Apurv_4942

He fights for survival. She fights for love. In the brutal world of underground boxing, where fists carve destinies and love is a dangerous game, Alexander "The Revenant" Voss is a man haunted by demons. Scarred by a childhood of violence and a past soaked in blood, he believes he is incapable of love—until he meets Eve Laurent, a psychologist who sees through his armor. Their romance is as dark as it is beautiful, built on pain, passion, and the promise of something neither of them truly believes they deserve. But love is never enough. When the past returns with a vengeance, Alexander is forced to choose between redemption and destruction, between the ring and the woman who holds his fragile soul. In the end, some battles can only be won by losing everything.

Gloves & Sins

Eve senses him before she sees him. The way her skin prickles, the way her heartbeat betrays her. It's an instinct, an invisible thread that's always tied them together. The alleyway is dimly lit, the neon glow from a nearby bar flickering against the wet pavement. She turns sharply, pulse hammering in her throat, and there he is. Alexander stands in the shadows, watching her.

The silence between them is heavy, thick with all the words left unspoken.

Eve's breath hitches. He looks different. Sharper. Leaner. His face, once sculpted with a controlled kind of chaos, is now harder, as if life has stripped him down to nothing but raw edges. The faint light catches the scars on his knuckles, the ones she used to trace with the tip of her fingers. His stance is rigid, but his eyes—dark, tortured—betray him. They drink her in, as if he's been starving for this moment.

A part of her wants to run to him. The other part wants to tear him apart for leaving.

"You're real," she breathes, barely above a whisper. It's not a question, more like a quiet confirmation to herself.

Alexander takes a step closer, the shadows clinging to him like old ghosts. "I never stopped being real, Eve."

She clenches her fists, nails digging into her palms. "You left."

His jaw tightens, but he doesn't look away. "I had to."

"Had to?" The sharp edge of her voice cracks through the air. "You don't get to decide that for me."

Alexander exhales, slow and deliberate, as if trying to keep himself from breaking apart. "I thought leaving would save you."

Eve steps closer, her heart slamming against her ribs. "And did it?" Her voice is quieter now, but no less fierce. "Did running away save either of us?"

Something flickers in his eyes—regret, maybe even guilt. "No."

The wind picks up, swirling between them. The scent of rain lingers in the air, heavy with something unspoken. Alexander lifts a hand slightly, as if he wants to touch her, but stops himself. "Leaving was supposed to save you," he murmurs, his voice raw, haunted. "But all it did was destroy me."

Eve swallows hard, hating the way his words pull at the cracks inside her. "Then why come back?"

He finally meets her gaze, and there's no hesitation in his answer. "Because I can't stay away from you."

CHAPTER 26 : The Shadow That Follows