Chapter 1 — The Man Everyone Warned Her About

The first thing I noticed about him was his hands. Not his face. Not his clothes. His hands. They were resting loosely on the steering wheel, one thumb tapping against the leather as he waited for the traffic light to change. Calm. Patient. Almost gentle. “You're staring.” I quickly looked out the window. “I wasn't.” He smiled. “You were.” The light turned green. He drove on. His name was Adrian Vale. And if you asked anyone who knew him, they would tell you the same thing. Stay away from him. I had heard it more times than I could count. From my best friend. From strangers who somehow knew his name. From a man at the café who grabbed my wrist one afternoon and whispered, “Whatever he tells you, don't believe him.” Even my mother had once looked me directly in the eyes and said, “Some men don't love women, sweetheart. They love owning them.” I had laughed. I didn't laugh anymore. Because I had seen what Adrian was capable of. I'd seen the blood on his knuckles. I'd heard the phone calls he thought I couldn't hear. I'd watched a man apologize to him with tears in his eyes. And I'd watched Adrian smile afterward. Still... He had never been cruel to me. Not once. He remembered how I took my coffee. He knew I hated thunderstorms. He kept an umbrella in his car because I always forgot mine. When I fell asleep on his couch, he would lower the television instead of waking me. And when I told him I was cold, he didn't ask. He simply took off his jacket and wrapped it around me. It was almost unfair. How could someone capable of terrifying everyone else make me feel so safe? “What's on your mind?” I looked at him. “You.” His eyebrow lifted. “That's dangerous.” I smiled. “People say you're dangerous.” “They're right.” He said it so casually that my smile disappeared. Adrian glanced at me. “You should listen to them.” There was no teasing in his voice. No arrogance. Just certainty. I swallowed. “Then why do you keep asking me to stay?” He pulled into a quiet street and parked. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he turned toward me. His expression softened. “Because I'm selfish.” I laughed nervously. “That doesn't sound very romantic.” “I didn't say I was a good man.” His fingers brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “But I love you.” My heart betrayed me immediately. It always did. I looked down. “You shouldn't.” “I know.” “You've been warned about me too.” He smiled faintly. “I have.” “And?” He leaned closer. “I don't care.” I should have left that night. I should have listened to every warning. Instead, I took his hand. And that was my first mistake. I just didn't know it yet. Because three days later, I discovered what Adrian had done to make sure I would never leave him. And the worst part? He had done it because he loved me.

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