Emma’s POV

The city, a glittering tapestry of defiant light, still pulsed outside the vast glass walls of the penthouse, but its hum was a distant echo. Adrian’s presence beside me, a solid, comforting warmth that had become my anchor, muted the world’s clamor. Weeks had melted into a tender unfolding since that predawn morning, a slow dance of discovery where our worlds, once so disparate, intertwined. He had navigated my simple life with a grace that astonished me, charming my professors, endearing himself to my old boss, and finding a profound, unexpected purpose in the quiet dignity of the literacy center. He fit. Naturally. Effortlessly. And in watching him, truly seeing him, my heart, already irrevocably his, had expanded to encompass a fierce, protective love for the man beneath the impenetrable facade.