The news never mentioned names.
Just a break-in gone wrong.
A man hospitalized. Critical condition.
Security footage corrupted. No witnesses.
But Aaria knew.
She knew the moment Rafael came home with blood beneath his nails and silence in his eyes.
He didn't speak as he walked past her.
Didn't answer when she whispered his name.
He went straight to the sink, rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt, and began to wash.
Red water swirled down the drain.
Slow. Steady. Silent.
"Rafael…" she tried again.
"I told you I'd protect you," he said without looking at her.
She stepped closer. "What did you do?"
He finally looked up. His face was unreadable. Controlled. But his knuckles were raw. Torn. Like he hadn't stopped hitting when the bones broke.
"I kept my promise."
"You said you'd dismantle the monster—"
"I am the monster," Rafael said flatly. "You don't tame a fire like me, Aaria. You either freeze without it, or you let it burn everything else down."
She stared at him, her heart torn between fear and something worse—understanding.
Because deep down, she hadn't wanted him to stop.
Whoever had followed her, threatened her, painted those words across her door—deserved it.
And Rafael?
He gave them exactly what they earned.
But still…
"How far will you go?" she asked, her voice trembling.
He stepped closer, still damp with darkness. "As far as it takes."
"To keep me?"
"To make sure no one ever gets close enough to take you away again."
Her throat tightened.
This wasn't love.
This was war.
And she was the only thing keeping him from unleashing all of it.
"I should walk away," she whispered.
"Then walk."
"But I won't."
He smiled, just barely.
"Because you're mine," he said. "And somewhere inside, you like what that means."
She hated that he was right.
But even more, she hated that the part of her that once feared being owned…
Now craved it.
That night, they didn't touch.
Didn't speak.
But she lay in his bed again, curled beside him, listening to his breath as he slept beside the demon he tried so hard to control.
And as the city burned with headlines and rumors…
She closed her eyes, and whispered a secret into the dark.
"If loving you means becoming a monster… then teach me how."