Chapter 7: Cracks in the Mask
259 Words
The car ride back was suffocating.
Not because of silence.
But because of everything left unsaid.
Lena stared out the window, her reflection faint against the glass. Her mind replayed the moment again and again—
Marcus’s grip.
His eyes.
The way Adrian had stepped in.
Too fast.
Too protective.
“Who is he?” Lena finally asked, her voice cutting through the tension.
Adrian didn’t respond.
Not even a glance.
Her frustration flared instantly.
“Adrian.”
Still nothing.
“Stop ignoring me!”
“I’m not ignoring you.”
“Then answer me!”
The sharpness in her voice filled the car.
Finally—
He looked at her.
And the intensity in his gaze made her breath catch.
“Marcus Vale,” he said. “And he’s not someone you need to worry about.”
Lena let out a disbelieving laugh.
“That’s exactly the kind of person I should worry about.”
Adrian exhaled slowly, like he was debating how much to say.
“He’s dangerous,” he admitted.
The words landed heavily.
Lena’s stomach tightened.
“Dangerous how?”
A pause.
Then—
“He destroys things.”
Her chest tightened.
“What kind of things?”
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“Everything.”
Silence filled the car again.
But this time—
It wasn’t empty.
It was heavy.
“So why was he looking at me like that?” Lena asked more quietly.
Adrian’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
“Because,” he said slowly, “he sees you as a weakness.”
- Writer
