shattered promises

chapter 6

The Way He Looked at Me

Everything exploded into chaos.

One second, the cold edge of a blade was pressed tightly against my throat.

The next—

Sebastian moved.

Fast.

Deadly.

The sound of a gunshot tore through the hallway like thunder, so loud it made my ears ring instantly. Before I could even react, Sebastian lunged toward us with terrifying force.

The masked man cursed violently.

His grip on me loosened for half a second.

That was all Sebastian needed.

He grabbed my arm and yanked me backward so hard I crashed directly into his chest. My body slammed against him while another gunshot echoed through the mansion.

“Get down!” Sebastian barked.

The sharp command snapped through my panic.

He shoved me behind him just as the attacker fired again.

Glass shattered somewhere beside us.

Fragments exploded across the marble floor.

I screamed instinctively, covering my head as Sebastian raised his gun again. His entire body had changed in seconds. The calm, controlled man from earlier was gone.

This version of Sebastian looked terrifying.

Cold.

Focused.

Lethal.

The attacker darted toward the staircase, disappearing into the shadows while Sebastian fired another shot after him.

Then silence crashed down over everything.

Heavy.

Unsteady silence.

My breathing became uneven immediately.

I couldn’t think.

Couldn’t move.

My knees shook so badly I nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Sebastian didn’t lower his weapon right away.

His sharp eyes scanned every corner carefully, his chest rising slowly with controlled breaths while tension radiated from his entire body.

Meanwhile, mine felt completely out of control.

My throat burned where the knife had pressed against it.

My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.

The masked man’s voice replayed endlessly inside my head.

You were never supposed to survive this.

The words made my stomach twist violently.

“They’re gone,” a voice called from downstairs.

Several footsteps thundered through the mansion moments later before one of Sebastian’s security men appeared near the staircase.

“They escaped through the east side.”

Sebastian cursed under his breath.

Low.

Dangerous.

The kind of voice that warned everyone nearby not to push him further.

His hand tightened around the gun before he finally lowered it.

Then he turned toward me.

And instantly, everything about his expression changed.

The hardness disappeared so fast it almost gave me whiplash.

Concern replaced it.

Real concern.

“You hurt?” he asked quickly.

I opened my mouth to answer.

Nothing came out.

Because now that the adrenaline was fading, the reality of what had just happened finally crashed into me completely.

I almost died.

The realization hit so hard my chest tightened painfully.

Sebastian noticed immediately.

“Olivia.”

His voice softened slightly.

“Look at me.”

I forced myself to lift my eyes toward him.

Big mistake.

Because the second I did, the panic inside me completely cracked open.

His hands moved carefully onto my shoulders, steadying me as another wave of trembling hit my body.

“You’re safe,” he said quietly.

But I didn’t feel safe.

Not even close.

I could still feel the knife against my skin.

Still hear the attacker breathing beside my ear.

Still remember the terrifying certainty in his voice.

You were never supposed to survive this.

My breathing became shallow.

Too fast.

Too uneven.

The hallway suddenly felt smaller.

The walls closer.

The air heavier.

“I—I can’t…”

My vision blurred slightly.

Sebastian’s expression changed instantly.

“Breathe.”

I tried.

Failed.

Air barely reached my lungs.

My chest tightened harder.

Sebastian stepped closer immediately.

“Olivia.”

His voice lowered.

Calmer now.

Steadier.

“Stay with me.”

His hand slid gently against my cheek.

The warmth of it grounded me enough to focus again.

“Look at me,” he said quietly.

I did.

And somehow, that helped.

His thumb brushed lightly beneath my eye while I struggled to steady my breathing.

“That’s it,” he murmured. “Slowly.”

I hated how much his voice affected me.

How easily it cut through the panic.

How safe I suddenly felt standing close to him.

And maybe that should have scared me more than the attack itself.

Because Sebastian Romano was dangerous.

I knew that.

Everyone knew that.

Yet right now, he was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.

One of the guards stepped forward nervously.

“Sir, should we call the police?”

Sebastian’s entire expression hardened again.

“No.”

The answer came instantly.

The guard hesitated. “But—”

“I said no.”

Silence.

The guard nodded quickly.

“Yes, sir.”

Sebastian glanced toward another man nearby.

“Lock the entire property down.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Nobody leaves until I know exactly how they got in.”

The security team disappeared immediately.

Fear crawled slowly up my spine again.

If someone could break into Sebastian’s mansion…

Then nowhere was truly safe.

The thought made my stomach twist.

Sebastian turned back toward me carefully.

“You need to sit down.”

“I’m fine,” I lied weakly.

“You’re shaking.”

Only then did I realize how badly my hands were trembling.

I quickly wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hide it.

The silence between us felt different now.

Closer.

More dangerous somehow.

Because something had changed tonight.

The walls between us had cracked.

And we both knew it.

“You almost got killed,” I whispered.

