The news broke before dawn.
Ben was on the run.
The police called Zayn personally, their tone sharp and urgent as they explained that the warrant had been issued the previous night—but Ben had vanished before they could reach him. His rented room was empty, as he was thrown out by his wife when she find out about the harassment accusations. His phone abandoned. Credit cards frozen. A man desperate enough to hurt a defenseless woman had now become a man with nothing left to lose.
Zayn listened in silence, his jaw locked, one hand resting protectively on Lena’s back as she sat beside him on the couch, wrapped in a blanket far too thin for the cold fear curling through her veins.
“So he’s gone,” Lena whispered once the call ended.
“For now,” Zayn replied calmly. “But not far. Men like hi
