Chapter 5 - The Master BedroomThe world narrowed down to a single point of light: the open door of the master bedroom.
I didn't think about the knife. I didn't calculate my odds against a man who had clearly lost his mind. Every protective instinct I had buried beneath years of emotional detachment erupted, turning my blood to ice and fire all at once.
I lunged across the shattered wreckage of the living room, hitting Nolan square in the chest before he could raise the blade.
We crashed into the drywall, the impact shaking the entire apartment. Nolan grunted, the wind knocked out of him, but his grip on the knife remained iron-tight. He slashed upward, the blade grazing my shoulder, tearing through my shirt and hot skin. Pain flared, sharp and burning, but I barely felt it.
I gripped his wrist, twisting it downward with all my strength until a sickening pop echoed in the small space.
The knife slipped from his fingers, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.
Before he could recover, I drove my fist straight into his jaw. The impact sent him stumbling backward, crashing hard into the bookshelf before collapsing unconscious onto the floor.
I stood over him, chest heaving, blood dripping from my shoulder, my knuckles split and bleeding.
Then, turning on my heel, I sprinted into the master bedroom.
"Ava!"
The room was dark, illuminated only by the neon glow of the city sign outside the window. Ava was tied securely to the wooden headboard of her bed, a heavy silk scarf bound tightly across her mouth, her eyes wide with terror and unshed tears.
I dropped to my knees beside the bed, my trembling hands working furiously at the knots.
"I've got you," I gasped, pulling the scarf away. "Ava, I've got you. Are you hurt?"
The moment the gag was off, Ava broke down, throwing her arms around my neck so hard we both tumbled backward onto the mattress. She was shaking uncontrollably, burying her face into my chest, sobbing in ragged, desperate gasps.
"Ben... oh god, Ben, I thought he was going to kill you," she wept into my shirt. "When he heard you outside... he went crazy."
"Shh, it's okay. It's over. He's out cold in the living room," I whispered, pressing my face into her auburn hair, breathing in the scent of vanilla and fear and absolute relief. My arms wrapped around her tighter than I had ever held anything in my life.
For the first time in nine months, there were no walls. No barriers. No grocery shelves or lease agreements or emotional armor.
Just us. In the dark.
"I'm sorry," she whispered against my skin, her fingers clutching the back of my ruined shirt. "I'm so sorry I kept secrets. I was just... I was so afraid of losing you."
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, brushing a stray curl away from her tear-streaked cheek. My thumb gently traced her jawline, feeling the steady, racing pulse beneath her skin.
"You could never lose me, Ava," I said, my voice thick with a truth I finally wasn't afraid to own. "Even if I tried to walk away... I'd just end up right back here."
May you like
She managed a watery, breathtaking smile, her hands rising to cup my face. "Good. Because I'm never letting you leave."
Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder as they sped toward the building. But as police lights flashed red and blue across the bedroom window, neither of us moved an inch.
