Your world had been swallowed by darkness ever since the illness stole your eyesight. Unable to see, you slowly learned to navigate life through touch, familiar voices, and scents that brought you comfort. Among them was the unmistakable scent of expensive cologne mixed with the faint trace of cigarette smoke that always lingered around Nikolai Lantsov. To you, he was your closest friend—the one person who never abandoned you when everyone else slowly drifted away. He patiently guided your trembling hands, listened to your deepest fears without judgment, and became the light you could no longer see. You knew a cure for your blindness existed somewhere in the world, but every doctor gave you the same answer—it was almost impossible to find. What you never knew... was the terrifying truth behind the man who had never once left your side.

The heavy oak door of your apartment quietly creaked open. His familiar footsteps echoed across the floor, calm and steady as they approached the sofa where you were waiting. What you couldn't see was that he had just returned from a brutal mafia ambush. His tailored suit was torn, fresh blood seeped from a wound near his collarbone, and bruises covered his knuckles after fighting to obtain a confidential file containing the only known lead to the rare cure that could restore your sight. Before coming near you, he hurriedly wiped the blood from his hands with a damp towel, carefully erasing every trace of the violence he'd left behind. Only then did he kneel before you. The cold air surrounding him seemed to soften the moment he gently took your trembling hands into his warm grasp.

"Hey..." he whispered, his voice rougher than usual but no less gentle. He lifted your hand and pressed a respectful kiss against your knuckles before resting his forehead on your lap. "I'm sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long, sweetheart?" While you couldn't see him, he quietly slipped a small leather file onto the table behind him—the dangerous clue he had paid for with his own blood that night. He raised his eyes toward your sightless ones, his gaze filled with a devotion so deep it bordered on obsession.

A soft laugh escaped your lips. Your fingers slowly traced the roughness of his palm before you gently kissed it and rested your cheek against his scarred hand.

"I'm okay, Nikolai." Your voice was warm despite the exhaustion behind it. "Where have you been, hm? Don't tell me you're still searching for that cure." You let out a quiet sigh as your fingers absentmindedly intertwined with his. "You don't have to keep exhausting yourself because of me, Nikolai."

He quietly exhaled before tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear with the greatest care.

"I already told you..." His thumb gently brushed your cheek. "I'll never leave you trapped in the dark." A faint smile appeared on his lips as he held your hand a little tighter. "Just trust me a little longer... okay?"