It's strange—
how one moment feels like heaven…
and the next—
worse than hell.
One second—
I was standing in the quiet of the garden, my world narrowed down to him. To the way his hand felt at my waist. To the way his lips moved against mine like nothing else existed.
Like nothing else mattered.
And then—
a sound.
Sharp.
Violent.
Wrong.
Everything shattered.
The force hit before my mind could catch up.
A sudden impact—
then heat.
Burning.
Spreading.
My breath caught in my throat as my body jerked slightly, the world tilting in a way that didn't make sense.
For a second—
I didn't understand.
Didn't feel it fully.
Just… confusion.
Then—
pain.
It came fast.
Sharp and deep, tearing through me like something had split open inside my chest. My fingers instinctively gripped onto Zane as the strength left my legs.
"Zane…" I whispered, my voice barely there.
His name felt like the only thing anchoring me to reality.
The only thing I could hold onto.
My vision blurred slightly as I looked down—
and saw it.
Blood.
Dark.
Spreading across the fabric of my dress.
Ruining it.
Ruining everything.
A shaky breath left me.
"How…" I tried to speak, but the words didn't come out right.
How did this happen?
Security was everywhere.
This was supposed to be untouchable.
Untouchable.
A bitter thought.
Nothing about tonight was that anymore.
Strong arms wrapped around me before I could fall.
Zane.
He pulled me against his chest instantly, one arm firm around me, holding me up like I weighed nothing.
But this—
this wasn't the calm, controlled man from earlier.
This was something else.
Something darker.
Something lethal.
His entire body went rigid, then alive—like a switch had been flipped.
In one movement—
his gun was in his hand.
I didn't even see where it came from.
I just knew it was there.
Steady.
Deadly.
Ready.
"Stay with me," he said, his voice low—but sharp enough to cut through everything.
I tried to focus on him.
On his face.
But it was getting harder.
The edges of my vision fading, the pain pulling me under in waves.
"I—" my fingers tightened weakly against his shirt. "Zane…"
"I've got you," he said immediately.
Too fast.
Too intense.
Like he was forcing the words to hold me here.
Gunshots echoed somewhere in the distance.
Shouting.
Chaos.
The quiet garden was gone.
Replaced with violence.
Movement.
Men running.
Orders being barked.
Everything collapsing into something brutal and real.
Adrian.
I saw him then—rushing toward us, his expression something I had never seen before.
Not control.
Not calculation.
Fear.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
"Luna!"
His voice broke through everything.
I tried to respond—
but the pain surged again, sharper this time, stealing the breath from my lungs.
Zane's grip tightened around me instantly.
"Don't move," he snapped—not at me.
At everyone else.
Commanding.
Dangerous.
Unquestionable.
And people listened.
Of course they did.
Because right now—
he wasn't just Zane Genovese.
He was something far more dangerous.
Something unleashed.
"I need pressure here," he said quickly, his hand pressing against the wound, firm but careful.
It hurt.
God—it hurt.
A broken sound escaped my lips as I clenched onto him, my head falling slightly against his chest.
His heartbeat—
fast.
Hard.
Loud.
I could hear it.
Feel it.
It grounded me.
Kept me from slipping too far.
"Stay with me," he said again, quieter now.
Closer.
Like it was just for me.
"You don't get to check out now."
A weak breath left me, something almost like a laugh.
"Bossy…" I murmured faintly.
His grip tightened.
But this time—
it wasn't just control.
It was something else.
Something I didn't have the strength to name.
"You're not funny," he said, but there was something strained in his voice now.
Something tight.
Something real.
More footsteps.
More voices.
Adrian was closer now—right there.
His hand hovered near me, like he didn't know where to touch, what to do.
"I've got her," Zane said sharply.
A warning.
Clear.
Firm.
Not now.
Not like this.
Adrian's jaw clenched, but he didn't argue.
Not yet.
Not while I was—
like this.
"Who did this?" he demanded, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.
No one answered immediately.
Because right now—
it didn't matter.
Not yet.
All that mattered was—
me.
I tried to keep my eyes open.
Tried to stay focused.
But everything felt heavier now.
Slower.
Distant.
My fingers loosened slightly against Zane's shirt.
"No—hey," his voice cut in immediately, sharper now. "Stay with me."
I blinked slowly, forcing my eyes back to his.
He was closer than before.
Or maybe I just couldn't see properly anymore.
"Don't go quiet on me," he added, his voice dropping.
And for the first time—
there was something there I hadn't heard before.
Fear.
Real fear.
For me.
That thought should've shocked me.
Should've meant something bigger.
But right now—
it just felt…
warm.
Comforting.
Strange.
"I'm here…" I whispered softly.
Barely audible.
But enough.
His forehead almost touched mine for a second—just a second—as his grip steadied around me.
"Good," he said quietly.
"Stay that way."
The world around us kept moving.
Men shouting.
Orders being given.
Someone calling for a car.
For a doctor.
For something.
But all of it faded.
Because right now—
I was in his arms.
Held too tightly.
Too carefully.
Like I mattered more than everything else happening around us.
And maybe—
just maybe—
I did.
The pain pulsed again.
Slower this time.
Heavier.
Pulling me under.
My eyes fluttered slightly.
"Zane…" I whispered again.
He didn't let go.
Didn't move.
"I'm right here," he said.
And even as everything blurred—
as the world slipped further away, it feels as if i am drowning in deep water ....with no way to come up on surface...
—
I believed him.
Because no matter what happened next—
one thing was certain.
This night—
this moment—
this everything—
had just changed everything.
And there was no going back now.
...