Adrian Chase had always thought he knew what caring meant.

He’d called it duty. Responsibility. Justice.

He’d thought caring was a mission.

A job.

Something you did because the world demanded it.

But the world didn’t demand you.

And Adrian wasn’t sure he’d ever understood the difference—until you.

It started like every other night: chaos, noise, danger.

The kind of danger that made your blood run cold and your heart race like you were about to run a marathon.

You were in the middle of a mission with the others—Adrian leading the way, Peacemaker in full swing, adrenaline pushing him forward like he was unstoppable.

And you were right behind him, because you’d promised you’d never let him go alone.

You’d promised you’d be there.

Even when you knew it might kill you.

The mission went sideways.

It always did.

A fight broke out. Shots rang out. People screamed. The world turned into a blur of movement and pain.

Adrian moved like a machine—fast, efficient, lethal.

You watched him kill without hesitation.

And something in you twisted.

Not because you didn’t expect it.

Because you did.

But because it still hurt.

In the middle of the chaos, you saw him pause.

Just for a second.

And you saw the moment his eyes flicked to you.

You were standing there, heart pounding, breathing hard, adrenaline still coursing through your veins.

He looked at you like you were the only thing that mattered.

Then he did something he’d never done before.

He stepped back.

He didn’t keep moving forward.

He didn’t keep fighting.

He stepped back.

And he shouted your name.

“[Your Name]!”

You turned.

You saw him. Really saw him.

Not the mask. Not the violence.

Just Adrian.

His face was tight, jaw clenched, eyes wide.

He looked like he was trying to hold himself together.

And then he ran to you.

He grabbed your arm, pulling you away from the fight like you were the most precious thing in the world.