جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 200

Third Person POV Frank carefully eased Atlas into the back seat, treating him as if he were made of glass. The crumpled old blanket he had found on the floor smelled faintly of gasoline and wintergreen air freshener. He wrapped it around his shoulders and down over his bare legs, pulling the edges together until only his pale, tear-stained face was visible in the dim light. The bruises marring his throat and upper arms stood out starkly against the soft gray wool, and each time his fingers brushed against one, he felt his heart crack a little more.He straightened up, jaw tight and aching, and glanced back at the house. Through the open front door, he could still hear the muffled thuds and sharp cries of Rowan’s fury echoing down the hallway—the raw, methodical sounds indicating that whatever punishment was happening inside was far from over. For a brief moment, Frank wanted nothing more than to storm back inside, to unleash his own fists upon the perpetrators, to ensure that Patrick

Third person povRowan never left Atlas’s side that night, staying close and attentive. After gently laying him on the bed, he moved with a sense of urgency, as if any wrong move could completely break him. He knelt down to take off his shoes, placing them neatly by the door, then quietly called for the maids, instructing them firmly yet softly to help change his clothes. He remained near during the whole process, turning away only when necessary, but never exiting the room, like a vigilant guard refusing to leave his post.He made sure to pull fresh sheets over him, cool and clean against his skin, tucking the blanket around his shoulders in the nurturing way his mother used to do when he was sick. He got a glass of water and set it on the bedside table, adding painkillers just in case, and adjusted the curtains for a dim, calm atmosphere. At one point, he gently wiped the dried tears off his cheeks with a soft towel, feeling anger and guilt boiling beneath the surface as he did.Sle

Rowan opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then just shut it again, his face twisting into a mix of unease and conflict. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, avoiding my gaze, and the nervous energy coming off him made my stomach tighten."Because what?" I asked softly, watching him struggle with his words. "What... were you going to say?"He shook his head almost right away, letting out a hollow laugh as if trying to brush it off. "I... it’s nothing. Just forget it, Atlas. It really doesn’t matter."But it did matter. I could feel it deep down, that instinctive pull telling me he was standing on the edge of the truth, desperately trying not to fall into it. I’d spent years swallowing things people wouldn’t explain, years accepting silence like it was all I deserved, and I was too tired for that anymore."No," I said, surprising myself with how firm my voice was as I sat up a bit straighter. "That’s not right. You don’t get to just stop halfway and pretend it means nothing.

Rowan’s eyes fluttered closed for what felt like forever, like he was gathering every last bit of courage within him. Meanwhile, I stood there, so incredibly close that I could actually feel his warmth and the uneven rhythm of his breaths brushing against my skin.The hallway seemed to shrink around us, with the distant sounds of the house fading away until it was just the two of us, caught in that fragile, electric silence. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought he could hear it, could feel it, since the space between us felt alive, charged with anticipation, aching.Then, his lashes opened, and those green eyes locked onto mine with a raw intensity that usually took the breath right out of my lungs."Okay then," he murmured, his voice low and rough, almost like he was giving in to whatever it was that was weighing him down. "You asked for it."Before I could even take a breath or collect my thoughts, his hands were on me...strong and decisive, completely different from the ten

His fingers tightened just a bit against my sides, grounding himself as he spoke faster, like he was scared to stop for fear of losing his nerve entirely."And by the time I realized how stupid my actions were, you already hated me. And honestly, rightfully so. My friends were ganging up on you, making things worse, and I couldn’t just... stop it all. Not suddenly. I knew no one would miss it, and they’d start asking questions I didn’t know how to answer. So I kept being the same jerk because if I backed off too quickly, it would seem odd, and I was too cowardly to admit why I wanted to back off."He suddenly paused, breath shaking as he looked down at me, his green eyes raw and vulnerable in a way I had never seen. The hallway felt cramped again, the air thick with everything he had just confessed, years of cruelty twisted into desperate self-defense.My chest ached under the weight of it all, realizing the pain he caused came from feelings he didn’t know how to handle.Rowan ran his