Jomiloju's POV
The morning after the night that felt like a storm, the safehouse felt colder than ever.
I sat on the edge of the thin mattress, my fingers still tracing the worn bracelet Steve had given me. It was strange how something so small could carry so much weight—the weight of pain, hope, and promises whispered in the dark.
Steve moved silently across the room, his figure a shadow among shadows, a constant reminder of the danger that surrounded us.
I wanted to hate him. I wanted to scream and fight and run.
But all I felt was confusion—confusion mixed with a flicker of something I wasn't ready to name.
He caught me staring and gave a brief, almost imperceptible nod.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, voice low, but steady.
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe anything that might help me survive this nightmare.
Steve's POV
The day was heavy, like a thick fog rolling in from the city.
I kept my guard up—always watching, always calculating. Every sound outside could mean trouble.
But inside these walls, something was shifting.
Jomiloju wasn't just a hostage anymore. She was a spark lighting up the darkness I'd carried for years.
Still, trust was a dangerous game.
I couldn't afford to lose focus.
Not now.
Jomiloju's POV
I tried to keep my mind busy—counting cracks in the ceiling, tracing the patterns on the peeling paint.
But the silence pressed on me.
I missed the world I'd left behind. The safety of my father's mansion. The endless luxury that now felt like a cage.
And yet, here in this grim safehouse, I was learning something new about survival.
Steve wasn't just a captor—he was a protector in a way no one else had been.
That confused me more than anything.
Steve's POV
I watched her from across the room—the way her shoulders tensed and relaxed, the subtle shifts in her expression when she thought I wasn't looking.
She was fighting herself as much as she was fighting me.
I pulled out my phone and checked the messages from Koleosho. Orders to keep her alive, unscathed. A pawn. But she was more than that.
She was a puzzle I was desperate to solve.
Jomiloju's POV
That afternoon, the first real moment of peace came—not from the outside world, but from within the safehouse.
Steve brewed tea, his movements careful and deliberate. The steam curled in the stale air, a small warmth in the cold room.
He handed me the cup, and our fingers brushed briefly.
Heat sparked again—unwanted, dangerous.
I took the cup, trying not to show how much I wanted to trust him.
Steve's POV
The tea was bitter, but the silence was sweeter.
We sat across from each other, the distance between us filled with unspoken words.
I wanted to tell her everything—the past, the pain, the reasons behind the man I'd become.
But words were weapons too.
So I watched her instead, trying to understand the woman who had stolen my restless nights.
Jomiloju's POV
As I sipped the tea, a strange dizziness washed over me.
I blinked, trying to steady myself.
Was it the fear? The uncertainty? Or something in the cup?
I looked at Steve, searching his face for answers.
He met my gaze, eyes dark and unreadable.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concern flickering through the hardness.
I nodded, but the world tilted.
Steve's POV
My heart stopped.
The tea.
I grabbed the cup, the bitter taste still fresh.
Poison.
Someone was trying to kill her.
The safehouse suddenly felt like a trap closing in.
I'd been betrayed.
And Jomiloju was the target.
Jomiloju's POV
The room spun, and I collapsed against the wall.
Steve caught me before I hit the ground, his arms steadying me.
"I won't let them hurt you," he whispered fiercely.
Pain blossomed in my veins, sharp and burning.
The war wasn't just outside.
It was here—inside these walls, inside the fragile bond we were building.
Steve's POV
I carried her to the cot, watching as the poison took hold.
My fists clenched, fury boiling beneath the surface.
Who wanted her dead? Koleosho? One of his men? Or worse—the people I thought I could trust?
I swore then, with fire in my veins and darkness in my soul
No one would hurt her. Not while I still breathed.
Jomiloju's POV
As the poison blurred my vision, I saw Steve's face—the fierce protector, the broken man.
And for the first time, I let myself believe.
Maybe he wasn't just my captor.
Maybe he was my salvation.