UNSEEN BONDS

Chapter 15: Fragile Morning

Brad couldn’t sleep.

His body lay motionless on the king-sized bed, but his mind churned like an unrelenting storm. The events of the night replayed on loop in his head. Nicole’s scream. The desperation in her voice. The way she had clung to his shirt, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Her silence. Her tears.

He had arrived just in time, by pure chance, or perhaps divine intervention. But that thought didn’t bring comfort. If anything, it made the guilt worse. What if I hadn’t been there? What if I had left the office even five minutes earlier? She would have...

Brad sat up suddenly, running both hands through his hair. He could still hear her soft sighs from the shower, that gut-wrenching sound of a woman trying to hold thing in. It had clawed at him from the other side of the bathroom door, his fists clenched at his sides, helpless. When she hadn’t responded to him knocking, he had forced himself to back away. Giving her space had felt like the right thing to do, but every part of him had ached to pull her into his arms.

He had tucked her into bed like something fragile and sacred. Her eyes were puffy, her face pale, her voice absent. And then she had slept. Or at least, that’s what he hoped she had managed to do.

Brad hadn’t slept at all.

By dawn, the apartment was still wrapped in quiet, the heavy gray of the morning sky pressing against the windows. Brad moved like a ghost in the kitchen, mechanically preparing breakfast. The smell of sizzling eggs and brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with thoughts he couldn't silence.

She had almost been violated. Because he kept her working late.

He cracked an egg too hard, and the shell broke awkwardly, the yolk sliding in with a splash. He exhaled deeply, gripping the edge of the counter. This was his fault. He should've ensured she had gone home earlier. He should've given her a driver. He should've...

The door creaked softly behind him.

Brad turned. Nicole stood in the doorway, looking like a child who had seen too much of the world. She wore his white shirt, oversized and rumpled, falling just past her knees. Her hair was pulled into a low, loose bun, a few strands framing her face. She looked vulnerable in a way that made his throat tighten.

"Good morning," he said, his voice gentler than usual.

She offered a faint smile and a quiet, "Morning."

"I made breakfast," he said, nodding toward the small dining table he had set. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I tried a bit of everything."

Nicole walked over and sat down silently. Her eyes scanned the plates, toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, and two steaming mugs of coffee.

Brad sat opposite her.

For a moment, there was only the sound of cutlery clinking and the hum of the refrigerator. Nicole picked at her food, eating slowly, while Brad stole glances at her. The bruise on her arm was faint, but visible. And he noticed how her hands trembled slightly when she lifted her cup.

He cleared his throat. "Nicole..."

She looked up.

"I owe you an apology."

She blinked. "For what?"

"For more than one thing," he said, setting his fork down. "First, for keeping you so late. I should've ensured your safety. I should've walked you out myself or made arrangements. What happened last night... that shouldn't have happened."

Her eyes softened, but she said nothing.

"And," he continued, "for what I said. That day in the office. When I saw you talking to Dylan. I was out of line. I was rude, unfair, and I let my emotions get the better of me."

She looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. "You were jealous."

He paused. "Yes. I was."

Her eyes didn’t leave his. The tension between them thickened, not like the stress of the office, but something else—something intimate, simmering beneath the surface.

"You didn’t have the right," she said softly.

"I know."

Nicole lowered her gaze to the plate again, chewing slowly. Brad resisted the urge to reach across the table and take her hand. He wanted to explain himself, to tell her how confused he had been by how much she affected him. But now didn’t feel like the right time.

He instead cleared his throat again. "You shouldn’t go in today."

Her brow furrowed. "But there's the board meeting prep..."

"I can handle it," he said firmly. "You need a day. Please. Just one day to rest."

She hesitated.

"After breakfast, go get dressed. I’ll drop you off at home on my way to work."

Nicole nodded slowly.

They finished eating mostly in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was tender. Careful.

Brad waited by the door, dressed in a dark suit, adjusting his cuffs while Nicole emerged from the guest room in her dress from the day before. She looked more composed, but her eyes still carried the weight of last night.

He opened the door for her.

"Thanks... for everything," she said, as she stepped out.

He gave her a tight nod. "Always."

As they rode in the car, he noticed how she kept her gaze out the window, her fingers playing with the hem of her sleeve. At a stoplight, he finally spoke again.

"Nicole, you don’t have to pretend with me. If you need to talk about it... or anything... you can."

She gave him a faint smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Thank you, sir."

He flinched slightly at the "sir."

The rest of the ride passed quietly.

When he dropped her off, she hesitated before getting out. "I’ll see you Monday."

He nodded. "Unless you need more time."

"I think I need to work," she said softly. "It’ll help."

Brad watched as she disappeared through the gate. Only then did he drive off, the weight of guilt still wrapped tightly around his chest.

Back at work, Brad sat in his office but got very little done. His thoughts kept drifting. Her silence. Her bravery. The pain in her eyes.

He wondered if she had anyone to talk to. Anyone to cry to.

He hated that it wasn't him.

The door opened without a knock. Dylan strolled in with a coffee cup in hand and that familiar mischievous grin. But it faded quickly when he caught Brad’s expression.

"Rough night?"

Brad looked up. "You could say that."

Dylan sat. "Talk to me."

Brad hesitated, then exhaled and leaned back in his chair. He told him everything, leaving out no detail. Dylan’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as the story unfolded.

"She okay?"

"She says she is," Brad replied. "But no. She's not."

Dylan shook his head. "Damn. Poor girl. You staying out of her way?"

"Trying to. But I can’t stop thinking about her."

Dylan raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

Brad stared at the wall behind him. "In every way."

Nicole sat on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. She hadn’t changed clothes yet. Her bag lay at her feet, untouched. She had taken a shower and tried to nap, but the moment she closed her eyes, the memory rushed in.

The sound of footsteps. The cold feel of the wall behind her. The struggle. Her scream.

She blinked away tears and reached for her phone.

"Hello?" a familiar voice answered.

"Amelia," Nicole whispered. Her voice cracked. "Can you come over?"

There was no hesitation. "I'll be there soon baby."

Minutes later, Amelia was at her door, holding her like a child. Nicole broke. Tears spilled freely now, her shoulders shaking.

"You’re safe," Tina whispered. "You're home."

Nicole nodded into her friend’s shoulder, gripping her tightly. "I was so scared."

"I know. And I’m so sorry, Nic. You didn’t deserve that."

They sat together for a long time. Nicole didn’t say much, she didn’t have to. Amelia made tea and stayed beside her, telling her about random things. Light, distracting things, until Nicole finally smiled.

"He stayed with me," Nicole said eventually. "Brad. He didn’t leave me alone."

Tina’s brows lifted. "Your boss?"

Nicole nodded. "He apologized... for everything. Even for being jealous."

Tina blinked. "He admitted that?"

"Yeah."

"And how do you feel?"

Nicole paused. "Confused. Safe. Seen. But also scared."

Tina gave a knowing smile. "You’re falling, aren’t you?"

Nicole didn’t answer. She didn’t have to.

That night, as Nicole lay in bed, wrapped in a blanket and Amelia's steady presence in the next room, she stared at the ceiling.

Something was shifting. A fragile morning had come and gone.

But it left behind the first c***k in the wall she had built around herself.

And the man who stood on the other side of it was no longer just her boss.

He was something else.

Someone else.

And it terrified her more than she was willing to admit.