The steady hum of the engine was the only sound inside the car as Levan drove through the rain-soaked streets.
He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles pale under the harsh glare of the streetlights.Each drop of rain that slammed against the windshield felt like a ticking clock, counting down to the disaster he could feel crawling closer.
Tonight was supposed to be simple.Pick Alea up.Bring her home.Keep her safe.
But nothing had been simple ever since she crossed paths with Varek and Selia.
Levan's jaw tightened.The image of Alea — bruised, broken, barely conscious in that hospital bed — flashed across his mind again.He slammed his foot harder on the gas pedal, frustration burning in his chest.
"I should've protected her better.""I should've seen this coming."
The neon lights of the city blurred past as he sped through the wet streets, but even the familiar sights brought him no comfort.
His phone buzzed on the passenger seat.
Levan hesitated. A part of him didn't want to look.He already knew what it was — another notification, another wave of poison spreading across the internet.
Finally, with a curse under his breath, he grabbed the phone at a red light.
There it was.
Another headline.
"BREAKING: Police Officer's Sister Allegedly Caught in Drug Scandal!"
Beneath it, blurry photos of Alea, stitched together with wild accusations:words like "junkie", "corrupt cover-up", and "police betrayal" splattered across the screen like blood.
Levan's stomach twisted.He could already imagine the calls from his superiors, the whispers in the department halls, the judgment in the eyes of the people he swore to protect.
He tossed the phone back onto the seat with a growl, raking a hand through his damp hair.
"Not now. Not yet. She doesn't know. I have to be strong — for her."
The light turned green. He hit the accelerator.
As the hospital came into view, its cold, sterile glow cutting through the rain, Levan forced himself to slow down.He parked near the entrance and killed the engine, sitting there for a moment in silence.
He leaned forward, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.
"Focus, Levan. Right now, Alea needs you. Whatever hell is waiting outside... you can deal with it later."
He inhaled deeply, the leather scent of the steering wheel grounding him.
Only then did he get out of the car, the cold rain immediately soaking into his jacket as he jogged toward the hospital doors.
Inside, the fluorescent lights buzzed quietly overhead.The world felt too clean, too fake — like a thin layer of glass separating him from the real storm brewing outside.
He found Alea's room easily.The nurses smiled politely as he passed, their faces betraying no hint of the swirling scandal.
Levan paused at her door, composing himself.
Then he knocked gently and stepped inside.
There she was.
Alea sat on the edge of the hospital bed, a small duffel bag beside her.She wore a loose hoodie and jeans, her long hair tied into a messy bun, her pale skin still bearing faint traces of bruises.
But her eyes —God, her eyes were still shining.Still alive.
"Levan!" she chirped, her voice light and warm.
She hopped off the bed and rushed toward him, throwing her arms around his waist.
Levan stiffened for a moment, overwhelmed by the flood of emotions — relief, guilt, protectiveness — before wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"I'm okay now," Alea said into his chest. "Thanks to you."
Levan closed his eyes, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"You have no idea, little angel," he thought bitterly."The war has only just begun."
On the drive home, Alea chatted cheerfully, filling the car with stories about the nurses, the terrible hospital food, and how desperate she was to sleep in her own bed.
Levan responded with smiles and nods, but his mind was elsewhere.
Every mile closer to home felt like another step toward the trap Varek and Selia had set for them.
He knew the second Alea opened her phone, the second she checked her social media...Everything would shatter.
He stole a glance at her.
She was looking out the window, humming softly to herself, tracing shapes in the condensation on the glass.So innocent.So unaware of the knives aimed at her back.
Levan's grip tightened on the steering wheel.
"I have to buy time."
"Hey," he said casually, forcing a smile. "Why don't we disconnect for tonight?"
Alea turned to him, surprised. "Disconnect?"
"Yeah. No phones, no internet. Just... rest. Watch movies, eat junk food. Like old times."
She laughed. "You're serious?"
Levan shrugged. "Doctor's orders. You need to recover, right?"
Alea grinned and leaned back in her seat. "Okay, boss. You win."
Relief washed through him, but it was short-lived.
He knew he couldn't hide the truth forever.
Tomorrow... maybe even tonight... the world would find a way to sink its claws into her.
And when it did, Levan would be there.He would fight.For her.Against them all, if he had to.
Far behind them, in the shadows of the city, the storm Varek and Selia had summoned continued to grow.
The world was about to turn against Alea.And if Levan wasn't careful...He would fall right alongside her.
But as he stole one more glance at his little sister — smiling, humming, alive — he made a silent vow:
"They will have to go through me first."