For a moment after Ethan collapsed, the room was completely silent.
Sebastian stood there, breathing heavily, the adrenaline of the fight still racing through his body. Blood from the cut on his head slowly ran down the side of his face, dripping onto the floor, but he barely noticed it.
His attention was entirely on Lillian.
She was still standing close to him, her arms wrapped around him as if she were afraid he might disappear if she let go.
"It's over," he said quietly. "He won't touch you again."
Lillian didn't answer.
Instead, her grip loosened.
Sebastian frowned slightly and looked down at her.
"Miss Parker?"
Her face had gone pale, the tension draining out of her body all at once.
The shock of everything—the kidnapping, the fear, the struggle—had finally caught up with her.
Before Sebastian could react, her knees buckled.
He caught her immediately.
"Lillian!"
Her body went limp in his arms.
She had fainted.
For a second, Sebastian's heart dropped into his stomach.
"Lillian," he said again, a little sharper this time.
But she didn't respond.
He quickly checked her breathing.
Slow. Steady.
Relief washed over him.
"She just fainted," he muttered under his breath.
Even so, his jaw tightened. The sight of the bruises already forming around her wrist and arm filled him with a quiet rage.
He carefully lifted her into his arms.
Normally, carrying someone would not have been difficult for him. But he was still recovering from surgery, and the fight with Ethan had not helped.
His back ached.
His head throbbed where Ethan had struck him.
And his vision was slightly blurry around the edges.
Still, he didn't hesitate.
He carried Lillian out of the apartment and down the stairs.
Each step sent a dull pulse of pain through his body, but he ignored it.
The only thing that mattered was getting her somewhere safe.
When he reached his car, he carefully opened the back door.
He gently laid Lillian across the back seats, making sure her head was supported.
Then he removed his coat.
Without thinking, he folded it and slid it carefully under her head to act as a pillow.
His movements were slow and deliberate, almost protective.
For a moment he just stood there, looking at her.
Her blonde hair was slightly messy, falling across her cheek.
The bruises on her wrist looked worse under the streetlights.
Sebastian clenched his jaw.
Then he shut the car door and got into the driver's seat.
His head was still pounding.
His vision blurred slightly again when he started the engine.
Instead of heading toward a hospital, Sebastian drove toward his mansion.
Because there was only one place he trusted to keep her safe.
Home.
The drive felt longer than usual.
Sebastian kept glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure Lillian was still breathing steadily.
Every time the car hit a bump in the road, he slowed down instinctively.
His head throbbed harder with every passing minute, but he refused to stop.
Finally, the tall gates of his mansion appeared ahead.
They opened automatically as his car approached.
He parked quickly and stepped out.
The cool night air hit his face, but it did nothing to clear the fog in his head.
Sebastian opened the back door and carefully lifted Lillian into his arms again.
She was still unconscious.
Her head rested lightly against his shoulder.
He carried her inside.
The house was silent, the large hallways dimly lit.
Normally the mansion felt cold and empty.
Tonight it felt… strangely different.
Sebastian carried her up the stairs to the second floor.
His bedroom door opened quietly as he pushed it with his shoulder.
He walked inside and moved toward the bed.
The massive bed looked even larger with Lillian's small figure resting against him.
He gently laid her down on the soft sheets.
For a moment he simply stood there beside the bed.
His breathing was slower now, but his head still throbbed.
Then he noticed the marks on her wrists.
Dark bruises.
Angry red lines from the ropes that had restrained her.
His expression hardened.
Without a word, Sebastian turned and walked into the ensuite bathroom.
He opened the cabinet and took out the first aid kit.
Blood from his own injury had started dripping onto the collar of his shirt.
He ignored it completely.
When he returned to the bedroom, he placed the kit on the bedside table.
Then he pulled an armchair closer to the bed and sat down.
Lillian still hadn't woken up.
Her breathing remained calm, though her face looked tired.
Sebastian opened the first aid kit and took out ointment and clean bandages.
He reached for her wrist carefully.
His movements were surprisingly gentle for someone who had just been in a brutal fight.
He applied the ointment slowly over the bruised skin.
Lillian stirred slightly but didn't wake.
"That's it," he murmured quietly. "Easy."
He wrapped the bandage carefully around her wrist.
Then he repeated the process with her other wrist.
Finally, he treated the bruise on her arm where Ethan had grabbed her.
Sebastian worked slowly and patiently.
As if he were afraid of hurting her further.
When he finished, he placed the medical supplies back in the kit.
Only then did he lean back slightly in the armchair.
The room was quiet again.
The soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated Lillian's face.
Sebastian studied her silently.
She looked peaceful now.
Very different from the terrified woman he had found tied to that bed earlier.
A strange warmth spread slowly through his chest.
It caught him off guard.
Sebastian wasn't used to feelings like this.
Concern.
Relief.
Something deeper he didn't want to examine too closely.
His eyes drifted again to the bandages around her wrists.
His jaw tightened.
"If I had arrived even a few minutes later…" he murmured.
The thought made something twist painfully in his chest.
Sebastian leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.
His head still hurt.
His vision still blurred slightly when he moved too quickly.
But none of that mattered to him right now.
The only thing he cared about was the woman lying in his bed.
Safe.
Finally safe.
He watched her for a long time.
Eventually, he leaned back in the armchair again, his gaze never leaving her.
That strange warmth in his chest hadn't disappeared.
If anything, it was growing stronger.
And Sebastian Wolfe—who was feared by most people who knew him—found himself sitting quietly beside Lillian, making sure she was safe.
As if nothing else in the world mattered.