Chapter 3 - The Monster Who Could Not Sleep Without Me
The security guard stopped me outside the hospital entrance and whispered:
"Someone left this for you."
When I opened the envelope, I found Adrien Russo’s photograph covered in red marks and a handwritten warning.
But beneath the picture was one sentence:
"Ask him who killed his father."
I suddenly realized the danger around Adrien had already reached me.
I stared at the photograph for several seconds.
My first instinct was to throw it away.
My second instinct was to call the police.
My third instinct was the one I hated the most.
I thought about Adrien.
I hated that.
I hated that my mind went to him before myself.
Three weeks ago, I had never heard his name outside hospital rumors.
Three weeks ago, I was just Helena Jenkins.
A nurse.
A sister.
A woman trying to keep her life from falling apart.
Now I was standing in a hospital hallway holding a threat connected to the most dangerous man in Chicago.
And somehow, I was worried about whether he was safe.
I shoved the envelope into my bag and looked around.
Nobody was watching.
At least nobody I could see.
That was the problem with Adrien’s world.
The danger was never obvious.
It hid behind normal faces.
A person walking past.
A driver waiting outside.
Someone standing too long near a doorway.
Anyone could be watching.
That evening, I almost didn’t go.
I told myself I was done.
The money could disappear.
The agreement could end.
I could find another way.
Then I walked into Toby’s room.
He was sitting up in bed, looking at a book about astronomy.
He looked healthier.
More alive.
That was because of Adrien.
I hated admitting it.
But it was true.
"Are you coming back late again?" Toby asked.
I forced a smile.
"Maybe."
He looked at me carefully.
"You look tired."
I laughed softly.
"I’m a nurse. I always look tired."
"No."
He closed the book.
"You look worried."
For a moment, I almost told him everything.
I almost told my little brother that I was spending my nights beside a mafia boss.
I almost told him that someone had threatened me.
But Toby had already spent enough time fighting for his life.
He didn’t need my problems added to his.
"I’m fine."
He smiled.
"You always say that when you’re not."
I looked away.
Because he was right.
At 10:00 p.m., the black sedan arrived.
And I got inside.
The driver didn’t speak.
Neither did I.
But this time, the silence felt different.
Because I knew someone was watching.
When I arrived at the Russo estate, I noticed the difference immediately.
More guards.
More vehicles.
More movement.
Something had changed.
Mateo stood near the entrance.
His expression hardened when he saw me.
"You shouldn’t have come tonight."
I stopped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone knows about you."
My stomach tightened.
"I already know."
His eyes narrowed.
"You know?"
I reached into my bag.
I pulled out the envelope.
For the first time, Mateo looked surprised.
He took it from my hand.
Opened it.
His face changed.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Recognition.
"Where did you get this?"
"Someone left it at the hospital."
He looked at the picture.
Then at me.
"Adrien needs to see this."
"Why?"
Mateo hesitated.
And that hesitation told me everything.
"Because this isn't a warning about you."
My heart started beating faster.
"Then what is it?"
He looked toward the stairs.
"It's about him."
I followed him upstairs.
Adrien was standing near the window when we entered.
He was wearing a black shirt, his sleeves rolled up.
The city lights reflected against the glass behind him.
For a second, he looked untouchable.
Like the man everyone feared.
Then he saw my face.
And everything changed.
"What happened?"
I hated how quickly he noticed.
I hated how quickly he knew something was wrong.
Mateo handed him the envelope.
Adrien opened it.
The moment he saw the photograph, his expression became empty.
Not angry.
Not shocked.
Empty.
That scared me more.
"Where did you get this?"
"The hospital."
His jaw tightened.
"Who gave it to you?"
"I don't know."
He looked at Mateo.
"Find out."
Mateo nodded and left.
I watched Adrien carefully.
"You know who did this."
Silence.
Then he placed the photograph on the table.
"My father."
I frowned.
"What?"
"The picture."
His voice became quieter.
"That photograph was taken the night he died."
I looked at the image.
The red marks.
The warning.
"Your father was killed in the explosion."
Adrien nodded.
"That’s what everyone believes."
Something cold moved through me.
"What does that mean?"
He turned toward the window.
"My father was not supposed to be in that car."
I didn’t speak.
"The driver changed routes that night."
His voice was controlled.
Too controlled.
"There was a reason."
I stared at him.
"You think someone inside your family killed him."
His silence answered.
For the first time, I understood something.
Adrien Russo wasn’t just protecting an empire.
He was searching for the person who destroyed his family.
And maybe that person was still close to him.
"You should leave," Adrien said suddenly.
I blinked.
"What?"
"This is becoming dangerous."
I almost laughed.
"Becoming?"
His eyes met mine.
"Helena."
The way he said my name stopped me.
Not as an order.
As a warning.
"I can protect myself."
"No."
His voice was firm.
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
"No, you don't."
He stepped closer.
"You think the danger is me."
I stayed silent.
"Everyone who comes near me gets hurt."
His expression changed.
For a moment, I saw the man beneath everything.
The man who had nightmares.
The man who couldn’t sleep.
The man who looked terrified of losing someone.
"I don't want you becoming another person I couldn't save."
That sentence surprised me.
Because Adrien Russo was not supposed to care.
Not like that.
I looked at him.
"You saved my brother."
His eyes shifted.
"That was business."
"No."
I shook my head.
"That was not business."
He looked away.
And I realized something.
The man who controlled everyone around him didn’t know what to do when someone showed him kindness.
That night, I stayed.
Not because of the money.
Not because of the agreement.
Because I knew something was wrong.
And because leaving him alone felt impossible.
Later, in the bedroom, the silence returned.
The same silence.
The same distance.
But something had changed.
The space between us no longer felt like fear.
It felt like something neither of us wanted to name.
Adrien lay on his side, staring at the ceiling.
"You should hate me."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because of what I am."
I thought about the rumors.
The violence.
The fear attached to his name.
Then I thought about the man who woke up screaming from memories nobody knew about.
"I don't know what you are yet."
He turned toward me.
That answer seemed to surprise him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I don't think anyone is only one thing."
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he closed his eyes.
And for the first time, he fell asleep before me.
No nightmare.
No panic.
No shaking.
Just sleep.
I watched him quietly.
And I realized the most dangerous thing about Adrien Russo was not his power.
It was the fact that underneath all of it…
There was still a man who wanted someone to stay.
The next morning, when I walked outside the estate, I found something waiting on the front steps.
A small package.
No name.
No address.
Inside was another photograph.
This time, it wasn’t Adrien.
It was me.
Taken while I was sleeping beside him.
May you like
And written on the back were six words.
"Now you belong to his enemies."
