She was only fifteen when I found her—broken, terrified, and barely alive.
I didn’t plan to keep her.
I was a special ops officer—trained to kill, not to care.
But she clung to me like I was her last light.
And I couldn’t let go.

I raised her like a sister.
Protected her. Watched her heal, grow, and fight her demons.
For five years, I told myself I was doing the right thing.

Until one day…
She looked at me—not as a guardian.
But as a woman in love.

I tried to push her away.
I was too old. Too dangerous.

But she’d already made up her mind.
And I was never strong enough to say no.

She thought her life ended the day she was taken.
But when he saved her, it wasn’t just her body that began to heal—
It was her soul’s second chance.

He saved her.
She became his reason to live.

A slow-burn, age-gap romance about trauma, survival, and the kind of love that takes years to grow—but never fades.

We'd finished the movie, something she picked—quiet, slow, probably too artsy for me. 


Because she'd fallen asleep on my shoulder.


Her breath warmed the collar of my shirt.


I'd been waiting for this for a year. Wanting it. Imagining it.


And now that she was here, leaning on me like I was still the safest place in her world—


My hand twitched, hovering in the space between us. 


I could touch her hair. I could pull her in. I could—


You don't get to want that. Not with her.


Not when she still flinches sometimes. 


Not when she still sleeps like she's waiting for something to go wrong.


The ache in my chest had sunk deeper—down into muscle and bone and memory.


I clenched the water bottle in my hand without realizing. It crumpled with a sharp crunch.


A soft sound escaped her lips, and her brow furrowed—eyes fluttering like she might wake.


My jaw was locked. My shoulders tight enough to snap.


I slowly set the bottle down and placed a hand on her back. Gentle. Soothing. 


I hope one day she can sleep like a baby.


Not like someone waiting for the nightmare to start.


And I swear—I'll make sure that day comes.


Because I'd wanted her long before I let myself admit it.


And I'd been trying not to think about this for years.


But tonight—holding her like this, feeling the weight of her trust against my body—I couldn't pretend anymore.


And I couldn't stop thinking about that night.


We were both shocked when the hospital said there were no signs of assault.


For someone richer. Someone more powerful. Someone who paid more for virgins.


Even now, the anger was enough to drown out the hunger.


Because I couldn't look at her—couldn't want her—without remembering that once upon a time, someone wanted her for all the wrong reasons.


The weight of her arm slid over mine, light and warm.


Then I relaxed again, slowly, carefully.


And I couldn't tell if it was from the dream—


And I'll never be the reason you lose sleep again.


Chapter 62 - Chapter 61: Sleep Like a Baby