The breaking point of love
Her voice came through the receiver trembling, cracked and broken, as though she were struggling to breathe amidst a stifled, desperate sob:
— "Adrian... I need you."
Adrian froze dead in his tracks, the lit cigarette slipping from his fingers to hit the cold floor, completely ignored. That single word hit his ears like an electric shock, instantly dissolving his cold facade and the remaining haze of alcohol. He hadn't heard that word from her in years, and the sheer brokenness in her tone made his heart contract violently.
The forced calm vanished entirely from his voice, replaced by a sharp panic and a raw desperation he could no longer hide: