VILLA OF THORNS

The Damage Done

The house had never felt this loud.

Adrian had just stepped out of his bedroom in the villa, when the first scream pierced through the hallway. Milly.

He moved fast, pushing past the lingering haze of the afterparty, confusion giving way to dread. The other guys were frozen—eyes wide, expressions wary—listening as chaos erupted from upstairs.

More voices.

Girls yelling.

Footsteps running.

A slam.

Then nothing.

Adrian rounded the corner just in time to see the tail end of the girls rushing away from Yannis's bedroom. The look on Milly's face—

He'd never forget it.

Betrayal.

Pain.

Rage.

It was carved into her features like stone.

"What the hell happened?" he asked one of the guys, but no one had an answer. Just silent shrugs and pale faces.

So he went to the door.

And knocked once.

Didn't wait.

He pushed it open.

And stopped cold.

Yannis stood near the bed, shirtless, eyes dark and heavy. Katie was curled beneath the sheets, her hair messy, her skin flushed and bare from the shoulders up. Her face was streaked with tears.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Adrian hissed, slamming the door shut behind him once he stepped into Yiannis' bedroom.

Yannis didn't flinch. He looked exhausted. Tormented. But calm. That kind of dangerous calm that made Adrian want to shake him until something cracked.

"Adrian—"

"You slept with her? Katie? Milly's best friend?!"

Katie let out a choked sob and turned away, burying her face into the pillow like she couldn't bear to be seen.

Yannis didn't move. Didn't deny it.

"I didn't plan it," he said finally. "But it happened."

"You didn't plan it?" Adrian stalked closer. "That's your defense? Are you listening to yourself?"

"She was drugged," Yannis said, his voice low. Not enough to hurt her—just... enough to lose her inhibitions. She had the brownies. She wasn't okay. And when I took her here to rest, I—" He dragged a hand through his hair. "I should've walked away."

"But you didn't." Adrian's voice cracked. "You let this happen. You let it happen all night?. You got so comfortable that you stayed till morning? While your fiance was downstairs?. Have you lost your mind?!"

Katie winced.

Yannis finally looked up, meeting Adrian's eyes.

"Im in love with her," he said quietly. "It's better that the truth came out this way"

Silence.

Adrian's hand clenched into a fist. "You just shattered everything, man. Milly. Your engagement. This friendship. Her. Do you even know what you've done to Katie?. How can you claim to love someone and turn around and ruin that person?!"

Katie whimpered behind him.

Yannis turned, stepping to the edge of the bed. His voice softened. "She gave herself to me. Her first time, Adrian. I couldn't just get up and leave her. I didn't want her to wake up and feel used ".

Adrian's jaw tensed. "Jesus Christ."

"She trusted me," Yannis continued, "and I will not let her be punished for it."

"You already punished her the moment you touched her," Adrian snapped. "Now the whole friend group is at war. Milly's destroyed. And I don't even know who the hell you are anymore."

Yannis stood taller. "I'm the same man. I just finally told the truth."

Adrian stared at him, long and hard, then looked at Katie—crying, fragile, broken.

"This is going to ruin her."

"I'll protect her," Yannis said, without hesitation.

"You better," Adrian replied coldly. "Because if you don't, you will have me to answer to. This better not be a fling. Im going to hold you accountable".

Then he turned, slammed the door behind him, and left the man he once called his brother standing in the ruins of everything they'd built.

⸻

Katie stood near the grand foyer, arms wrapped tightly around her midsection, her oversized hoodie doing little to hide the ache in her body—or the guilt burning just beneath her skin.

She could still feel Yannis on her skin.

And worse—she could still feel the way her heart had skipped when he said he loved her.

But now?

Now there was only shame. The kind that felt like it would never come off, no matter how many showers she took. She had betrayed her best friend. The only one who had been there for her throughout the years. She had broken Milly's heart and this was something she could not forgive herself for.

"Katie."

She turned at the sound of Adrian's voice. He was already holding his keys, a jacket thrown over one arm, his usual sarcastic confidence stripped down to something quieter—something softer.

"Yannis said you wanted an Uber," he said, his voice gentle. "But I'll take you home."

She hesitated. "I... I don't want to be a bother."

Adrian shook his head. "You're not."

He didn't wait for her to argue. Just motioned toward the door and started walking. Katie followed behind him, not daring to look back at the villa as she got into his car.

⸻

The ride was quiet at first.

The city passed in blurred streaks of orange and silver, the rain misting lightly against the windshield. Katie stared out the passenger window, her fingers clenched together in her lap.

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"This is messed up". Adrian glanced at her, jaw tightening.

"I know." Katie swallowed hard, blinking back the sting behind her eyes.

Adrian didn't respond right away.

Then, softly, "This isn't all on you, you know."

She let out a breathless, bitter laugh. "Isn't it?"

"She was your best friend. He was her fiancé." He shot her a glance. "But he was also the one in the relationship. He's the one who crossed the line he swore never to cross."

Katie turned to face him. "I let it happen. I wanted it to happen. That's the part that kills me."

Adrian pulled the car over just outside her apartment building, the streetlight casting long shadows across the dashboard.

"I'm not going to pretend I understand how it got that far," he said, turning in his seat to face her fully. "But I saw you after. The way you shook. The way you cried. That wasn't someone celebrating a win. That was someone breaking."

Katie blinked hard, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"You're not evil, Katie," Adrian said quietly. "You're human. And sometimes people do stupid, messy, painful things."

She looked down, hands trembling in her lap. "He is probably going to look back in the future and hate n for this".

"No," Adrian said firmly. "You were the first person he didn't lie to. That doesn't make it right. But it means something. I have known Yiannis since childhood and I know you are not a mistake to him in anyway. Just let the dust settle".

Katie looked up at him slowly. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

He hesitated—then exhaled, long and slow.

"Because someone should be."

Silence settled between them again.

Then, as she unbuckled her seatbelt, Adrian reached into the back seat and pulled out his hoodie.

"Take this. It's cold."

She stared at it for a moment, then at him. "You really don't hate me?"

"I should," he said. "You are the first girl to make my best friend act without thinking. But I don't. Because deep down... I don't think this could have been avoided. I'm glad it happened before the wedding".

Katie held his gaze, heart hammering.

Nothing was going to be the same again.