The luxurious black limousine sped through the stormy night, leaving the nightmare house in Ridgeview far behind. In the quiet, warm interior of the car, Adrian Voss sat across from me, his eyes fixed intently on his private doctor who was carefully bandaging my broken arm and treating the wounds on my face. This tenderness and attentiveness left me bewildered. I was just an ordinary waitress—why would a man capable of shaking the very foundations of the world come to save me in person?
Once the doctor stepped out, I finally gathered the courage to look directly into Adrian’s deep eyes.
“Why?” I rasped, my voice choked. “Why did you help me? Three years ago… and now?”
Adrian remained silent for a moment. He poured a glass of warm water and handed it to me, then slowly pulled an old silver locket from his coat pocket. When I saw it, my heart tightened. Inside was a picture of my late mother, who had passed away in an accident ten years ago.
“Your mother, Elena, was the only savior who protected my life when I was just an orphaned child hunted on the streets,” Adrian said, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute reverence. “I have been searching for her family for years. Three years ago, when I saw the peach-blossom-shaped birthmark on your wrist at the Ambrose Grill, I knew exactly who you were. But back then, I saw that you still wanted to endure that marriage on your own, so I respected your choice. I gave you that card so you could decide your own destiny.”
As it turned out, this salvation was no coincidence. It was the sweet fruit of my mother’s kindness from long ago—a protective shield she had unwittingly left behind for her poor daughter.
“What about Ryan…?” I asked anxiously.
Adrian let out a cold smile, the kind that sent a shiver down one’s spine. “He will pay for every single bruise, every single drop of blood he made you shed. He has been stripped of all his assets, banished from the underworld, and will spend the rest of his days in the most secure solitary confinement under the name of a nameless nobody. He will never be able to hurt you, or anyone else, ever again.”
Hearing those words, a weight of a thousand pounds was lifted from my chest. I burst into tears, but this time, they were tears of freedom and happiness.
Two years later, I was no longer the timid, terrified woman huddled on that bathroom floor. Under Adrian’s protection and guidance, I went back to school and became the director of a charitable foundation named after my mother, dedicated to helping women who are victims of domestic violence. I finally had a new life, full of pride and freedom.
On a rainy October night, as I stood by the villa window looking out at the garden, Adrian walked up from behind and gently wrapped his arms around my waist. I held his hand, smiling serenely. The rainy night years ago had stolen too much of my blood and tears, but it had also brought me Adrian Voss—the man who not only saved my life but also gave me back my soul and a truly perfect life.
