Chapter 154: Rage
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3rd Person Pov
As Ethan’s footsteps faded down the stairs and the front door clicked shut, taking Noah to safety, the bedroom sank into a heavier silence. The only sound was Liam’s muffled whimpers from the floor, where he lay clutching his broken nose.
Blood pooled beneath his head, soaking into the carpet in dark patches that looked black in the dim light. Adrien turned slowly, taking controlled, measured breaths, but inside, a storm brewed—a furious fire burning through every vein, ignited by the image of Noah’s tear-streaked face and trembling body seared into his mind.
How dare they touch him? How could these pathetic excuses for men think they could strip away Noah’s dignity and laugh about it? The thought of their hands on him, of the fear he must have felt made his vision blur until all he saw was red.
This was more than just anger; it was a primal, protective rage clawing at his chest, demanding justice—the kind that wouldn’t rest until every bruise they had tried to inflict on Noah was paid back tenfold.
Jace, sensing the shift in the air like a predator spotting its prey, took a half-step back toward the wall, his earlier grin twisting into a nervous grimace. "A–Adrien, come on, m...man," he stammered, his voice rising as he raised his hands in surrender. "We were just messing around. He’s fine, right? No harm done."
Adrien didn’t bother with words. Instead, he lunged forward, closing the distance in a blur, and slammed his fist into Jace’s gut with all the force of his coiled muscles. Jace doubled over, air bursting from his lungs in a strangled wheeze, and Adrien followed up with an uppercut that caught him right on the chin.
The impact snapped Jace’s head back, blood spraying from his split lip as he staggered sideways, crashing into the dresser and knocking over a lamp that shattered loudly on the floor. "You sick bastard," Adrien growled, his voice low and trembling with barely contained fury. "You think this is a game? Touching him, hurting him like he’s nothing?!"
Jace gasped, trying to straighten, but Adrien was on him again, raining down blows on his ribs and face—each punch landing with a dull thud that echoed Adrien’s pounding heart. Jace’s protests turned into choked cries
"Stop—please—man, I didn’t—", but Adrien didn’t hear them, didn’t care. Grabbing Jace by the collar, he slammed him against the wall, the plaster cracking under the force, and delivered a knee to his midsection that folded him like paper. Jace slid down, coughing up blood onto his shirt, his eyes glazing over as the fight drained out of him, leaving him a crumpled, wheezing mess on the carpet.
Meanwhile, Liam had started crawling toward the door on his hands and knees, leaving a smeared trail of crimson behind him. He looked up just in time to see Adrien pivot toward him. Panic flashed in Liam’s swollen eyes.