Sebastian’s jaw tightened slightly.

“So did you.”

“But they came for me.”

“No,” he corrected firmly.

“They came for both of us.”

I looked away.

Guilt twisted painfully inside my chest.

“This is my fault.”

His eyes darkened instantly.

“No.”

“If I hadn’t come here—”

“They would’ve found another way.”

His sharp tone stopped me immediately.

I swallowed hard.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes,” he said quietly.

“I do.”

Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.

Because it sounded personal.

Like this wasn’t the first time blood had followed him.

Like he had already lost people before.

“Who are these people?” I asked softly.

Sebastian glanced briefly toward the broken hallway before answering.

“People with power.”

“That doesn’t explain anything.”

“It explains enough.”

Frustration flared instantly.

“No, it doesn’t.”

My voice shook slightly.

“You keep giving me pieces instead of the whole truth.”

“And you’re still alive because of it.”

The words hit hard.

Painfully hard.

Because part of me knew he was right.

But another part of me was exhausted.

Confused.

Angry.

Every answer only created more questions.

Every truth came wrapped in another lie.

“I don’t even know what’s real anymore,” I admitted quietly.

For a second, Sebastian simply stared at me.

Then something softer appeared in his expression again.

“That makes two of us.”

The honesty in his voice surprised me.

“You don’t know either?”

A bitter smile touched his lips briefly.

“I know enough to understand how dangerous this is.”

He paused.

“But Liam kept secrets from everyone.”

The mention of Liam made my chest ache instantly.

Even now, hearing his name felt strange.

Painful.

Unfinished.

“Even you?” I asked carefully.

Sebastian looked away for a moment.

“He was like a brother once.”

Once.

The pain hidden inside that single word didn’t escape me.

“What happened between you two?”

Silence stretched between us.

Heavy.

Then finally—

“He made choices.”

His voice hardened slightly again.

“Bad ones.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting tonight.”

I stared at him carefully.

“You cared about him.”

Sebastian didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes shifted toward the shattered glass on the floor.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded quieter.

“We built everything together once.”

That surprised me.

“What do you mean?”

“We grew up together.”

The confession caught me off guard.

Sebastian rarely talked about himself.

Ever.

“There was a time when I trusted him with my life.”

Something painful flashed briefly across his face before disappearing again.

“But trust doesn’t survive betrayal very well.”

I frowned slightly.

“What did he do?”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened.

For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer.

Then—

“He got involved with people he should’ve stayed away from.”

“The same people after us now?”

“Yes.”

Fear curled tighter inside my chest.

“Did Liam know how dangerous they were?”

Sebastian laughed softly.

But there was no humor in the sound.

“Liam always thought he was smarter than everyone else.”

The sadness in his voice hurt unexpectedly.

Because despite everything…

Sebastian still sounded angry at losing him.

Not just betrayed.

And somehow, that made this entire situation feel even worse.

Before I could ask another question, Sebastian’s eyes suddenly narrowed toward my neck.

His expression changed instantly.

“What?” I asked nervously.

He stepped closer slowly.

“The knife cut you.”

I blinked in surprise.

Only then did I feel the slight sting near my throat.

My fingers touched the area carefully.

When I pulled them back—

Blood.

Not much.

But enough.

Sebastian’s entire body tensed.

“It’s fine,” I said quickly.

“It’s not.”

The sharpness in his tone startled me.

Before I could protest, he gently took my wrist.

“Come with me.”

This time, I didn’t resist.

Minutes later, we entered the quiet bathroom connected to his bedroom.

The silence felt heavier here.

More intimate somehow.

Sebastian opened a medical kit while I sat carefully on the edge of the counter, trying to steady my thoughts.

The bright bathroom lights made everything feel strangely unreal.

Like none of tonight had actually happened.

But the dried blood on my fingers reminded me otherwise.

“You keep first aid supplies in your bathroom?” I asked softly.

“I like being prepared.”

That sounded exactly like him.

Prepared for everything.

Even violence.

Sebastian stepped closer, holding a clean cloth in one hand.

And suddenly…

I became painfully aware of how close we were.

Again.

“Tilt your head back slightly,” he said quietly.

I obeyed.

His fingers brushed gently beneath my chin as he cleaned the small cut near my throat.

I flinched slightly.

“Sorry,” he murmured immediately.

The softness in his voice surprised me again.

“You don’t seem like the gentle type,” I said before thinking.

A faint smirk touched his lips.

“You say that like it disappoints you.”

Heat rushed instantly to my face.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“No?”

His voice lowered slightly.

My heartbeat betrayed me immediately.

The air shifted again.

Dangerously.

Sebastian noticed.

I knew he did.

Because his gaze darkened slowly while his hand lingered lightly against my skin.

Neither of us moved.

Neither of us looked away.

And suddenly, I became aware of every tiny detail about him.

The faint scar near his jaw.

