The hospital floor was quiet that evening,
the lights dimmed,
the air cold and still.
Jack walked down the hall with his hands shoved deep inside his pockets—
trying to look casual,
detached,
indifferent.
But his steps slowed the closer he got to Lina's room.
When he reached the door,
he hesitated.
Just a quick look.
Just to make sure she was okay.
That's all.
He reached for the handle—
But the door opened before he could touch it.
Sally stood there.
Arms crossed.
Eyebrow raised.
Expression razor–sharp.
Jack froze.
"…Move," he muttered.
Sally didn't.
Instead, she leaned against the doorframe, blocking him.
"You're here again," she said calmly.
Jack looked away.
"So what?"
"So," Sally said,
"for someone who claims he's 'not interested'…
you certainly keep showing up."
Jack clenched his jaw.
"I'm just checking if she's okay."
Sally smirked.
"You mean you're checking if someone else is checking on her."
Jack's eye twitched in irritation.
"Don't start."
"Oh, I already started," Sally replied.
"And I'm not stopping until you stop lying."
Jack exhaled harshly.
"Sally, seriously—move."
"No," she said.
"Not until you answer me."
Jack glared at her.
She stared right back—
unshaken, unreadable, unmovable.
"…Do you love her?" Sally asked plainly.
Jack froze.
Completely.
The hallway seemed to shrink around him.
His breath caught in his throat.
"…What?" he whispered.
Sally's voice softened—dangerously.
"Do. You. Love. Lina?"
He swallowed.
Looked down.
Looked away.
But he didn't walk off.
Didn't smirk.
Didn't deny.
He couldn't.
Sally stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"You looked at her like she was sunlight," she whispered.
"And you? You've lived your whole life in the dark."
Jack's chest tightened painfully.
He whispered, barely audible:
"…I don't know how to stop it."
Sally's eyes widened for a second—
not expecting honesty.
Jack swallowed again.
His voice cracked—just slightly.
"Yes," he said softly.
"Fine."
He looked at the floor.
"I love her."
It wasn't sweet.
It wasn't gentle.
It wasn't clean.
It was raw.
Messy.
Dangerous.
Devastating.
A confession torn from the heart of a man who didn't know how to love
but couldn't stop himself from doing it.
Sally inhaled slowly.
"Then stay away from her…
until you understand what love actually means."
Jack's eyes flicked up.
"What if staying away hurts more?" he whispered.
Sally shook her head.
"Then you learn to endure it.
Because love without control…
is destruction.
And you will not destroy that girl."
Jack closed his eyes.
Pain hit him like a wave.
But he nodded—
very, very slowly.
"…I won't hurt her," he said.
Sally placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know," she said gently.
"That's why I'm giving you one chance."
Jack opened his eyes.
One chance.
To be someone new.
Someone worthy.
Someone Lina wouldn't fear.
And maybe—
someone he wouldn't hate when he looked in the mirror.
Sally stepped aside.
"Now go," she said softly.
"She needs rest."
Jack hesitated at the doorway—
then whispered:
"…Tell her I stopped by."
Sally The hospital room was quiet when Jack stepped inside.
Lina sat upright on the bed,
a soft lamp casting a warm glow across her face.
She looked tired—
fragile—
but even in her exhaustion, she carried a softness that pulled him in like gravity.
Jack closed the door behind him slowly.
She looked up.
"Jack…?"
Her voice was small, surprised.
He didn't speak at first.
He just stood there,
breathing hard,
as if every step toward her was a fight against himself.
Finally, he walked closer.
Not too close.
But close enough for her to feel the shift in the air.
"I need to tell you something," he said quietly.
Lina's brows knit gently.
"What is it?"
Jack swallowed.
This wasn't anger.
Wasn't rage.
Wasn't confusion.
This was rawness.
Bare.
Exposed.
Something he had never allowed anyone to see.
"I've tried to stop it," he said, voice low, rough.
"I've tried to do the right thing.
To stay away.
To control myself."
He shook his head, jaw tight.
"But I can't."
Lina's heartbeat quickened.
"Jack… what are you—"
He cut her off softly.
"I love you."
Silence fell—
heavy, breathless, consuming.
Lina blinked.
Her lips parted.
But he kept going,
words pouring out of him like a confession tearing through stone.
"I don't mean some small, gentle love."
His voice dropped darker.
"I mean something that terrifies me.
Something I can't ignore.
Something that makes me want to break and rebuild myself."
Lina's breath caught in her throat.
Her chest tightened—
not from fear,
but from something dangerously close to longing.
Jack stepped closer.
"One look at you," he whispered,
"and I forget every monster I've ever been."
Lina lowered her gaze for a moment,
then lifted it again—
eyes soft, trembling.
"Jack…"
She swallowed.
"I… feel something too."
His eyes widened—
not with triumph,
but with pure disbelief.
"You do?" he breathed.
She nodded slowly.
"It scares me too," she whispered.
"But… yes."
Jack exhaled shakily,
as if her words pulled the air back into his lungs.
He approached her bed—
slowly, carefully—
as if she were something he'd ruin with one wrong move.
He reached out,
stopping just before touching her cheek.
"Lina…"
His voice trembled for the first time.
"I'm not like your brother.
I'm not gentle.
I'm not safe."
"I know," she whispered.
"And I'm still here."
Something broke inside him—
in the most beautiful way.
Jack leaned closer,
eyes burning not with anger this time—
but devotion.
Dangerous, consuming devotion.
"Then listen to me carefully," he murmured,
the darkness in his voice turning into a vow.
"I love you.
And if anyone threatens you…"
his jaw clenched,
eyes going cold,
"…I will burn the world to the ground."
Lina inhaled sharply—
not afraid—
but overwhelmed.
She whispered:
"Jack…"
He finally touched her cheek,
thumb brushing gently across her skin.
His voice dropped to a soft, aching confession.
"You are the only thing that makes me want to be more than a monster."
Lina's heart shattered and rebuilt in one breath.
She placed her hand over his.
"…Jack," she whispered,
"I love you too."
For a moment,
the world stopped.
Jack leaned his forehead against hers,
eyes closing,
breathing her in as if she were the first pure thing he ever touched.
"I'm yours," he murmured.
"Whether that saves me…
or destroys me."
Lina smiled faintly—
shyly—
and whispered:
"I'll take that risk."
Jack opened his eyes,
dark with love and danger intertwined.
"You're worth every risk," he said.
Then he pressed a soft, trembling kiss to her forehead—
a kiss far more intimate than passion.
A kiss of devotion.
A promise.
And when he stepped back,
his voice was quiet.
"Rest," he said.
"I'm not leaving you anymore."
Not tonight.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever.
nodded.
Jack turned,
hands still trembling,
heart pounding painfully in ways he didn't understand…
And walked away.
Not healed.
Not fixed.
But honest.
For the first time in his life.