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Sienna spun around instantly, panic flashing in her eyes. “Adrian!”

She rushed to him, dropping to her knees. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice trembling as she saw his face twisted in pain, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Adrian clutched his stomach with one hand, his other planted firmly on the floor, trying to hold himself up.

Sienna grabbed her phone, fumbling to call an ambulance, but he reached out and knocked it from her hand.

“Don’t call anyone,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “If the word got out that you were in my bedroom this late, it’ll ruin your reputation.”

His hand found hers again, trembling uncontrollably. His grip was weak, but when their fingers touched, he sighed, just a little, like the pain had loosened its hold on him for a second.

Sienna cupped his face, forcing him to look up at her.

“Tell me what’s going on. What’s happening to you?” she demanded.

Adrian shook his head. His voice cracked slightly, but he tried to keep it steady. “It’s just a stomach issue.”

“Adrian—”

“I drank too much,” he finally confessed. “After you left me two years ago, I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat. I was a wreck. I drank too much, damaged my stomach. That’s all.”

A wave of pain hit him mid-sentence, and he groaned, eyes shutting tight as his hand clutched hers harder.

“It just flares up when I’m stressed.”

Sienna stared at him, disbelief and confusion written all over her face. “You expect me to believe that? Just because your babysitter left? That’s all I ever was to you, wasn’t I?”

Adrian opened his eyes, locking onto hers. His voice dropped, raw and full of aching honesty.

“For five years, your scent was on my sheets, your laughter in my walls. You were everywhere. I wasn’t just living with you—I was living because of you. And then you were justgone. Tell me how a man’s supposed to live with that. How do you expect me to breathe when you’re gone?”

He drew in a shaky breath.

“You were my home. My only love. My family.”

Still kneeling in pain, he looked up at her. “I know I realized it too late. But I never cheated on you. I never betrayed you. If I have to prove it every single day to win back your heart, I will. Just give me one more chance, Sienna.”

Her eyes softened slowly, piece by piece.

She looked down, let out a small breath, then met his eyes again.

“Alright. As long as you don’t hurt Theo or his family’s business, I’ll forgive you.”

Relief crashed into Adrian like a wave. He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her shoulder.

Despite the pain burning inside him, holding her was the only thing that gave him peace.

He inhaled deeply, burying his face in her neck, overwhelmed by her scent.

His eyes fluttered shut.

‘I’ll let Theo go this time,’ he thought, his jaw clenched. ‘But he won’t escape me forever. I will never let him destroy you.’

***

As Sienna entered the house, she paused in the hallway. Theo and Rosie were sitting on the couch, and the moment they saw her, they shot to their feet.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” she asked, trying to sound light, even adding a little laugh.