The smell of expensive cologne mixed with gunpowder.

The tension still visible beneath his calm expression.

The exhaustion hiding inside his eyes.

For the first time, he didn’t look untouchable.

He looked tired.

Human.

“You should hate me,” he said quietly.

The words caught me completely off guard.

“Why?”

“Because I brought you into this world.”

I swallowed hard.

“I walked into it myself.”

“Yes,” he said softly.

“But I let you stay.”

Something painful moved through my chest.

Because underneath all his control…

All his coldness…

There was guilt.

Real guilt.

“You act like this is all your responsibility,” I whispered.

His eyes held mine.

“Maybe it is.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

The question hung heavily between us.

I frowned slightly.

“You didn’t kill Liam.”

“No,” he agreed quietly.

“But maybe I could’ve stopped what happened before it reached him.”

The sadness in his voice surprised me again.

“You blame yourself.”

Sebastian looked away briefly.

“I learned a long time ago that people close to me usually get hurt.”

The confession landed painfully inside me.

Because suddenly, I understood something terrifying.

Sebastian wasn’t pushing people away because he didn’t care.

He pushed them away because he cared too much.

And he believed losing them was inevitable.

“You can’t protect everyone,” I said softly.

His eyes lifted slowly back to mine.

“No.”

A pause.

“But I should’ve protected him.”

Silence settled heavily around us again.

The tension between us felt unbearable now.

Not just physical.

Emotional too.

Because for the first time, I could see the man beneath the dangerous reputation.

The loneliness.

The guilt.

The exhaustion.

And somehow…

That scared me more.

Because it made him harder to hate.

Sebastian’s fingers brushed lightly against my throat again as he placed a bandage over the cut.

The movement sent heat rushing through me instantly.

His gaze dropped briefly toward my lips.

My breath caught.

And for one dangerous second…

I thought he might kiss me.

The possibility hit me so hard my pulse jumped wildly.

But then—

A phone rang downstairs.

The moment shattered instantly.

Sebastian stepped back immediately, tension returning to his face.

I hated how disappointed part of me felt.

He grabbed his phone from the counter.

Listened silently for several seconds.

Then his expression darkened.

Fear curled instantly inside my stomach.

“What?” I asked quietly.

Sebastian looked at me slowly.

“They found the witness.”

Hope flashed briefly through me.

“Alive?”

A pause.

Then—

“No.”

The single word hit like ice water.

My stomach dropped painfully.

“What happened?”

“Dead before my men arrived.”

Fear crawled slowly up my spine again.

“They’re covering everything up.”

“Yes.”

“And we’re next.”

Sebastian didn’t answer.

Which was answer enough.

I looked away quickly, trying to steady the growing panic inside me.

Every lead was disappearing.

Every answer came with blood.

And somehow, the deeper we dug, the more dangerous everything became.

Then Sebastian spoke quietly behind me.

“You can still leave.”

I turned sharply.

“What?”

“If you walk away now,” he said carefully, “I’ll make sure you disappear somewhere safe.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You want me to run?”

“I want you alive.”

The honesty in his voice shook me.

Because for the first time…

It didn’t sound like control.

It sounded like fear.

Fear of losing me.

“You’re serious,” I whispered.

“Yes.”

“And what about you?”

His expression hardened slightly.

“I’ll handle it.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one that matters.”

Anger flared instantly inside me.

“You don’t get to decide this for me.”

Sebastian stepped closer slowly.

“You have no idea what you’re choosing.”

“Then tell me.”

Silence.

Heavy silence.

His eyes searched mine carefully.

Like he was debating how much truth I could survive.

Finally, he spoke quietly.

“These people don’t stop, Olivia.”

The darkness in his voice made my chest tighten.

“They destroy everything around them.”

“Then why are you still fighting them?”

Something dangerous flashed across his face.

“Because someone has to.”

The determination in his voice sent chills through me.

“You really think you can win?”

“No,” he admitted softly.

“But I’ll make sure they regret coming after you.”

My breath caught painfully.

There it was again.

That terrifying protectiveness.

That dangerous loyalty.

And maybe the scariest part was realizing how much it affected me.

“I’m not leaving,” I said firmly.

Sebastian’s eyes darkened slightly.

“You should.”

“But I won’t.”

“You don’t even know what you’re risking.”

“No,” I admitted quietly.

“But I know I’m tired of running from the truth.”

Silence filled the room again.

Then slowly…

Sebastian nodded.

Like he had expected that answer all along.

And in that moment, something shifted between us completely.

No more pretending.

No more distance.

Because the way he looked at me now…

It wasn’t cold anymore.

It wasn’t detached.

It was something far more dangerous.

Something intense.

Protective.

Hungry.

And suddenly, I realized something terrifying.

The danger surrounding us wasn’t the only thing growing stronger.

So was whatever existed between us.

And judging by the look in Sebastian’s eyes…

He realized it too.