Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at the chaos he'd stirred. He brushed himself off and turned to Alex with a mocking grin.
"Well," he said casually, "I'll leave you two lovebirds to sort things out. When you're done, meet me outside. We still have to see Mom, remember?"
He started toward the door, but just before stepping out, he paused.
Turning slightly, his voice dropped into something softer, but still laced with amusement.
"Oh, and Alex… she's beautiful," he said, smirking at Alex "In case you mess this up."
Then, with a smirk directed at Ariel, he added," My door's always open."
Alex's jaw clenched, fury bubbling beneath his skin. "Shut up, Adrien," he growled.
Adrien only laughed, the sound echoing down the hallway as he disappeared.
---
Ariel stared at Alex, her eyes clouded with confusion and disbelief. Her lips parted, but no words came out. The silence between them stretched, thick with tension.
Alex's throat tightened. He took a hesitant step forward, unsure of how to begin, how to fix the damage Adrien had just caused.
Then he spoke, voice low but urgent.
"Ariel… I was going to tell you. I swear I was."
She didn't say anything. Just kept looking at him like she didn't recognize him anymore.
"I was gone for a week," he continued. "Held… by Simon. Treated like an animal."
His hands shook slightly as he pulled them from his pockets. "During that time, all I could think about was you. About how you'd react if someone who looked like me showed up while I was missing."
He took another step, voice cracking.
"I never intended on hiding this from you...I was seriously planning on telling you..."
"Ariel, please," he said, desperation creeping into his tone. "This is all Simon's fault. I was trapped. Controlled."
He tugged his shirt over his head with a sharp movement and dropped it to the floor.
"Look at me," he said hoarsely. "Look at what they did to me."
Scars, bruises, fresh and healing lined his chest and arms. His once flawless skin was now marked with pain, with war.
"This was him. Simon. he did this to me....I was trying to protect you. I just…I'm sorry for not telling you and making you go through that a few minutes ago.."
He took a breath, his voice softer now, full of aching vulnerability.
"I'm sorry, Ariel. I'm so sorry."
He looked up at her, his eyes glistening.
"I've been through hell. And I don't want to come back to a world where I've lost you too."
---
Adrien lingered just outside the door, unwilling to stray too far. Of course, he wanted to catch every word of the unfolding drama inside.
A quiet, mocking chuckle escaped him.
Alex, beaten by Simon? Who's going to buy that nonsense? he thought bitterly. And he still hasn't told her the truth, who he really is. A mafia boss. A Criminal. A well trained Liar.
His smile twisted with cruel amusement.
Oh, Ariel, he mused, so innocent, so easily fooled by Alex's lies.
---
Ariel didn't say anything. Not a word.
Alex's heart pounded harder. The silence stretched between them like a knife's edge.
She doesn't believe me... Oh God, what if she doesn't believe me? he thought, his throat tightening. What do I even say now?
He looked at her...really looked. She was staring at him too, but not with anger. Not with confusion. Her eyes were searching for him, slowly moving from the bruises on his face to the scars on his chest.
And then, gently, her fingers brushed over one of the wounds.
Alex flinched slightly at the contact, not from pain, but from the overwhelming emotion rising inside him.
Ariel's chest rose and fell with quiet breaths, her heart racing. Her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of it all.
Simon... did this to him. Because of me? The thought stabbed through her like a blade.
But why? I never even mentioned Alex's name to him…
Unless…
Fiona.
Her stomach twisted. Fiona must have told him. She must've seen us together.
She blinked back the sting in her eyes, her fingers still on Alex's skin.
This man in front of her, this broken, scarred man, had been tortured. Not for money. Not for power. But because he dared to care about her.
Her throat tightened.
Alex, her Alex, had suffered because he wanted to fight for her rights...all because Simon kissed her forcefully...
Oh, Alex..