Part 108
The house felt quieter than usual that morning — peaceful, like a sigh after a long night.
Aura liked mornings like this.
The smell of tea steeping. The gentle hum of the refrigerator. The sound of Adrian breathing in the next room.
She stood by the window, watching sunlight crawl across the wooden floor, thinking how lucky they were to have this peace.
No schedules. No noise. No world trying to devour him again.
Just the two of them, like it was always meant to be.
When she walked into the living room, Adrian was sitting on the couch, his posture relaxed, his eyes lowered to the cup she'd left for him earlier.
He looked calm. Too calm, maybe — but she took it as a good sign.
"You slept well?" she asked gently, setting her own cup beside his.
He nodded.
"Yeah. It was nice."
Her chest warmed at his answer. That softness in his tone — it wasn't fake anymore. It couldn't be.
She moved to sit beside him, folding her legs beneath her.
"You've been doing better lately. I can tell."
He didn't answer, just offered a small, tired smile.
Aura leaned her head against the back of the couch, letting silence stretch between them.
For her, silence was safety. She'd spent years craving it.
For him, she believed, it was healing.
When she finally spoke again, her voice was low, almost dreamy.
"You know, sometimes I think the world never really deserved you."
He turned his eyes toward her then, the light catching in them.
Something flickered there — emotion, memory, maybe defiance — but it was gone before she could name it.
She reached out and took his hand gently.
"They broke you, Adrian. I just… put you back together. That's all I ever wanted."
He didn't pull away.
And in that moment, she took it as proof — that he believed her.
Later, when he excused himself to "rest," Aura lingered in the kitchen, humming softly while washing their cups.
She felt calm. Centered.
Everything was exactly as it should be.
She didn't see the faint glow of his hidden phone screen beneath the pillow in the next room.
She didn't hear the tiny vibration as another notification appeared —
"#AdrianStillAlive — Trending #1 Worldwide."