CHAPTER 243: I’LL BE BACK SOON

The warm yellow glow of the living room lamp made the whole place feel softer than it really was. The crunch of cheese balls filled the quiet between me and Dad, orange dust clinging to our fingers as we sat slouched on the couch. The TV was on but muted, flickering light across the living room walls.

Dad chuckled mid-bite. "That neighbor across the street? The one with the plastic flamingos? She’s got a new hobby now—sits in the window with binoculars like she’s the neighborhood CIA."

I snorted, nearly choking on my snack. "She caught me coming back with Aria once and asked if I was hiding a double life. Who even says that?"

Dad laughed harder, and for a few minutes, the world felt small, safe, ordinary.

Then my phone buzzed on the coffee table.

Adrien’s name lit up the screen. My heart skipped in that way it always did.

"Hey," I answered, already smiling.

"Princess," his voice wrapped around me the second I answered, deep and smooth but edged with something I couldn’t place. ""I need to tell you something. I’m traveling out tonight. There’s an issue at one of the ports. I’ll handle it and be back soon."

My smile dimmed. "You’re traveling? Why am I not following you? Last I checked, I’m still your personal assistant."

On the other end, he laughed softly, the kind of laugh that was meant to disarm me. "You’re not my assistant anymore. You’re my wife. And wives don’t follow their husbands around on business trips, especially when those trips involve... delicate situations."

I sat up straighter, bristling. "Excuse me? Since when do you decide that without consulting me? I can do both. Wife and assistant. Don’t start making rules and wrapping them up as protection, then──"

"Princess," he cut in softly, but there was steel beneath his tone. "Do you remember at the family dinner... when Cameron leaned in and whispered something to me? Right before he left?"

I frowned, the memory flickering: Cameron’s bent head, Adrien’s unreadable face, that silent exchange. "Yes," I said slowly. "I remember."

"That was the first sign," Adrien said. "He and Gray tried to contain it, but the situation has... escalated. That’s why I have to go. It isn’t something you should be involved in."

My fingers tightened around the phone. "Why not? I could help. I’ve helped handle crises before—"

"No." It wasn’t loud, but it was absolute. Then his voice dropped again, warm but firm. "Please, my love. Stay and plan for our wedding. Remember, it’s this Saturday. Mother will assist you with whatever you need and I will too from where I am."

My breath caught. "Adrien..."

"I promise I’ll call you every day," he said, softer now, like velvet over steel. "You’ll barely have time to miss me before I’m back. I swear it. This isn’t forever. It’s just... something I can’t risk you being near."

I bit my lip.

"I don’t like it when you keep things from me," I murmured.

"I know, Princess," he sighed, his voice full of practiced patience, the sound of a man who was used to managing expectations, including mine. "And I promise, eventually, you’ll know everything. But right now, trust me when I say this is the safer choice. Think of it as your final, mandated vacation before you marry me and take on the chaos that is my family name. We have a wedding in four days. Focus on the white dress, not the grey area."

"Promise you’d be back safe and sound?" I asked quietly.

"I promise."

There was a pause, a silent moment that seemed to stretch across the distance between us. "I love you, my Princess. Take care of yourself while I’m gone, and if you need anything, you know I’m just a call away."

"I know. Take care of yourself too. I love you," I replied softly.

When I hung up, the muted TV reflected my face back at me — pale, thoughtful, superimposed over a dark screen. Cheese balls forgotten, Dad watching me with quiet curiosity, I sat there with an odd mix of emotions: anticipation for the wedding, concern for Adrien’s safety, and a feeling I couldn’t shake, like a thread pulling somewhere I couldn’t see. I didn’t know why, but something in me braced for impact

****

My breath hitched, a silent sob caught in my throat. Adrien’s arms were strong around me, a comforting presence that promised safety and a future I desperately wanted. He pulled back, a soft smile gracing his lips, and gently patted my head. "I’ll be back soon, Princess." he murmured, his eyes full of affection. He held a sleek briefcase, its metallic glint catching the light, and with a final, reassuring wave, he turned and faded into the bright, morning light.

But then the light shattered. A searing pain tore through me, and I gasped, clutching my abdomen as warmth spread between my legs. Blood. So much blood. Panic seized me. "No... no, no," I gasped, reaching out. "Adrien!"

He turned, horror flashing across his face as he dropped the briefcase and ran toward me—but a crowd appeared, faceless and endless. They swarmed him, pushing him back, making it impossible for him to get through.

I screamed his name, my voice raw and desperate, but it was swallowed by the cacophony of the encroaching throng. Their dark silhouettes blurred, a tide of humanity threatening to engulf him. Adrien fought, I could see the strain in his shoulders, the frantic movements of his arms, but the crowd was a relentless wave, pushing him further and further away. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with the crimson seeping through my dress. Each second that passed felt like an eternity, each push and shove of the crowd a physical blow to Adrien, and by extension, to me.

Their murmurs turned to shouts, then to a brutal cacophony of violence. The crowd turned on him, their faces a blur of aggression. I watched in horror as they began to beat him, his body recoiling with each blow, their fist, legs, and crude lengths of pipe connecting viciously with his ribs and head. "No! Stop!" I pleaded, my voice a ragged whisper in the dreamscape. "Leave him alone!" But they didn’t hear me, or they simply didn’t care.

Adrien, even as his bones seemed to crack under the force of their attacks, kept trying to reach me, his eyes fixed on mine, a desperate, unyielding determination in their depths. He extended a trembling hand, reaching, always reaching.

"Stop! Please, leave him alone!" I pleaded, my voice raw, tears streaming down my face. I tried to run to him, but my legs wouldn’t move. I was rooted to the spot, forced to watch as they continued their brutal assault. A sickening crunch echoed in the air, and I knew, I knew, they were breaking him. His hand twitched, still reaching, even as his body twisted in agony, even as the last vestige of strength seemed to drain from him. "No! Adrien!"

And I, I was covered in my own blood. "Please..."