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Marcus let out a frustrated roar, thrashing wildly as Cole locked his arms around him in a vice grip.
The two of them collided with a metal shelving unit, the structure groaning under their combined weight.
Boxes toppled to the ground, and glass shattered somewhere nearby, adding to the chaos.
“You’re done, Marcus,” Cole hissed, his voice taut with fury.
Marcus snarled like a cornered animal, his elbow jerking back to catch Cole in the jaw.
The hit made Cole’s head snap to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t let go.
Instead, he tightened his grip, hauling Marcus back and slamming him onto the floor with a thunderous crash.
Marcus writhed beneath him, his face contorted with rage.
“She’s mine!” he shouted, his voice raw.
Cole leaned closer, his face mere inches from Marcus’s, and his voice dropped to an icy whisper. “She doesn’t belong to anyone, least of all you.”
Before Marcus could respond, Cole delivered one final punch to his jaw, and the fight seemed to drain out of him.
Marcus’s head lolled to the side, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
The sound of sirens wailed in the distance, drawing closer with every passing second.
Cole sat back, his chest heaving as he glared down at Marcus. “You’re finished.”
The weight of what had just happened hit me all at once, and I found myself clutching the doorway for support.
My knees trembled, but I couldn’t look away from Cole—his bloodied knuckles.
The steady rise and fall of his chest, and the unshakable determination etched into every line of his face.
Cole turned to me then, his expression softening ever so slightly. “You okay?”
I nodded, but my voice refused to work. All I could do was stare at the man who had just fought like hell to protect me.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, holding me close. “He’s never coming near you again. I’ll make sure of that.”
The police arrived moments later. I thought I’d be more rattled but I managed to confidently answer all their questions.
I recounted the events of the night without a single hesitation.
With every word, I felt the weight of the past lifting, the fear that had gripped me for so long dissolving into nothingness.
When the officers led Marcus away in handcuffs, his head hung low, I felt no pity for him.
Instead, I felt a profound sense of closure.
Marcus could no longer touch my life, no longer cast his shadow over my happiness.
As the chaos began to subside, I turned to Cole. He was watching me with an intensity that made my heart ache.
His gaze full of admiration and something deeper—something I wasn’t sure I had words for.
“What?” I asked, curving my lips upwards into a tentative smile.
“Just you,” he said, his voice low and rough with emotion. “You’re incredible.”