Vivian couldn’t breathe.
Everything had happened too fast.
She had thought she was being careful. She had thought she was in control.
She had followed the only lead she had, had gone after the one person who might have had answers.
And then, he was gone.
She had lost him in the alley, one second there, the next vanished, leaving her alone in a place she never should have been.
Then that man—the one who had stepped out of the side street, the one who had touched her, grabbed her, pulled her somewhere darker, quieter—
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Her fingers clenched around the hoodie Lucas had thrown at her, her grip so tight it hurt, but she barely registered the pain.
She could still feel where the man’s hands had been on her.
Still hear the rip of fabric echoing in her skull.
Still feel the moment she had stopped being a person and became something else.
Her breath caught.
Her body wasn’t listening to her anymore.
Her hands were shaking. Her chest felt too tight. The air felt too thin.
And she hated it.
She had spent days holding herself together. Days pushing forward, keeping her head up, convincing herself she could still control something.
But this—this wasn’t about logic anymore.
This was fear. This was grief. This was everything crashing down at once.
Her breath came too fast, too uneven, too ragged, her pulse hammering beneath her skin, and then—
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“I saw him die.”
The words fell out of her.
She hadn’t meant to say them.
Hadn’t planned to say them.
Hadn’t wanted to say them.
But they had been buried too deep, too raw, too heavy, and now they were spilling out before she could stop them.
Silence.
Lucas didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t blink.
He just stood there, watching her, his face unchanged, unreadable, but something about him was different now.
His hands had shifted at his sides—a twitch, a flex, something almost imperceptible.
But she had seen it.
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
She had given him everything with those four words.
And now, she had to wait to see what he would do with them.
She opened her mouth to speak again, to say something—anything—
But Lucas exhaled sharply.
Then, finally, he spoke.
“Come with me.”
And she did.
Because she had nothing.
Because she had no one else.
ce’s Name
Vivian couldn’t breathe.
Everything had happened too fast.
She had thought she was being careful. She had thought she was in control.
She had followed the only lead she had, had gone after the one person who might have had answers.
And then, he was gone.
She had lost him in the alley, one second there, the next vanished, leaving her alone in a place she never should have been.
Then that man—the one who had stepped out of the side street, the one who had touched her, grabbed her, pulled her somewhere darker, quieter—
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Her fingers clenched around the hoodie Lucas had thrown at her, her grip so tight it hurt, but she barely registered the pain.
She could still feel where the man’s hands had been on her.
Still hear the rip of fabric echoing in her skull.
Still feel the moment she had stopped being a person and became something else.
Her breath caught.
Her body wasn’t listening to her anymore.
Her hands were shaking. Her chest felt too tight. The air felt too thin.
And she hated it.
She had spent days holding herself together. Days pushing forward, keeping her head up, convincing herself she could still control something.
But this—this wasn’t about logic anymore.
This was fear. This was grief. This was everything crashing down at once.
Her breath came too fast, too uneven, too ragged, her pulse hammering beneath her skin, and then—
“I saw him die.”
The words fell out of her.
She hadn’t meant to say them.
Hadn’t planned to say them.
Hadn’t wanted to say them.
But they had been buried too deep, too raw, too heavy, and now they were spilling out before she could stop them.
Silence.
Lucas didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t blink.
He just stood there, watching her, his face unchanged, unreadable, but something about him was different now.
His hands had shifted at his sides—a twitch, a flex, something almost imperceptible.
But she had seen it.
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
She had given him everything with those four words.
And now, she had to wait to see what he would do with them.
She opened her mouth to speak again, to say something—anything—
But Lucas exhaled sharply.
Then, finally, he spoke.
“Come with me.”
And she did.
Because she had nothing.
Because she had no one else.