Then, suddenly… silence. The hands vanished. The laughter stopped.
Instead, warmth wrapped around me-a clean, woodsy scent filled my senses, strong, protective, and deeply familiar.
I couldn’t open my eyes, but I didn’t want to.
I felt myself being carried, cradled close against a solid, reassuring chest. Even in my drugged haze, my body responded instinctively, drawn toward that comforting heat.
Sebastian
I carried Cecilia through the hotel’s discreet side exit, shielding her from every curious glance and whispered speculation. No one was going to see her like this-vulnerable, shaken, fragile.
We had to get her to a hospital, quickly.
Liam was already waiting in the car, the engine running softly.
I eased into the backseat, still holding her in my arms. I didn’t even consider setting her down beside me. She was barely conscious, limp from whatever sedative they had forced into her.
She curled against me, her head resting lightly on my shoulder. One hand lay limply on my chest, while the other clutched the back of my shirt as if afraid I might vanish.
She hovered on the edge between sleep and wakefulness.
I held her tighter.
I could feel her heart pounding against mine-rapid and uneven. Her skin was feverish, her breath shallow.
The car was silent as we drove through the night. Taking a sharp turn, Liam’s worried driving caused Cecilia’s head to slip across my shoulder.
Her soft lips brushed my neck, and I tensed immediately.
In her half-conscious state, she instinctively lifted the hand resting on my chest, looping it gently around my neck.
Something had startled her. She shifted slightly, her breathing quickening. Each warm exhale against my throat felt like a deliberate kiss pressed against my Adam’s apple.
Soren stirred inside me, alert and possessive.
[Our mate needs comfort], he growled, his voice rough with longing.
[Hold her. Let us hold her properly.]
My grip on her waist tightened, my jaw clenched.
[No. Not now.]
I brushed a damp strand of hair from her temple, soothing her trembling with the lightest touch of my thumb.
“You’re safe now,” I whispered, my voice deeper and huskier than I intended-almost reverent.
I wasn’t sure if she heard me.
But I said it anyway.
For her.
And for myself.
When we reached the hospital, Liam glanced at my flushed face. “Sir, are you… feeling overheated?”
“You talk too much,” I shot back coldly, giving him a sharp look before carrying Cecilia inside.
Liam stayed by the car, confused. “What did I say wrong?” he muttered to himself.
The private hospital had been alerted in advance. Medical staff rushed forward as soon as I entered, ready to take over Cecilia’s care.
Cecilia
I woke around half past midnight, struggling to clear the fog clouding my mind.
The first thing I did was check my body for any signs of harm or violation. Finding nothing but aching wrists, I let out a shaky breath of relief.
That’s when I noticed Sebastian Black sitting quietly nearby.
He had saved me.
“Sebas…” My voice was hoarse and weak, barely managing to say his name before my phone rang on the bedside table.
He picked it up, glancing at the screen. “It’s your mother.”
My parents must be frantic. I’d told them I was just meeting a friend before coming home, but hours had passed.
Sebastian answered the call. “Hello?”
My mother’s voice came through, startled by the male voice. “Who is this?”
“I’m a friend of Cecilia’s. She’s currently…” Sebastian looked at me as I frantically motioned for him not to reveal too much. But he continued anyway, “…in the hospital.”
I slumped back against the pillows. Damn it.
My parents immediately insisted on coming. Despite my protests, Sebastian gave them the address.
After hanging up, he explained, “At this hour, with me answering your phone, I couldn’t lie and say you were just out drinking. That would only make them worry more.”
I opened my mouth to argue but slowly deflated, realizing he was right.
Clearing my throat with effort, I finally said, “Could you at least ask the doctor to tell them it was a minor car accident? They can’t handle the truth about what happened.”
“There isn’t much ‘truth’ to tell,” he replied diplomatically. “Those men didn’t cause any permanent harm.”
But we both knew how close I had come to disaster. The sedative they injected could have left me utterly helpless. And the second syringe that had fallen on the bed-filled with some drug that would have ruined my life-still haunted my thoughts.
“Even so,” I insisted, “I don’t want my parents to know. Please.”
Sebastian was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. Then he asked carefully, “Do you know who did this to you?”
“Yes,” I answered, my fingers curling tightly around the bedsheets. A burning hatred flared in my eyes as I thought of Xavier and Cici’s monstrous betrayal. “I know exactly who’s responsible.”
Cecilia
At the break of dawn, I quietly slipped out of my parents’ home, careful not to wake anyone. I left behind only a brief note-both Mom and Dad were still deep in sleep, despite having stayed up late last night, worried about my hospital visit. They hadn’t drifted off until nearly 2 a.m., their concern evident even in their exhaustion.
I pulled on a baseball cap and dark sunglasses to mask my face, then hailed a cab to Harper’s apartment. When she opened the door, the exhaustion etched beneath her eyes was unmistakable. The dark circles revealed she hadn’t closed them since my panicked call in the middle of the night.
“You look awful,” I said softly, trying to bring a bit of normalcy into the chaos that had engulfed us.
“Speak for yourself,” she replied with a weak attempt at humor, but her smile faltered as she stepped aside to let me in.
Once inside, I recounted every harrowing detail of the previous night-the trap that had been set, the drugs forced upon me, the men Cici had sent to attack me, and Sebastian’s sudden, unexpected rescue. Harper’s face twisted with fury, her hands trembling as if she could tear the world apart with her rage.
“Xavier isn’t even human anymore! He’s a monster! No, that’s too kind-he’s something far worse!” Her voice grew louder, shaking with anger. “And Cici and that woman-worse than animals!”
While Harper paced the room, cursing under her breath, I moved toward the kitchen with an unnerving calm that even surprised me. “Is there any food in the fridge? I’ll make us some breakfast.”
Harper stared at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. “You can think about breakfast right now?”
I shrugged off my jacket and gently guided my furious friend over to the sofa. “Starving ourselves isn’t going to help against monsters like them. We need strength if we’re going to fight back.”
As I pulled away, Harper’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. Her eyes widened in shock at the fresh, bloody marks where the restraints had cut into my skin the night before.
“They tied you up?” Her voice cracked with disbelief. “They didn’t give you a single chance to get away.”
“Yes,” I replied with a bitter smile. “No escape at all.”
“Cici’s cruelty I expected-she’s always been vicious. But Xavier…” Harper shook her head, unable to comprehend. “How could he do this? Eight years together, Cecilia. Eight years! Even if he stopped loving you, there should be some shred of decency left. But to treat you like this, for someone he barely knows? It’s unforgivable.”
“He’d do anything to please his new toy,” I muttered.
“But he acted like he still cared about you-“
“Cared?” I scoffed. “That’s the biggest joke of all.”
“Did you know they’re announcing their engagement tonight?” I asked flatly.
“What?!” Harper whipped her head around so fast I worried she might hurt herself. “You’re not even divorced yet! Wait…” Her expression darkened as realization dawned. “What if he knew about the divorce papers the whole time? What if this was their plan from the start-to trap you on the last day of the waiting period so you’d lose your settlement and be blackmailed into a quiet divorce? They’d have those videos to keep you silent while he starts his new life with Cici, with no consequences!”
I absorbed her theory silently, then headed back to the kitchen. “I’ll make breakfast first.”
A little while later, I returned carrying two plates of scrambled eggs and toast. Harper couldn’t eat a single bite, her face pale as if she were the one betrayed. Meanwhile, I ate methodically, washing down the food with a glass of milk.
Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I looked over at Harper. “I need your help with something.”
Her eyes burned with fierce loyalty. “Anything. I’d walk through fire for you.”
“Good.”
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