain. He smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was a careful smile that was on the verge of panic.He said, "My name is Adrian." "Adrian Kingsley." I am your darling husband.The words hit me like a cold stone. My

Lana's Point of ViewMorning comes without warning. The light that comes through space between the curtains is pale and unusual, as if it doesn't want to wake me up. This time, I wake up slowly, floating up instead of crashing awake, and for a moment, I forget where I am. Then I smell antiseptic, which is sharp and clean, and the steady sound of machines brings me completely into the present. The white room again. My head still hurts, but not as much as it did before. The pain is deep now, a dull ache that gets worse when I move too quickly or think too hard. I lift my hand and look at it. The tube is still taped in place, and the skin around it is a little bruised. At least it feels like my hand today. A nurse comes in not long after I wake up. She moves quietly as she checks the machines and asks me simple questions. My name. The date. Where I am. I answer what I can and shake my head at what I can't. She doesn't push. She just nods and writes things down on her clipboard, lookin

(Adrian’s Point of View)The nurse hands me the papers with a small smile. “She’s clear to go home today.”My fingers tighten around the folder. I nod, even though my chest feels tight. I look at the room door. Lana is inside, sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around herself, as if she’s freezing.I walk in slowly.She lifts her eyes when she hears my steps. Her face is soft for a second, then fear fills it again. She pulls her knees up and hugs them, like she wants to hide.I stop a few steps away so I don’t scare her.“Lana,” I say gently. “They signed it. You can come home now.”Her fingers squeeze the blanket. She lowers her head. “I… I don’t want to leave.”My heart drops. I take a step closer. She leans back like I’m a flame.“Why?” I ask, my voice small.“I feel safe here,” she whispers. “Here… people are around. Here… I can breathe.”“I won’t hurt you,” I say before I can stop myself.Her eyes lift to mine. There’s something sharp in them. Not anger. Not hate. Something

Lana's Point of ViewThe hot water hit my shoulders, which were soft and warm, but my body still shook like I was outside in the cold rain. I closed my eyes and let the steam cover my face. If I stayed here long enough, I might wake up in a different place. Somewhere that made sense. Somewhere that didn't have a man who said he was my husband watching me like he was afraid to blink.I pulled my fingers through my wet hair and let out a slow breath. Lana, just breathe...The water got louder. My heart raced faster too.I raised my hand to rub my forehead, and then I stopped.There was something dark on my wrist.A mark.A form.Not dirt.Not a shadow.Not something that could be cleaned off.A tattoo.There is a small, neat, sharp black mark just below the thin skin on my wrist. A small shape that looks like a crescent with a line through it.I opened my mouth. I couldn't breathe."No... no... no..."My voice broke. The water went everywhere because my hand shook so hard.I put my wris

(Lana's POV)The morning light shines on the wall like soft gold. It's warm but too bright for my eyes. I slowly open them. My head feels heavy again, like my thoughts want to sleep longer than my body. My room is too quiet; it's so quiet that I can hear my own breath.I get up.My fingers wrap around the blanket. I don't know why I hold it like that, like I need something to hold on to before I fall.A soft knock sounds.I stop.Adrian comes in through the door before I can say anything. His shoulders are too big for the door. His hair is messy, but in a neat way, like he touched it too many times this morning. His dark shirt makes his eyes look even brighter.He says, "Good morning." He speaks in a calm voice. Too calm.He walks closer, taking his time and keeping his hands behind his back. He looks at my face like he's checking to see if it's still mine, like he's reading every breath I take.I pull the blanket up to my chest without even thinking.He stops close to the bed's edge.