Against the howling wind, Finnian''s voice was incredibly gentle, almost pleading. He positioned himself in front of her to block the wind. Amara couldn''t help but notice the gesture, but the memory of what had happened on that bed filled her with such a potent mixture of fear and hatred that she couldn''t bear to look at him.


    However, she hadn''tpletely lost her senses. She knew she had run out without her phone and couldn''t even call a car to get home. She wiped her eyes, stood up, and silently followed him back to the apartment.


    The entire way, Finnian apologized over and over, ming the alcohol, saying he had lost control. But Amara remained silent, not wanting to hear a word of it. If she hadn''t needed to retrieve her things, she would have bolted.


    Finally back in his apartment, she grabbed her phone and was about to call a ride when Finnian insisted on taking her home. "You won''t be able to get a car around here, and it''ste. Let Will drive you."


    He had been too drunk to drive earlier, so Will had brought them here. Amara didn''t refuse. She watched as Finnian called his driver.


    Will arrived quickly. As she got into the car, Finnian moved to follow, but she grabbed the door handle, her body tensing, her expression filled with panic.


    Finnian understood. His monstrous behavior had terrified her. He let go of the door handle with a sigh of resignation and spoke to Will in the driver''s seat. "Drive slowly. Text me when you''ve gotten her home safely." Amara would certainly not be contacting him again, so he had to rely on Will for confirmation.


    Will nodded. He nced at the small, scabbed wound on Finnian''s forehead. "Should I call a doctor for you, sir?"<fn3919> Fresh chapters posted on </fn3919>


    "No need," Finnian said. "I can take care of it myself."


    Will''s eyes flickered from Mr. Everly''s slippers to the cut on his forehead, then to the tear tracks on Ms. Sullivan''s face. He was dying of Curiosity but knew better than to ask. He simply put the car indrive and pulled away from the curb, delivering Amara safely home before immediately texting his boss.


    The moment she was back in her own apartment, Amara went straight to the bathroom and showered, scrubbing her skin until it was raw. Afterwards, shey in bed, the night''s events reying in her mind, and the fear returned, sharp and fresh. She had always been wary of Finnian, but that was due to the power imbnce between them, a fear of saying the wrong thing. Tonight, that fear had morphed into something primal: a woman''s fear of a man. And she saw him in a new light. What did he think she was?


    He had admitted to deliberately leading her on. Did he see her as just a toy? And why had he done that to her tonight? To use her as an outlet for his frustrations? If he needed to blow off steam, why didn''t he go to Liliana?


    Amara turned on her side, a single tear escaping and sliding down her temple. She quickly wiped it away, forcing herself to banish the ugly memories and fall asleep.


    The next morning, she woke up to over a dozen text messages from Finnian. The sight of his name instantly brought back the horror of the previous night, and any semnce of a good mood C vanished. She didn''t know what he had said, and she didn''t care to find


    out. She deleted them all without reading a single one.