LOGIN{Third person's pov}Natasha woke before Ethan and the golden sunlight filtered through the thin white curtains of the seaside cottage.She quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, wrapping one of his oversized sweaters around herself, she stepped onto the small porch.The sea stretched endlessly before her, the air smelled of salt, the waves rolled gently onto the shore.She closed her eyes.For the first time in a very long time... She felt completely at peace.A few minutes later... She heard footsteps behind her."You escaped." She turned around.Ethan stood in the doorway, his hair was slightly messy from sleep.He held two steaming mugs of coffee. "I only escaped five metres." She said and he replied. "I still noticed."She smiled as he handed her one of the mugs. "Thank you."He nodded toward the beach. "Walk?""I'd love to." They made their way down to the shoreline.The morning was quiet, only a handful of people had arrived, some jogged along the water and others
{Third person's pov}A week had passed since Natasha returned to London, life had slowly begun finding its rhythm again, the bruises on her arms had faded.The nightmares came less often and for the first time in weeks... She drove herself.Her destination was familiar, Maya's apartment and the moment Maya opened the door... She squealed."There she is!"Before Natasha could react... Maya wrapped her in a tight hug. "I missed you, idiot."Natasha laughed. "I was gone for barely a week.""A week where you were kidnapped."Maya pulled back. "I'm allowed to be dramatic."Natasha rolled her eyes. "You've always been dramatic.""And you've always loved me for it." Maya said and Natasha replied. "I'll pretend that's true."They both laughed.An hour later... The two of them sat cross-legged on Maya's living room floor.Coffee mugs rested on the table between them. "So..."Maya leaned forward. "Tell me everything."Natasha smiled. "Everything?""Everything, no skipping details, no mysterious
{Third person's pov}The mansion was unusually quiet, It had been three days since Natasha returned, the bruises on her body had begun to fade.The nightmares... Not so much.That night, rain pattered softly against the bedroom windows and Natasha stirred in her sleep.A sudden movement beside her made her eyes flutter open, she blinked into the darkness and Ethan was no longer lying beside her.He was sitting at the edge of the bed, his back was to her, his shoulders were tense and she could hear it, his breathing almost as if he was trying to calm himself."Ethan?"He stiffened and then slowly looked over his shoulder."I didn't mean to wake you.""You didn't." She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I think you had a nightmare." He looked away. "I don't dream much.""You do." She quietly slipped out of bed and walked over to him, without saying anything... She sat beside him.For several minutes... Neither of them spoke, the rain filled the silence. Finally... Natasha rested her head gently
{Third person's pov}Evan cried out in pain and the gun slipped from his grasp and clattered across the wooden floor. Ethan's man shot him from the window.His hand instinctively flew to his injured arm as he staggered backward. "Sir!"Two of his men shouted simultaneously, before either of them could move... Ethan reached Natasha.He wrapped one arm firmly around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. "Natasha."His voice was barely above a whisper. "Look at me."For a second... She couldn't, her entire body trembled from the shock, she had genuinely believed those were her last moments.Then she heard his heartbeat and slowly, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw... Was Ethan.He cupped her face gently. "You're safe." The words she had been waiting days to hear.The tears she'd held back since her kidnapping finally escaped. Without thinking... She buried her face against his chest. "I knew you'd come..."she whispered between shaky breaths."I told you." Ethan rest
{Third person's pov}The house had fallen silent agai, only the occasional footsteps of the guards broke the stillness.Inside her room, Natasha sat against the window, she hadn't given up, she simply waited.Outside... Two guards stood near the front gate, one lit a cigarette and the other glanced toward the second floor. "You know... I don't like this."His companion frowned. "What?""This." He nodded toward the house. "Keeping her here.""We're following orders." The other man said. "So?"The older guard sighed. "I've worked for the Ramos family for twelve years... I've done things I'm not proud of, but this.. .this isn't business, It's personal." The younger guard remained quiet."She hasn't stopped asking to go home and she hasn't stopped believing Chairman Ethan will find her." The older man looked down at the ground. "Maybe he will.""You think Chairman Ethan is really looking?" The younger guard asked the older guard gave a dry laugh. "If Ethan Ramos cares about someone... He
{Third person's pov}The rain had stopped sometime during the night, the countryside was unusually quiet.Natasha sat by the window, absentmindedly tracing circles on the fogged glass.Another day, another locked room, the familiar sound of footsteps echoed outside.The key turned and Evan stepped inside carrying a dinner tray.Unlike the previous days... He wasn't dressed in black, he wore a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms.He looked... almost like the man she'd once known, If she ignored everything else. "I thought we could have dinner together."Natasha didn't move. "I'm not hungry.""You've said that every day." He said and Natasha replied. "And yet you still bring the tray."A faint smile crossed his face. "I've always been stubborn.""You've always been controlling." He set the tray on the small table anyway. "I made sure they cooked your favorite."She looked at the food then back at him. "My favorite meal stopped tasting the same a long time ago."Th
{Third person's pov}The door shut harder than she intended. Not a slam, but enough.Natasha stood there for a second, chest rising, fingers still curled around the handle. The apartment was quiet, dimly lit, the city glowing through the glass walls. Everything about this place felt expensive, Just
{Third person's pov}Natasha made a decision, it was a terrible decision, a completely unreasonable decision, an emotionally immature decision and she committed to it wholeheartedly.She was going to stay away from Ethan Ramos not because he was dangerous, not because of the mafia thing, not becaus
{Third person's pov}Natasha should have gone home, that was the sensible thing to do.Ethan was busy, the meeting was over, the campaign documents were signed, there was no reason for her to stay.Yet something about that phone call bothered her, the expression on Ethan's face, the newspape, the c
{Third person's pov}Natasha didn't sleep, not properly, every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photograph.The old charity event, the crowded room, the younger version of herself and Ethan standing in the background.Years before they had ever met, years before Evan, years before Ramos Media







