POV: Darius
Morning came quietly, slipping through the curtains in soft streaks of gold. The clock on the wall read 5:00 a.m. but I had already been awake before then—just like every other morning of my life.
Except today, I refused to move.
Adriana lay curled in front of me, her breathing soft but not peaceful. Even in her sleep, I could see the tension on her face… the aftershocks of everything she had been through. When I’d come home late last night, she was already asleep, but the sight of her nearly shattered me.
Her left hand had been gripping her stomach, her brows pulled tight, her lips murmuring words I couldn’t fully catch. She looked like she was in pain. Or scared. Or both.
I couldn’t watch her like that.
So I slid into bed behind her, wrapped myself around her, and gentl
