Adrian's arms tightened around Raya like steel bands, pulling her even closer against his chest as if he could physically shield her from the horror she had just committed.
"It's okay, babygirl… things like this happen," he murmured, his voice low and deceptively soothing, trying to anchor her as his lips brushed against her hair. "Breathe. I've got you."
But Raya shook her head weakly, her face buried in his blood-stained shirt, fingers clutching the fabric so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"I… I just killed someone…" she whispered, the words fracturing in her throat, raw with disbelief and guilt. "He's dead… because of me."
"No, you didn't," Adrian replied immediately, his tone firm and absolute, as if saying it loudly enough could make it true. "That was me. Not you."
But even as the words left his mouth, his gaze lifted slowly across the room.
Straight to Luca Romano.
