Chapter 57

KAIA

I'd sent Adrien my location right after the call, and though it had only been a few minutes, it felt like a lifetime. I stayed where I was, sitting on the edge of the driveway, trying to breathe, trying to feel something other than the burning weight of everything crashing down around me.

Then I saw headlights sweep across the trees.

His car.

I stood up slowly, my legs stiff, my body heavy. Adrien pulled up fast, brakes hissing as the car came to a stop in front of me. He was out of the driver's seat in seconds, slamming the door shut as he came around to me.

The second he saw my face, he stopped in his tracks.

His expression shifted immediately—his brows furrowed, his lips parted slightly in disbelief, and then his entire focus zeroed in on me like nothing else in the world existed.

"Baby are you okay?" he asked softly, his voice cracking just the slightest bit as his hands came up to cup my face. His palms were warm, grounding.

I shook my head, fighting to keep the tears at bay.

"Can you just... get me out of here? Please," I whispered.

Adrien didn't move for a second. His eyes scanned my face—and then narrowed sharply at the side where Tyler had hit me.

"What happened to your face?" he asked, tone tightening.

I looked down.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, barely audible. "Just take me away from here."

But his jaw clenched.

"Was it Callum?" he asked. "Did he do this to you?"

"What? No," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Please Adrien, let's just go."

He turned toward the house anyway.

"Is he still in there? I'm going to fucking kill him."

"Adrien, no—please." I grabbed his arm with both hands. "Let's go."

That stopped him. He looked down at me, breathing hard, his shoulders tense. Then slowly, he nodded, his face softening.

"Okay," he said gently. "Come on."

He opened the car door for me and helped me in before getting behind the wheel himself. As we drove, I leaned my head against the window, letting the silence stretch out between us. Adrien didn't ask anything else. He just drove.

"I'm taking you to a condo I've been renting," he eventually said. "I don't want to drop you off at the dorm like this. You shouldn't be alone tonight."

I nodded without looking at him. I didn't care where we went—just that it wasn't there. Anywhere but there.

We pulled into an underground parking lot, and Adrien helped me out of the car. The walk to the elevator was a blur. I didn't say anything, didn't look at anything. I was stuck in the memory of Tyler's hand grabbing me, his breath hot against my skin. My chest tightened.

When we reached the condo, Adrien unlocked the door and led me inside. It was quiet, clean, warm. But I barely noticed any of that.

He guided me to the couch, helped me sit, then disappeared into the kitchen. A few seconds later, he returned with a glass of water and kneeled in front of me, his eyes full of worry.

"Here, drink this."

I took it with shaking hands and managed a few sips before setting it down. He grabbed a nearby footstool and sat in front of me, close but not too close.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

My throat tightened. I stared at him, my eyes burning again. I didn't want to say it out loud. Saying it would make it too real.

But he reached for my hands and held them, his thumbs brushing softly against my skin.

"It's okay, Kaia. You're safe now. You can tell me anything."

I looked into his eyes and finally exhaled.

"Some guy at the party... he forced himself on me."

Adrien didn't move, but I could see the fury that flared in his eyes. His jaw tensed, and his grip on my hands tightened slightly—but he didn't let go.

"Did he... touch you?" His voice was low and cold now, like he was holding himself back with every word.

I looked down at our hands, my voice barely above a whisper.

"He tried to kiss me. He tried to tear my shirt off. But someone walked in and stopped him before he could..."

Adrien's hand left mine only to wipe away the tear that slid down my cheek.

"What's his name?"

"Tyler," I said quietly.

He nodded slowly, like he was memorizing it. Then, without saying another word, he leaned forward and pulled me into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Kaia," he whispered into my hair. "You didn't deserve to go through any of that."

I closed my eyes as my body sagged into his. For the first time all night, I felt like I could breathe. I wrapped my arms around him and let the tears fall. Quiet, trembling sobs that I couldn't hold back anymore.

I didn't know how I was supposed to move on from what happened.

But right now, Adrien was here. And somehow, that made everything just a little less unbearable.