The cabin was silent except for Adrian’s ragged breathing. I sat on the cot’s edge, my hand pressed against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. That sound had become my anchor, proof that he was still here, still alive, still mine in the shadows where Daniel’s reach hadn’t yet strangled us.
The lantern’s flame wavered, throwing amber light across Adrian’s face. His bruises had darkened into shadows of their own, but his eyes burned with something sharper than pain.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” I whispered.
He caught my wrist, weak fingers still somehow commanding. “Like what?”
“Like I’m the only thing that matters.”
Adrian’s lips curved, slow and deliberate. “Because you are.”
The words dropped into me like sparks into dry grass, threatening to set everyth
