Chapter 10 – The Man Who Refused to Break
Evelyn sat beside Adrian in the dimly lit motel room, her fingers tracing the edges of the final letter he had written years ago. The past few hours had been a blur. She had walked away from Michael, leaving behind everything she once thought was her future. She had chosen Adrian. And now, she needed to know everything. No more secrets. No more half-truths.
Adrian sat in the chair across from her, his storm-gray eyes darker than she had ever seen them. He exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening as he met her gaze. "You want the full story?" he murmured, his voice quiet but heavy with something she couldn't quite name. Evelyn nodded, her heart pounding in her chest.
Adrian leaned back, staring at the ceiling like he was trying to gather his thoughts. Then, his fingers clenched into fists, and when he spoke again, his voice was low, almost distant. "Then let me tell you where I've been for the last seven years."
And just like that, he pulled her into the nightmare.
---
Seven Years Ago – The Day He Was Taken
Adrian had never been the kind of person to feel fear. But when he woke up, tied to a chair in a cold, unfamiliar room, he knew something was very, very wrong. The air smelled like damp concrete, and a single overhead light flickered, casting long shadows against the walls. His wrists burned where the ropes cut into his skin, and when he tried to move, he felt the bruises along his ribs.
A man stood in front of him, broad-shouldered, his face hidden in the darkness. "You're awake," the man said, his voice calm. Too calm. Adrian's eyes flicked to the side. There were five more men in the room. Armed. Watching him. His instincts screamed danger, but he forced himself to stay still. "Where am I?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.
The man chuckled. "That doesn't matter."
Adrian's jaw clenched. It mattered. It mattered more than anything.
Then, the man stepped into the light, and Adrian's blood ran cold. The emblem on his suit—the insignia of Orion's Circle. A name Adrian had only heard whispered in the shadows. A secret organization connected to politicians, criminals, and underground dealings. The same people his father had been investigating before he died.
The realization hit Adrian like a punch to the gut. They hadn't just killed his father. They had come for him.
---
The Strongest Prisoner
For the next seven years, Adrian was held in Blackgate Facility—an underground prison where men were sent to disappear. It wasn't just a prison. It was a battlefield. A place where power was the only currency, and weakness got you killed. The men there weren't just criminals. They were fighters. Killers. People the world was never supposed to see again.
And Adrian? He became the strongest one there.
He fought every day. Broke every bone in his body. Learned to survive in ways he never thought possible. And yet, he never lost. Not once. Because he had something the others didn't.
A reason to survive.
A name he refused to forget.
Evelyn.
---
The Escape – One Man vs. An Entire Organization
Seven years later—Adrian finally saw his chance. Orion's Circle had grown overconfident. They thought he was broken. They thought they had beaten the fight out of him. They were wrong.
One night, during a prisoner transfer, Adrian made his move. The first guard didn't even have time to scream before Adrian snapped his neck. The second guard reached for his gun—Adrian grabbed his wrist, twisted—CRACK. The gun hit the floor before he did. A third lunged at him—Adrian ducked, grabbed his shoulder, and slammed his knee into the man's ribs.
The alarms blared, and suddenly, Blackgate erupted into chaos. Guards flooded the halls, but Adrian had waited years for this moment. He fought through them like a storm, his body moving on instinct. He took every hit. Every bullet. Every wound. And yet, he kept moving.
Because nothing—nothing—was going to stop him from getting back to her.
---
Back to the Present
Evelyn's hands trembled as she listened to Adrian's story. Her heart ached at every word, every horror he had endured. "You… you fought an entire organization?" she whispered, barely able to believe it.
Adrian exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't have a choice."
Evelyn stared at him, her chest tightening. This was why he had never come back. This was why she had never heard from him. He had been trapped in a world of violence and survival, fighting every single day just to stay alive. And somehow, he had made it through. He had survived.
She reached out, her fingers trembling as they brushed against his hand. Adrian froze, his muscles tensing beneath her touch.
"You came back for me," Evelyn whispered, her voice barely audible.
Adrian looked at her then, his expression raw, his walls finally breaking.
"Of course I did."
Evelyn's eyes burned with tears. She didn't care about the past anymore. She didn't care about the lost time. Because Adrian had fought through hell to get back to her.
And she wasn't going to let him go again.
Not now.
Not ever.