Damien found me!

William walked with Alex all the way to the hotel room door, his hand resting lightly on Alex's back. He didn't seem in a rush, even though he still had a delivery to finish for an event at another hotel nearby.

"You sure you'll be alright on your own for a bit?" William asked, his brow creased with concern.

Alex gave him a small smile as he opened the door. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm just going to take a shower and crash for a while. Want to be fresh when we head back home."

William didn't look fully convinced.

"Alex," he said, his voice lowering as he hugged him tightly. "It's not just you anymore, remember? Eat something too. Don't just sleep. You've gotta take care of both of you."

Alex nodded slowly against his shoulder. "Okay. I will."

There was a pause—soft, warm, safe.

Then William stepped back and placed a kiss on Alex's forehead. "I'll be back after midnight. Lock the door and call me if anything feels wrong, alright?"

"Okay, dad," he murmured. It still felt new calling him that, but it also felt… right.

Alex watched him go, then closed the door behind him. For a long moment, he stood in the quiet room, his fingers lingering on the doorknob.

It's nice, he thought. Having someone worry about me. Like I actually matter. 

He set his bag down and reached for the room service menu, flipping through it without really reading. His stomach growled faintly, reminding him he hadn't eaten properly all day.

That's when the knock came.

"Did you forget something?" Alex called out casually, walking over to the door and opening it.

But it wasn't William standing there.

It was Ian.

Alex froze, his heart leaping into his throat. The moment their eyes met, something cold spread through his chest. He tried to shut the door again, but Ian was faster—and stronger. The door slammed open with a loud thud, knocking Alex backward onto the floor.

"You filthy whore!" Ian roared, his face red with rage.

Alex barely had time to react before Ian was on him, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him up roughly.

"You sleep with Damien Sandbrook and then come to a hotel with another man like nothing happened?" Ian shouted, shaking him violently. "You think Sandbrook won't find out? You think he won't tear you apart when he does? And make us pay for it!"

Alex struggled, twisting and kicking. "Let me go! Ian—stop!"

But Ian was too strong.

"You always act like you're so innocent," Ian spat, eyes wild. "Like you're better than everyone else. Always turning your nose up like some kind of saint. And now look at you—whoring around like it's nothing!"

Alex's panic grew sharper. Not the baby. Please—don't let him hurt the baby.

"Get off me!" Alex cried out, his voice breaking as he fought back, desperation fueling him.

"HELP! Somebody help me!" he screamed.

But Ian shoved him hard onto the bed. Before Alex could move, a rough hand clamped over his mouth.

"Shut the hell up!" Ian hissed. His other hand wrapped around Alex's throat, squeezing.

Alex's eyes went wide. He clawed at Ian's arm, gasping against the pressure. His limbs flailed—hands scratching, knees buckling, but it wasn't enough. Ian loomed over him like a monster, eyes full of hate, lips curled in fury.

No air—can't breathe—can't…

His vision blurred. Everything was spinning. His strength drained from his body as his fingers went limp. A soft whimper escaped past Ian's hand.

Then—suddenly—weight lifted.

Ian was ripped off him and thrown hard against the floor with a crash.

Alex sucked in a ragged breath, chest heaving, coughing and choking on air that finally filled his lungs again. His whole body trembled as tears ran down his cheeks.

Alex's breathing was shallow, each breath scraping his throat like sandpaper. His vision, blurry at first, began to return in patches of color and shape. Gasping, he pushed himself off the bed, his body trembling from adrenaline and fear.

On the floor, two figures struggled violently. One was Ian—bloodied, cursing, his face contorted with rage. The other—

"Damien…" Alex whispered.

The world seemed to stop spinning for a moment. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. Damien was on top of Ian, fists slamming into his brother over and over, rage pouring out of him like fire. His knuckles were torn open, dripping blood, but he didn't stop.

Ian screamed, "Get off me! You psycho!"

But Damien didn't even flinch.

Alex stood frozen for a second. Then instinct took over—he had to get out. Away from both of them. 

He stumbled toward the door, hand shaking as he gripped the handle. The hallway outside was quiet, too quiet. He stepped out, heart pounding. He didn't know where to go—just somewhere that wasn't here.

"Alex!" Damien's voice echoed after him, sharp and desperate.

Panic surged through Alex. He turned from the elevator and bolted down the stairs instead. The cold metal railing rattled under his grip as he descended the first flight. Then the second. His chest burned. He could feel Damien's presence—too close. Closing in.

"Alex, stop!" Damien's voice boomed down the stairwell.

But Alex didn't stop. He couldn't.

His legs ached, his vision swimming again. By the time he reached the last flight, his balance wavered. The walls tilted and swayed. He pressed a hand to the concrete for support, panting hard. He needed to move—but his body wasn't listening.

Suddenly, strong hands grabbed him, yanking him back. His body slammed into the wall, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.

"Stop running, Alex!" Damien growled, face inches from his.

Alex looked up, breathless. Damien's eyes were blazing—not just with fury, but something rawer. Wounded. Betrayed.

"Why, Alex?" Damien's voice cracked under the pressure. "Why did you do it? Was it revenge? Huh? Did you sleep with me just to get even and then run off to some hotel with another man?"

Alex blinked through the dizziness, his voice low but sharp. "And if I did? What then? Why should I be the only one suffering?"

Damien's grip on his arms tightened. "I'm going to kill the bastard you brought here."

"No!" Alex cried, shaking his head frantically. "Please, don't hurt him!"

"So you're protecting him now?" Damien barked. "He's that important to you? You put on that pitiful act—like I broke you—while you were screwing some bastard behind my back?"

"It's not like that!" Alex's voice cracked. "You don't understand—he's not just some guy, he's my—he's—please, Damien. I'll do anything—"

"You'd do anything?" Damien asked, eyes narrowing. "Begging me for some other guy's life? Is he worth that much to you?"

Alex's voice shook, but he nodded. "Yes. Just... please don't hurt him."

Damien's jaw clenched. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he let out a cold, bitter laugh. "Alright. You want to protect him? Then here's the deal—come with me. No resistance. No questions. You do that, and I won't lay a finger on him."

Alex stared at him, horrified.

"Where?" he asked quietly. "Where are you taking me?"

"Wherever I damn well want," Damien said, his lips curling into a wicked smile. "Unless you'd rather I finish what I started with that bastard."

"No!" Alex cried out. "I'll go with you! Just… leave him be."

Damien's expression softened for half a second, just long enough for Alex to see something behind the anger. Pain. Maybe even regret.

"Fine," Damien said, releasing his arms and grabbing his wrist instead. "Let's go."

But just as Damien turned to drag him away, still gripping Alex's wrist tightly, something inside Alex gave out.

A sudden wave of heat flushed over his skin, followed by an icy chill. His ears were ringing. The lights overhead flickered like candles in a breeze, and the edges of his vision collapsed inward.

"Wait—" Alex whispered, barely audible even to himself.

His legs buckled beneath him without warning. It was like the floor had vanished. His body tilted forward, helpless and heavy, like he was falling into a dark ocean.

"Alex!" Damien's voice cracked sharply, panicked now.

Everything was slipping. The hallway, the stairs, Damien's face—they all blurred together into nothing.

The last thing Alex felt was a strong pair of arms wrapping around him, catching him before he hit the ground.