chapter 13: her first vulnerability

Kenan stepped inside.

“Oh, you're up.”

He stopped near the bed, looking at her.

Charlotte clutched the blanket tightly, her back straight.

"I was—"

But Kenan forgot his words.

His eyes drank her in—

Messy hair.

Smudged mascara.

Flushed cheeks.

Sleepy, intoxicated golden eyes.

And—

Her. In his bed.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he turned his head away—fast.

Charlotte frowned at his sudden reaction.

Kenan clenched his jaw, one hand grabbing his forehead. "What the hell was that feeling?!"

A hot wave of something unrecognizable—uncontrollable—rushed through his veins.

His grip on his temples tightened. "Damn it." He cursed himself inwardly.

His ears felt like they were burning.

And for the first time in his life—

Kenan Dragomir fled from a situation.

When Kenan touched his face, he could feel the heat radiating off his skin. His ears felt like they were releasing hot smoke, and he frowned, trying to make sense of it.

"What happened?" She murmured, glancing over his shoulder with confusion.

Clearing his throat, he forced his expression into neutrality. "Umm... Nothing," he muttered, letting out a deep sigh before turning toward her.

But as he took a step forward, she flinched and instinctively crawled back, her body tensing in fear. The sight of her retreating from him made his entire frame go rigid.

His voice softened. "Hey, relax... You don't need to be afraid of me."

Her lips quivered as she tried to form words. "Ye...Yesterday, those men... ki...kidnapped me when I was coming to the seashore, and—"

Her voice cracked. Tears welled up in her eyes, shimmering under the dim lighting.

Kenan's jaw clenched as he saw her struggling to speak.

"And I... I was so scared that they would hu...hurt—"

Her voice broke completely, and the first tear slipped down her cheek.

Kenan felt an unfamiliar wave of restlessness crash over him. He hated this. Hated seeing her like this.

Without a second thought, he strode toward the bed, dropping the bag onto it before sitting down.

"Hey... You're safe now," he reassured, his voice steady, though his insides churned with unease.

She looked at him with wide, distrustful eyes—ones that held so much fear that it nearly knocked the breath out of him.

"Please… don't look at me like that," he murmured, instinctively reaching out, but his hand halted mid-air.

For a brief second, he wanted to touch her—to comfort her—but he knew he had no right. No right to ease her fear. No right to hold her. His hand fell back to his side.

"Trust me... you're safe with me, Charlotte." His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it held an undeniable warmth.

A chill ran down her spine.

It had been so long—so painfully long—since someone called her by her real name. And not just called it, but uttered it with such gentle familiarity. It was like a key unlocking hidden chapters of her past, ones she had locked away for a reason.

Before she could stop it, the dam broke.

Her body shook as she curled into herself, hiding her face in her knees. The sobs came in waves, raw and unrestrained.

Kenan stiffened, caught completely off guard.

Moments ago, she was indeed just playing the victim card, shedding a few crocodile tears for sympathy. But now—

Now, she was breaking in front of him.

"Charlotte, please don't cry." He leaned slightly closer, concern flickering in his grey eyes. "I promise you're safe. I'll take you home, I swear."

But she barely heard him. The moment she had spent years suppressing her emotions, guarding herself behind a fortress of steel, had crumbled in an instant.

'Control yourself, Chéri… You can't break like this in front of him.' she tried to reason with herself, but the tears wouldn't stop.

Kenan sighed, then, in an attempt to lighten the mood, his lips quirked up slightly. "Look, if you keep crying like this, your mascara will make you look like a raccoon."

She froze, her sobs hitching.

Her head snapped up, a deep frown settling on her face. "I don't wear mascara. These are my natural eyelashes!"

Kenan chuckled. "Oh? Then what's this black stuff smudged around your eyes?"

Her frown deepened, but before she could argue, he lifted his phone, flipping the screen toward her so she could see her reflection.

Her eyes widened.

She snatched the phone from his hand without thinking.

Kenan flinched slightly at the sudden move, his guard instinctively rising. He had never let anyone take his phone so casually before. No one had dared to touch his belongings so freely. And yet, she did—without hesitation, without fear.

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She gasped dramatically looking at her reflection in his mobile's screen. "Oh my God... I do look like a raccoon!"

He pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile.

Shaking his head, he pulled open the bedside drawer, retrieving a pack of tissues before offering them to her. "Here, clean this up."

She pouted, tossing his phone onto the blanket. "Dry tissue won't clean eyeliner properly." She grabbed a handful anyway, trying to wipe her face.

Kenan subtly picked up his phone, slipping it back into his pocket. He had always been possessive of it—after all, it contained confidential information.

"Oh, so this stuff is called eyeliner?" he mused.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You seriously don't know the difference between eyeliner and a mascara?"

"Well, I do now," he said with a careless shrug, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

She huffed.

"Anyway," he continued, gesturing toward a door, "that's the bathroom. You'll find clean towels in the cabinet. You can wash your face there."

She glanced toward the corner of the room where he pointed, nodding silently.

"And—" he grabbed the bag again, this time extending it toward her.

"This is for you. You can change into it."

Her fingers clutched the blanket tightly, pulling it closer to her chest as she realized how torn her dress was.

Kenan noticed the movement and immediately stood. "I'll step outside. Take your time."

Just as he was about to move, she hesitated.

"Wait—"

Her delicate fingers lightly brushed his arm.

He stopped.

She quickly withdrew her hand as if burned, biting her lip. "Umm… what if there's—"

She gulped, hesitating. "What if there's a hidden camera in the bathroom? Or… in this room?"

Kenan blinked, then let out a soft chuckle. "I just promised you you're safe, didn't I?"

She looked up at him, searching his face.

"Then trust me," he murmured, his expression unusually gentle.

She stared at him, her mind swirling with uncertainty.

"And besides," he added, his tone turning slightly amused, "this is my bedroom. I can assure you, there are no cameras here."

Her brows furrowed slightly.

With that, he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.

She sat there, staring at the blanket for a long moment before realization hit her like a freight train.

"This… This is his bedroom?" she whispered, her breath hitching.

Her gaze darted around the room, taking in every detail as if seeing it for the first time.

"Last night… he brought me to his bedroom?"

Her lips parted slightly in shock.

"That means… I—I was sleeping in his bed?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Then, she angrily tossed away the blanket and got off the bed, huffing in frustration.

"This man…!! He's getting on my nerves..!!" She clenched fists, feeling irritated.

But then, a thought struck her.

"Wait… if this is his room, then maybe I can find something favorable." Her eyes scanned the room with curiosity.

Without wasting time, she went straight to the door and locked it from inside.

"No, no, first I should get changed. Otherwise, he'll get suspicious if I take too much time." She muttered under her breath.

She grabbed the dress from the shopping bag and stepped into the bathroom

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To be continued

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