Lina left the room almost tripping over her own feet, her heart beating far too fast for her to think straight. The apartment felt bigger than before, as if every wall echoed his words:
"I want you by my side."
She leaned against the cold hallway wall and took a deep breath, trying to organize the storm inside her.
Marriage.
To Adrian Luce.
She needed air.
After wandering around the apartment for a few minutes, Lina found the exit door. The elevator took her to the ground floor with a silence that felt unbearably heavy. The lobby was luxurious, full of dark marble and elegant flower arrangements, but none of it mattered as Lina walked toward the street.
When the cold wind hit her face, reality seemed to snap back into place.
The first thing she did was check her phone — 23% battery and several unread messages.
The most recent was from her mother.
Mom:
"Where are you? Your sister is going to wear your blue dress to tonight's dinner. Make sure it's clean when you get back."
Lina closed her eyes.
Of course.
Not even a single "Are you okay?"
Other messages were from coworkers, reminding her she had an afternoon shift.
She sighed. She was probably already late.
She walked to the nearest bus stop, her mind still drifting, and when she finally boarded, she felt people staring.
Of course: she was still wearing the clean, expensive, absolutely not subtle clothes she found in Adrian's apartment.
She looked like someone important.
But she didn't feel like it.
The bus rolled through noisy, crowded streets — a world completely different from the silent luxury of the penthouse. With each passing block, Lina felt the brutal gap between his world and hers growing even bigger.
"This is way too crazy…" she muttered to herself.
Her phone buzzed.
It was her best friend, Yumi.
Yumi:
"LINAAAAA! Where have you been?! I stopped by your place yesterday and your ex and that snake of a sister were laughing in the living room. What happened???"
Lina bit her lip.
She typed slowly:
Lina:
"I'll tell you later."
There was no way to explain any of it.
It didn't even sound real.
When she finally arrived at the small café where she worked as a barista, Lina took a deep breath. The familiar smell of ground coffee and warm ovens brought her a sliver of comfort.
"Lina!" her manager called — a short, always-irritated man. "You're late."
"I know, I'm sorry," she replied, quickly tying on her apron. "I had… an emergency."
"You look like a different person today," he muttered, glancing at her fancy clothes.
Lina blushed.
"Yeah… it's complicated."
The hours crawled by painfully slowly, as if time itself was mocking her. Between one order and another, she tried not to think about Adrian. His cold eyes. His firm voice. His absurd proposal.
But he slipped into her mind every few minutes.
"I need you."
The more she tried to ignore it, the louder it echoed in her chest.
It was madness.
Complete insanity.
But it was… tempting.
It would change everything in her life.
Help her escape her toxic family.
Give her space to pursue her dream of becoming an actress without the crushing pressure of survival.
But what about him?
What did he really want?
Why did he seem so… lonely?
When her shift finally ended, she was exhausted — from work and from thinking too much.
She stepped out through the back door, breathed in the cool night air, and looked up at the dark sky.
"What do I do…?"
That's when bright headlights lit up the street.
A sleek black car pulled up in front of her.
The driver stepped out immediately and opened the back door.
Lina froze.
And then she saw who was inside.
Adrian.
Impeccable. Serious. Eyes intense as always.
He watched her for a few seconds before saying:
"Get in."
"A-A-Adrian… what are you doing here?"
"You didn't come back," he answered simply. "So I came to get your answer."
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"I… I still haven't decided."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Then let's talk."
Lina took a step back, startled… but her body didn't seem willing to run.
"You don't need to be afraid of me, Lina," he said, his voice low, almost gentle. "I just want you to know exactly what you're choosing."
She hesitated.
For a long, stretched-out moment.
Until she finally took a deep breath, clenched her hands, and…
Took the first step toward the car.
The decision wasn't made yet.
But their fate… was already drawing dangerously close.