BLOOD AND PETALS

Elena lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling, the crimson rose still sitting in a vase on her nightstand. She should have thrown it away. Burned it. But every time she tried, her hand refused to let it go.

Her mind replayed every moment with Adrian. The way his voice sank into her skin. The way his eyes lingered, unblinking, as if he could strip away every secret she held. The way his touch had burned her even as she recoiled.

She hated him.

And yet...

Her body betrayed her with every shiver at the memory of his words. You look beautiful when you sleep.

No one had ever said something so terrifying. No one had ever made her feel so alive.

The next day at the shop, she tried to drown herself in routine-arranging bouquets, trimming stems, breathing in the scent of lilies and roses. But the air felt heavier, as though Adrian's presence clung to the walls even when he wasn't there.

When the door opened and it was Daniel, relief washed over her. He kissed her cheek, smiling with that familiar charm. Safe. Predictable.

And yet, as his arms wrapped around her, she realized something horrifying.

Her body didn't react.

Not the way it had when Adrian had touched her hand. Not the way her pulse had raced, betraying her.

Guilt swelled in her chest. She pushed it down, forcing herself to smile at Daniel, to hold onto the man she had promised forever to. But inside, her world was cracking.

That evening, as she locked up the shop, she felt it-the prickling awareness of being watched.

She turned, and there he was.

Adrian stood across the street, in the shadows, his hands in his pockets, his posture lazy and confident, as though he had all the time in the world.

Their eyes met, and something electric passed between them.

He didn't move toward her. Didn't speak. He only smiled-that dry, knowing curve of his lips that told her he had already won a battle she didn't remember surrendering.

Her breath hitched.

She should have run. She should have screamed. Instead, she found herself frozen, heat curling through her veins like poison and fire.

When she finally turned away, locking the door with trembling hands, she knew the truth she couldn't admit out loud:

It wasn't just fear that kept her awake at night anymore.

It was want.

The morning sun streamed through the shop windows, bathing the lilies in gold. Elena tried to focus on arranging a bridal bouquet, but her hands trembled with every stem she tied. Adrian's smile haunted her. His words replayed like a curse: He belongs to someone else.

When the bell chimed, she braced herself. Relief softened her shoulders when it was Daniel, holding a coffee for her.

"You've been working too hard," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You need to slow down before the wedding."

She smiled weakly. "You always say that."

But when his phone buzzed again, that smile faltered. He excused himself quickly, stepping outside to take the call. Through the glass, she saw the shift in his expression-the easy charm replaced by a hard, secretive edge.

She couldn't hear his words, but she watched his lips form a name.

Sophia.

Her chest tightened. Adrian's warning echoed louder.

That night, as Elena walked home, her thoughts tangled in knots of suspicion, she felt it again-the weight of eyes on her.

"Why do you always walk like prey?" Adrian's voice slipped from the shadows.

She startled, her breath catching. He stepped out from the alley, his presence swallowing the streetlight.

"Don't do that," she whispered.

His dry smile curved. "You wouldn't have noticed me otherwise."

"You're everywhere," she said, voice trembling.

"And yet you're still alive," he countered smoothly. "That should tell you something."

Her fear flared. "That you're obsessed."

His gaze darkened, the amusement fading. "Yes." He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, until her back pressed against the shop door. "And I don't apologize for it."

Her pulse raced wildly, her breath shallow. "You have no right-"

"I have every right," Adrian cut in, his voice low, his humor edged with danger. "Because he doesn't deserve you." His eyes bore into hers. "You know it. You felt it today. He's hiding something."

Her lips parted, denial crumbling in her throat. "You don't know what you're talking about."

He leaned closer, his breath brushing her ear. "Then ask him again. Ask about Sophia. Watch him lie."

Elena froze, her blood turning to ice.

Adrian pulled back just enough to look at her, his smile returning-sharp, merciless, intimate. "And when the truth burns you..." His fingers brushed a stray strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear with devastating tenderness. "...you'll remember who warned you."

And just like that, he was gone, melting into the night, leaving her breathless and trembling against the door.