Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

When Julian and the others entered the room, they found the assassin K bleeding heavily from both hands. His clothes had been stripped off, leaving only a towel wrapped around his waist. Vortex had been meticulous-true to the nature of a killer, every minor oversight could lead to disaster. He wasn't afraid for himself; there were still innocent people on board. Vortex had already conducted several thorough searches, even inspecting assassin K's most private areas multiple times.

Julian strode forward and kicked K hard. "Did you kill her?"

The kick wasn't light. K was sent sprawling to the floor. "I only tampered with the railing," K gasped. "It was Ivy who killed her."

As they'd suspected, K confirmed their theory. However, no matter how hard they pressed him, K refused to reveal who had hired him. Vortex tried searching his phone for clues, but it was brand new. Assassins had their habits-working in such a dangerous profession meant that if caught, a phone could easily become damning evidence. The phone was blank, carrying no personal information or traces that could lead to anyone else in their line of work.

"I don't need you to say it. I already know who it was," Julian declared, his voice cold and deliberate, each word like a sentence of judgment. "Whether it's you or him, you'll both pay for what you've done."

K was arrested, but Aurora's body was still missing, and Ivy had also disappeared without a trace.

"Not finding her might be a good thing," Nick said, trying to console Julian. "She could've been saved by a passing ship. That's how you met her back then, isn't it?"

K's confession confirmed their fears-Aurora had fallen into the sea. But this time was different. Back then, Julian had been the one in the water, and he could swim. Aurora, however, couldn't. She was terrified of water. If Hayden hadn't saved her in time back then, she wouldn't have survived.

himself think otherwise. He clung to the hope, however faint, that she

all help you," Nick assured him. "I believe she has

everyone else to disembark. For most, it had been merely a false alarm. They were free to go

something might happen to him, had no choice but to

was freezing, and the ocean vast. Julian had been pushing himself all night without rest or food. If his body gave out and he failed to resurface, what then? She also felt for Nick, who tirelessly dove alongside Julian, trip after trip.

divers for

searching for a needle in a haystack. But she

fine," Julian said hoarsely. "I know

be in this part of the sea. If no one did, she'd

someone you loved. If going through this helped ease Julian's torment, then he was willing to endure it. "I'm

rationality finally breaking through. "I'm sorry.

eat something. We have plenty of people searching. You need to take care of yourself. If Little Bunny comes back and sees

went to the room Aurora had planned to stay in. He soaked in the bath, but sleep wouldn't come. Instead, he held one of Aurora's nightgowns tightly in his arms, clinging

who had been abandoned. Her eyes reddened at the sight. "Eat something," she urged softly. "I'm not hungry," Julian muttered, his voice mechanical and devoid of emotion. Irene knew how much pain he was in. People were most vulnerable in such moments, and she feared he might collapse entirely. Gently, she coaxed him, "According to K's confession, the incident happened around nine o'clock. The ship had only been sailing for about an

what was on his plate or how it tasted. He was numb. But he knew he