Chapter 54

Adrian had been silent for a long time. After Valerian left, after the brutal beating that left him battered and barely breathing on the cold floor, he had stopped screaming. Stopped struggling. He just

sat there.

Time blurred and he didn’t know if it had been hours or days. The dim lights never changed, the walls never moved, and the only sound in the room was the faint ringing in his ears. His body ached—his wrists raw, his ribs screaming with every shallow breath—but none of it mattered. Pain was nothing compared to the thoughts clawing through his mind.

Noelle and the baby.

Suddenly, the heavy creak of metal sliced through the silence. Adrian’s eyes flicked up just as Valerian stepped inside in his usual calm posture while his men followed behind. Adrian barely had time to process their presence before he saw it.

A wheeled restraint chair rolled into the room. Thick leather straps hung from the sides, buckles glinting under the dim light. It was the