Chapter 778:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

She didn’t resist. Gradually, the tension in her body eased beneath my gentle touch.

Then she moved closer and leaned against my lap, like a frightened little puppy searching for a place where it could finally feel safe.

“Melisa was right,” she murmured, eyes closed. “I’m selfish. I knew staying with you would only destroy you, but I still…”

“No matter how much you change, I’ll never leave you,” I cut in, running my fingers through her silky hair. “It doesn’t matter how wonderful anyone else may be. To me, none of them compare. In this life, I want no one but you.”

Ethan’s POV

Lianne slowly relaxed, the lingering effects of alcohol and the exhaustion she’d carried for days finally pulling her into a drowsy haze.

Just before sleep claimed her, she mumbled in a tone that sounded almost like a complaint, “Ethan… you’re so obsessive.”

A quiet laugh escaped me, but I said nothing.

I stayed exactly where I was, my right hand gently combing through her hair while my left softly rubbed her back in slow, comforting motions.

The wound across my chest pulsed with sharp pain from staying in one position for so long, and my back had long since gone stiff, but I didn’t dare shift even an inch.

𝖥i𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘃е𝘭 𝖯𝖣𝖥s o𝘯 𝘨аl𝗻о𝘃e𝗹𝘴.𝗰𝗼m

I barely breathed, afraid the smallest movement or sound would shatter this rare moment of peaceful sleep she’d finally found.

Only after her breathing settled into a slow, steady rhythm, proof she had fallen into a deep sleep, did I carefully slip out of her embrace.

The instant I stepped out of the bedroom, the warmth in my eyes disappeared, replaced by a chilling, murderous coldness.

I pulled out my phone and called Noah, my voice icy. “Lock down the rooftop immediately. Install infrared alarms, reinforce every entrance, and from this moment on, no one is allowed up there.”

After ending the call, I stood silently by the window, watching the relentless rain hammer against the glass.

I would never allow Lianne another opportunity to hurt herself.

Lianne’s POV

Even with Ethan within arm’s reach, I had a restless sleep. I kept waking through the night, and each time my eyes opened, his steady gaze was already there, watching me.

At least he’d had the thoughtfulness to leave the blackout curtains closed, keeping the room wrapped in soothing darkness. Between restless dreams and brief moments of wakefulness, I somehow endured the long night until morning finally arrived.

A faint aroma of oatmeal drifted through the air at dawn, gently pulling me from my groggy sleep.

I slowly pushed myself upright, my entire body aching, and immediately saw Ethan standing at the kitchen counter.

Fresh bandages covered his chest, but faint spots of blood had already seeped through, standing out painfully in the morning light.

My heart tightened at the sight. Instinctive concern made my voice sharper than intended. “Stop what you’re doing and go lie down.”

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