Chapter Twelve: DEADLY COMFORT
1629 Words
For several long seconds after the sobs die in my throat, neither of us moves. The room suddenly feels too quiet.
The shutters that once sealed the penthouse are gone now, retracted neatly back into the walls as if nothing ever happened. The lockdown was over. Freedom is now only a few steps away.
All I have to do is stand up. Walk out and tell the guards downstairs that an armed intruder broke into my home. Tell them he tried to kill me and they would drag Nicolai away in handcuffs before the sun even rose.
The thought sits heavy in my chest.
But I don’t move.
Nicolai’s arm is still wrapped loosely around my shoulders as we sit on the floor against the wall. His warmth seeps through the thin silk of my nightgown, grounding me in a way that feels both comforting and dangerously addictive. I had gotten too comfortable with him, somewhere in the haze of my own lies. I'd forgotten to set boundaries.
My tears have slowed, but my eyes still burn. I stare at the carpet without seeing and try to force my mind to make a decision.
Turn him in. Let him go. Keep lying...
Every option feels like a different kind of betrayal. No choice feels right.
“Aria.”
His voice is low and gentle, It slices clean through the spiral of my thoughts.
I lift my head slightly.
His storm-grey eyes study my face with quiet concern.
“What happened with your sister? Did you two fight?” he asks.
The question lands softly, but it sends a spike of tension down my spine.
For a moment I consider telling him the truth... That my family just sold me off like another one of the company's products. Like a commodity to the highest bidder. That my entire life had just been decided for me without my consent.
But the truth is tangled in too many other lies.
So I do what I’ve done all night.
I lie again. Well I'm actually only leaving out details so it doesn't count as lying.
“It’s… complicated,” I murmur, wiping at the last dampness on my cheeks.
His gaze doesn’t leave mine.
I force a tired breath and continue.
“My mother made some announcement last night. At the gala. They made an important decision affecting the company without consulting me."
His brows draw together slightly.
“Do they do that often.”
It isn’t a question.
I smile sadly.
“Every day of my life... it's worsened since father's death.”
The words feels brittle.
“My sister was trying to convince me that it's a good business move.” I stare at the floor again, bitterness creeping into my voice despite my effort to sound indifferent. “Is it too much to ask that they consult me for matters important to me? Matters that affect me?”
Nicolai’s arm tightens faintly around my shoulders.
“They make you feel left out,” he says quietly.
I nod once.
“Like I'm insignificant and my opinion doesn't matter."
He goes silent after that.
The weight of his thoughts seems to fill the room and I wonder what he’s piecing together in that sharp mind of his. But instead of pressing further, he exhales slowly.
“It’s late... and you look exhausted.” His voice is soft again. “You’ve had enough for one night.”
Before I can protest, he shifts, bracing his good arm beneath me.
The movement is careful and protective.
“Come on. You should get some shut-eye,” he murmurs.
In one smooth motion, he helps me to my feet.
The world sways slightly as I stand. My body still feels wrung out from the emotional storm and everything else that happened tonight.
Nicolai steadies me immediately. His arm slides securely around my waist, pulling me against his side.
“Easy,” he murmurs.
The warmth of his bare chest brushes my shoulder as we begin walking slowly toward the staircase. Each step feels surreal.
We pass through the living room. Past the couch. Past the open doorway that leads to the elevator.
My gaze flickers toward it.
The door stands open.
Freedom.
I could run... Right now.
Nicolai’s grip isn’t tight enough to stop me if I tried.
The guards downstairs would still be awake.
All it would take is one desperate sprint. My heart pounds at the thought but something inside me twists painfully. Because leaving would mean abandoning him. Leaving him confused, Injured...
The mere thought of leaving him sends an unexpected ache through my chest.
I lean closer to him instead, my fingers curling lightly into the fabric of his trousers as we climb the stairs together. The lockdown had ended and I was still here. Is this Stockholm Syndrome? The Lockdown has been my excuse and now I was running out of excuses.
