You didn’t mean to find out. It wasn’t like he told you. He didn’t confess. You just… saw it.

You were supposed to be alone in his apartment while he ran an errand. You were supposed to make tea, sit on the couch, and pretend you weren’t thinking about him constantly.

But you found the hidden drawer.

And you found the photos.

The ones that didn’t look like normal photos.

The ones that looked like evidence.

Your hands shook as you flipped through them.

There were faces. Names. Dates. People you’d never met.

And then—

The last photo was of a man you recognized.

A news article you’d seen on the way home.

“Local Criminal Found Dead—Mysterious Circumstances”

You stared at the photo.

And your stomach dropped.

You didn’t sleep that night.

Not even a little.

You sat in his apartment, in the dark, staring at the door, waiting for him to come back.

When he finally did, he found you on the couch, eyes red, hair a mess.

He stopped in the doorway.

“What are you doing up?” he asked, voice quiet.

You didn’t answer.

He stepped closer, and you finally looked at him.

His face was calm. Too calm.

You could see the guilt in his eyes, but he didn’t move like someone who had been caught.

He moved like someone who was expecting it.

“You saw them,” he said.

You swallowed. “You kill people.”

Adrian didn’t deny it.

Instead, he sat down slowly, like he was preparing himself for a storm.

“Yes,” he said. “I do.”

You felt your chest tighten. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He stared at you for a long moment.

Then he said, softly, “Because I didn’t want you to leave.”

Your throat went tight.

“I’m not leaving,” you whispered.

Adrian’s eyes softened. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

You stood up, voice shaking. “I know exactly what I’m saying.”

He stood too. “You’re scared.”

“I am,” you admitted. “I’m scared of you.”

Adrian’s expression changed. Not anger.

Something worse.

Fear.

“You shouldn’t be,” he said quietly. “You shouldn’t be scared of me.”

You shook your head. “I am.”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “I don’t want you to be.”

You looked away. “I can’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about the people you killed.”

Adrian’s face tightened. “They weren’t people.”

You turned back to him, eyes wide. “What?”

Adrian swallowed. “They were threats. They were monsters.”

You shook your head. “They were people.”

Adrian’s voice went sharp. “No.”

Your heart pounded.

“You don’t get to decide that,” you whispered.

Adrian’s eyes flickered, and for a moment, you saw something in him you hadn’t seen before.

A crack.

A doubt.

“I’m trying to protect you,” he said quietly. “That’s what I do.”

You stepped closer, voice trembling. “And I’m trying to protect myself.”

Adrian looked at you, like he was seeing you for the first time.

Then he said, quietly, “I don’t know if I can let you.”

You felt tears spill over.

“I can’t sleep,” you whispered again.

Adrian’s face softened, and he took a step closer.

“Then stay with me,” he said.

You stared at him, heart racing.

“Because if you leave,” he continued, voice raw, “I don’t know if I can keep doing this without losing myself.”