All Chapters of Beautiful Torture: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Rain came down hard, like a curtain of water, hitting the city streets. It felt like the sky was trying to wash everything away. Lucas ran, his head down, his shoes splashing in the wet, his jacket sticking to his skinny body. His chest hurt, and every breath he took was a gasping sound that seemed too loud in the quiet around him. The city was awake—bright lights blurred in the puddles, the low sound of cars somewhere far off, and the occasional distant wail of a siren—but to Lucas, it all felt fake, like a movie he wasn't part of.He didn't fit in here. He had never really fit in anywhere. And now, a small voice inside him, deep in his chest, whispered that it was too late to even try.He turned a corner, and a shadow moved. His heart stopped. He didn't know if it was someone coming to help him, or someone coming to take him back to the place he had been running from. His feet slowed, and the cold rain seemed to sting him even more.A long, black car rolled silently up to the side o

The days after that first morning ran together, each one blending into the next. Lucas woke, ate, trained, watched, and did what he was told. It wasn't easy, and he didn't always want to. The building, the rooms, the halls—everything was kept so neat and tidy. It felt like a cage, but one he couldn't get out of. Every corner, every shadow, every shiny surface showed him he was being watched. Always.Adrian never hurried him. He never shouted. That made it worse. Adrian's patience felt like a tool. He pointed out when Lucas made mistakes, fixed his posture, stopped him from saying things, and somehow, every small slip-up felt like a personal letdown."You're late," Adrian said that morning. His voice was calm, but very clear, as he walked into the training room. Lucas had only missed the first exercise by a few minutes, but to Adrian, those few minutes meant everything.Lucas looked down. "I... I'm sorry. It won't happen again."Adrian looked at him for a long time, arms crossed, not b

The door shut behind them with a quick sound that seemed loud in the dark hallway. Lucas stopped, his heart beating fast, as Adrian’s hand rested gently on his lower back, guiding him into the clean, modern living room. No one spoke yet—just the feeling of Adrian being there, quietly saying that Lucas belonged here, under Adrian’s watch."Sit," Adrian said in a soft but firm voice, pointing to a chair by the window. Lucas did what he was told right away, feeling a strange mix of being scared and excited. Adrian didn’t sit. He stood, leaning a bit against the wall, with his arms crossed. A small shadow of a smile played on his lips."You moved too fast in the party room tonight," Adrian said. His voice was smooth, but it cut through the air like a sharp knife. "How you stood, how you looked—it was right, yes, but it didn't seem strong. Someone might have felt you were unsure."Lucas swallowed, his chest feeling tight. "I tried...""You tried," Adrian said, stepping closer until they we