Safe In His Darkness のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 60

EMILY GRAYSON'S Four days. Four entire days since Alexander Antonio had shown his face. And somehow, his absence felt heavier than his presence ever had. I sat curled into the corner of my couch, wrapped in one of Lexi’s oversized hoodies, staring blankly at the rain sliding down the apartment windows. The television played quietly in the background, but I hadn’t actually processed anything on the screen for almost an hour. My body still felt tired. Not physically anymore. Emotionally. Exhaustion lived deeper than bruises. A soft knock sounded at the apartment door before it opened carefully. Lexi stepped inside, carrying two grocery bags and enough chaotic energy to completely disrupt the suffocating silence hanging over the apartment. “Okay,” she announced dramatically, kicking the door shut behind her, “you officially look like a depressed Victorian widow.” I blinked slowly toward her. “That bad?” “Worse,” she replied immediately.“Honestly, if I walked in a

EMILY GRAYSON'S The fifth day, he came back. And somehow, that hurt worse than if he hadn’t. I heard the knock a little after nine that night. Three slow taps. Familiar. My entire body froze instantly. Lexi looked up from the kitchen table where she’d been pretending to work on her laptop. Neither of us spoke. We already knew. Alexander, again. For a moment, I just sat there staring at the television without actually seeing anything on the screen. Part of me wanted to ignore the door completely. The other part, the weaker part, had already started listening for his breathing outside in the hallway. Lexi closed her laptop quietly.“You don’t have to answer it.” But we both knew I would. Because no matter how angry I was, no matter how shattered I felt, Alexander Antonio had become impossible to ignore. Slowly, I stood from the couch and walked toward the door.The closer I got, the tighter my chest became. By the time I reached it, my heartbeat was loud enough to make me nauseous. I o

EMILY GRAYSON'S It had been eight days. Eight days since everything shattered. Eight days since grief settled itself permanently inside my chest like something living. Eight days of waking up always hollow. I stood alone in my kitchen, staring down at a cup of tea that had gone cold nearly twenty minutes ago. Steam no longer curled from the surface, but I still held the mug between my hands, as if the fading warmth might somehow steady me. Outside, rain tapped softly against the apartment windows again. The city looked gray today. Muted. Like the entire world was exhausted. Alex had come by yesterday again. But I didn't open the door. I stood on the other side of it, listening to his breathing in the hallway while quietly telling him to leave. He stayed there for more than twenty minutes afterward anyway, saying he just wanted to see me, but I refused to open up. He just stayed outside, like physically walking away from me hurt him. My chest tightened painfully at t

ALEXANDER ANTONIO'S I was sitting on the couch when the bedroom door finally opened. My head lifted instantly. I’d been listening to that sound for the last twenty minutes without even realizing it. Every small creak in the apartment had made me look up, hoping it was her. And then it was. Emily stepped out quietly, almost cautiously, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to be seen. She’d changed into a simple oversized sweater and jeans. Nothing dramatic. Nothing carefully chosen. Her beautiful hair was loosely tied back, with soft strands falling around her face as if she hadn’t cared enough to fix them properly. But she came out. That alone loosened something painfully tight inside my chest. For a second, neither of us spoke. I stood slowly, watching her carefully, making sure she didn’t retreat back into that room again. Then I reached for her coat draped over the chair beside me.“Arms,” I said softly. She hesitated for a second. Then she lifted them. I stepped closer and sli

ALEXANDER'S ANTONIO'S I slipped my hands into my pockets. “She has excellent instincts.” Emily turned her head slowly and looked at me flatly. “You told a five-year-old you were going to marry me.” “I said someday.” “That doesn’t make it better.” “It sounded romantic in my head.” She shook her head slowly, but I caught it again—that tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth. Small. Fragile. But still victory. The crossing light changed, and we started walking again. Halfway across the street, a motorcycle suddenly roared past too loudly beside us. Emily flinched violently. It happened instantly. Her entire body stiffened. Her breathing caught sharply. And before she could even think about it, her hand grabbed mine hard. I looked at her immediately. Her eyes had gone distant. Not with me. Somewhere else entirely. A cold wave of fury and helplessness hit me so fast it nearly stole my breath. I hated whoever had put that fear inside her. Hated that her bod