The air was thick with smoke and dust, every breath burning Ariana’s lungs. Her hair clung to her face, sweat and grime coating her skin. She clutched Adrian’s arm tightly, heart hammering in her chest, pulse echoing in her ears.
“Adrian… what is happening?” she whispered, voice raw, trembling.
He didn’t answer immediately. His eyes were locked on the figure that emerged from the shadows—the one who had cornered them, the one whose presence made her stomach twist with fear. Every inch of him radiated menace, and Ariana realized with a sickening clarity that this wasn’t just an attack. It was personal.
“He’s… he knows,” Adrian muttered, jaw tight, teeth clenched. “Everything. About me. About you. About… all of it.”
Ariana’s pulse jumped. “What do you mean ‘all of it’?”
Before Adrian co