Just until morning... I tell myself.
I’ll turn him in tomorrow.
Just pretend a little longer.
The bedroom greets us with soft shadows and cool air.
Nicolai guides me gently toward the bed and I sink onto the mattress gratefully with a tired exhale.
He hesitates then follows a moment later. The sheets rustle quietly as he settles beside me and for a moment we simply lie there in silence.
The dim bedside lamp paints warm gold across the room.
Nicolai is still shirtless.
Seeing him now feels different than it did earlier.
Less dangerous. More… human.
The broad lines of his shoulders are relaxed, though the faint bandage wrapped around his head reminds me of the violence that brought him here tonight. He'd been brutal then affectionate all at the same time, I never know which side I'm getting...
My nightgown slips loose again. One strap hanging halfway down my arm. The silk pools softly at my hips and cool air brushes my skin.
I should pull it back up.
But Nicolai shifts closer behind me before I can move.
His arm slides carefully around my waist and He draws me back to rest against him.
My breath catches.
He settles behind me in a warm, protective curve—his body fitting against mine like it belongs there. His chest presses lightly against my back while His thigh rests along mine.
The position is intimate, comforting and dangerous all at once.
For a few seconds neither of us speaks. I can feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing against my shoulder.
Then his voice rumbles softly near my ear.
“You’re so soft.” There's a quiet, child-like wonder in his voice... I go very still.
His fingers trace lightly along my arm, slow and absentminded.
“Soft everywhere,” he murmurs.
A faint warmth creeps into my cheeks. Even now. Even after everything we've done.
Nicolai shifts slightly, pulling me closer into the curve of his chest.
“I must have been a very lucky man,” he says quietly. His words carry a strange mixture of amusement and melancholy. “To come home to this every night. Even if I don’t remember it...”
My throat tightens.
The sentence lingers in the air between us.
I don’t know what to say... I'm too exhausted to utter another lie and the truth would shatter everything. So I stay silent.
Nicolai’s face lowers slightly. His lips brush softly against the side of my neck. Not demanding or heated like earlier. Just a gentle press against the delicate pulse point beneath my skin. The spot is still a bit tender from earlier.
I inhale sharply.
“Sorry,” he murmurs against my skin.
His fingers drift upward to the bruised area.
He touches it carefully, almost reverently.
“Did I hurt you? Was I too rough earlier.” The concern in his voice twists something deep in my chest.
“No,” I whisper.
His thumb brushes lightly across my cheek. He must feel the faint dampness there because his touch slows and with surprising tenderness, he wipes away the last traces of tears from my skin.
The gesture is so gentle it almost breaks me.
“You cry too easily,” he murmurs.
But there’s no judgment in the words. Only quiet concern.
His hand moves again, stroking slowly down my arm. Over and over in a steady, soothing rhythm.
My eyelids begin to feel heavy. Exhaustion finally starts pulling at me.
But my mind refuses to settle... Turn him in. Let him go.Keep him close.
The decision looms like a storm waiting on the horizon.
Nicolai’s hand continues its slow path along my arm. His breathing remains steady behind me. Protective, solid and safe.
My body relaxes in spite of myself.
The warmth of him seeps into my bones and gradually the tension in my muscles melts away.
My thoughts grow foggy and Sleep creeps closer. This was more effective than drinking myself to sleep like I did every night...
Just before my consciousness begins to slip away, Nicolai shifts slightly behind me and his lips brush my hair. Then I hear him murmur something so quietly I almost think I imagined it.
But the words reach my ears clearly enough. Like a vow whispered to the darkness.
“I don’t remember who I was…”
His arm tightens faintly around my waist.
“But I know one thing.” His voice drops even softer. A dangerous edge threading through the quiet.
“No one is ever going to hurt you again. Not while I’m here.”
My breath catches.
Because he doesn’t realize what he’s saying...
I wonder what he’d do if he knew that the only man who had ever tried to kill me… was the one holding me in his arms.
- Writer
