(18+ matured content alert)
Adrian led Jenny into a dimly lit corridor, the soft glow of the sconces casting restless shadows across the walls. Without a word, he pressed her back against the cold stone, his hands capturing hers above her head, holding her in place with a force that made her pulse race.
He leaned in, forehead brushing hers, his dark eyes burning with a hunger that left her breathless. His voice dropped, rough and intimate.
"Tell me, Jenny... when you're alone at night-do you ever think of me?"
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away.
"All the time," she whispered, trembling. "I can't stop. I've wanted this for so long."
A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. His fingers traced her jaw, sliding down to the delicate hollow of her throat.
"And knowing how much I want you... does that excite you?"
Her breath hitched. She gripped the front of his shirt, dragging him closer.
"Yes," she breathed. "Even when you're not here... I feel you. I need you."
A low sound rumbled in his chest as his lips claimed hers-fierce, consuming, as though he would devour every part of her. He kissed her again and again, his hand sliding to her waist, pulling her flush against him. Breathless, trembling, they clung to each other as if the world outside had ceased to exist.
But then-Adrian froze. His lips hovered above hers, his body rigid, as a memory sliced through him like a blade.
He saw her. His mother.
Her body, crumpled and drenched in blood. Her pale face turned toward him, eyes half-open, voice a fragile whisper.
"Adrian... stay strong... don't let them break you..."
The boy he once was had screamed until his throat tore. He remembered shaking her, begging her, his small hands slippery with her blood.
"Please... don't leave me! Don't go!"
Someone had dragged him back, his cries echoing into emptiness-helpless, broken, alone.
The memory ripped through him so vividly that his chest burned. He stumbled back, his voice raw.
"I... I can't. Not with you."
Jenny's breath caught, her eyes wide and pleading. "Adrian, what is it? What's wrong?"
He shook his head violently, anguish darkening his gaze.
"You don't understand," he rasped. "It's not you. It's him-your father. I lost everything because of him. I can't... I can't let myself fall. Not with you."
Her hand trembled as she touched his arm, desperate to anchor him.
"But I'm here," she whispered. "I'm not him. Let me be with you."
Adrian's jaw clenched, his eyes glistening with a storm he couldn't hide. Somewhere deep inside, his mother's voice lingered-an echo that chained him to the past.
Be strong, Adrian... protect yourself... don't let them take what's left of you.
He closed his eyes, torn between the girl in front of him-the warmth, the love, the promise of something more-and the ghost of the mother he could never save.
Adrian's chest heaved, the war inside him tearing him apart. Jenny's hand lingered on his arm, soft and pleading, but he pulled away as though her touch burned him.
"Adrian, don't..." her voice cracked.
His gaze lingered on her, dark and conflicted, as if he wanted to surrender but couldn't. His lips parted, but no words came-only silence, heavy and unbearable. Then, without another glance, he turned sharply and strode away.
"Adrian!" Jenny's cry echoed through the empty corridor, her voice trembling with pain. But he didn't stop. He couldn't.
The doors of the wedding hall swung open, and the night air rushed around him like a cruel reminder of the life he'd never have. His footsteps were swift, almost desperate, until he reached his car. He gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white before the engine roared to life.
He drove through the city, the glittering lights blurring past. Every heartbeat pounded with Jenny's voice, her touch, the sweetness he had abandoned. But stronger than all of it was the echo of blood, of loss, of his mother's fading breath.
Finally, the road curved into darkness, leading him to the cemetery. The iron gates groaned as he pushed them open, walking between rows of silent stones until he reached her.
Kneeling before the grave, Adrian's hands trembled as he touched the cold earth. His voice cracked, raw with the weight of years he could never erase.
"Mom..." His eyes stung, tears burning. "Forgive me. I couldn't protect you. I couldn't save you."
The night wind whispered through the trees, as if carrying her presence back to him. He bowed his head lower, his chest shaking.
"I tried to let someone in," he confessed. "But every time I feel her, I see you. I see your blood. I see what he took from me."
His voice deepened, filled with a dark fire that swallowed his grief.
"I swear to you-I will make him pay. Peter Smith will lose everything, the way I lost you. I will take revenge, no matter the cost."
His fingers dug into the soil as though clinging to her, as though she could still hear him.
"This is my promise to you, Mom. I will not fail again. He will repent."
The cemetery lay in silence, the moonlight spilling across the stone, and Adrian rose slowly, shadows carving across his face. His heart was torn, his soul aching for the girl he left behind-but his path was set.
Love had almost broken him. But revenge... revenge would keep him alive.