The Prison Project

Chapter 125

Coban’s POV

The first thing I noticed was the light bleeding in through the barred window, cutting faint slats across the walls. Morning had crept in, silent and peaceful today, but dragging me out of sleep before I was ready for it.

But this time, I was grateful, since I hadn’t woke up in a rage…

No pounding heart…

No rush of fury clawing its way through me, wanting to kill everyone in sight… Just… quiet.

I blinked against the light, the stiffness in my muscles making itself known as I shifted against the mattress. My arm was heavy, draped over her, and I realised with relief that I’d woken today before she did.

No bad incident. No near-death scare. No reason for her to look at me in fear this morning. Just peace.

I turned onto my side, the blanket shifting, and let my eyes fall on her. Margot was still asleep, her braid a little messy from the night, one hand curled loosely against my chest like she’d drifted off mid-clutch and had never let go. Her lips parted slightly with each slow breath, her lashes sat across her cheeks.

She looked younger like this. Softer. Almost too innocent for this place, too untouched by the filth and rot that clung to these walls.

And for a moment, just a moment, I let myself believe that she belonged to me… But then my eyes caught on the bandage.

Wrapped around her throat.

It wasn’t just fabric. It was a reminder. Of what I was capable of doing. Of what could happen when the blackouts hit, when I lost myself and didn’t even know what I was doing.

Of how close I’d come to taking her from me before I’d even admitted to myself how badly I wanted her.

My jaw clenched, teeth grinding together as I stared at that stark strip across her throat.

I’d done that.

And no matter how much I told myself I’d keep it under control, no matter how much I wanted to protect her from everything else in this place, I couldn’t ignore the truth: the real danger wasn’t always outside our door.

I dragged a hand down my face, the curse catching in my throat before it could leave my lips. She stirred faintly at the movement, her head shifting closer into my chest, like even in her sleep, her body sought me out.

The trust in that small action was worse than any punishment I’d ever had to sit through. Because she had already trusted me not to hurt her again.

And what if I couldn’t keep that promise? What if the next blackout didn’t end with just bruises and bandages? What if next time, I didn’t wake up in time?

It was only when my hand dragged absently down my chest that I realised the truth.

My skin was still tacky. The faint flakes of dried blood cracked under my touch, smearing dark against my fingers.

Sarah’s blood.

Fuck.

My gut twisted, and I sighed through clenched teeth. I’d left it there too long… Careful not to jolt the mattress, I slid my arm from under her and rolled away. She stirred once, a faint sound in her throat, but didn’t wake. I stood over her for a second, watching her chest rise and fall, before forcing myself to move.

I walked across the cell, quiet as I could, gathering up a fresh towel before stepping into the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind me.

I flicked the switch, the buzzing light filling the small space, bouncing harshly off the tiles. My reflection in the mirror caught me off guard – hair tangled, dark circles building under my eyes, torso streaked with faded red patches across my chest and stomach like war paint I had earned.

I looked like a man who didn’t belong beside her…

Jaw tight, I turned the shower on full, steam fogging the glass within minutes. The water came down hot, stinging against my skin as I stepped under it.

And then the red started to fall.

At first in faint streams, like diluted wine. Then darker. Heavier. Proving how much Sarah had actually lost.

The drain swallowed it all, but I couldn’t stop staring at the way it swirled down at my feet, curling like smoke in water.

I scrubbed. Hard. Soap bit at my raw knuckles, sliding over bruises I didn’t even remember getting, but I didn’t stop. I dragged the bar down my chest, my arms, again and again until the skin burned pink.

I tilted my head back into the spray, water pounding at my skull, swallowing down the lump that had lodged itself thick in my throat. Because the whole time, all I could hear was the suits‘ voices from last night.

We want you to remove him from the project entirely…

Clean. Quiet. Done their way instead of him.

I clenched my teeth, rubbing harder at a stubborn streak of dried red on my shoulder. They thought they had me leashed. Thought they could dress it up as a favour, as a transaction, as a deal that we all benefitted from.

But it wasn’t about them. It was about Sarah’s limp body on that tile floor. It was about Margot’s wide, tear-streaked eyes as she screamed her name.

I swore I’d find justice for her.

I pressed both palms flat to the cold tile, head hanging low under the pounding spray. Newman wasn’t just another inmate anymore. He was a disease in this place, and diseases had to be cut out before they could spread.

The suits wanted him gone for the sake of their project. I wanted him gone because he deserved to bleed for what he’d done.

And maybe, if I was honest with myself, because putting him down was the only way to silence the storm in my chest.

I needed a release.

I spat water from my mouth, dragging a hand over my face one last time before twisting the tap off. Silence dropped heavy, broken only by the drip-drip of the showerhead.

Steam clung to the mirror, blurring out my reflection until I barely recognised the shadow staring back. I grabbed the towel, roughing it over my skin, the faint pink hue of over-scrubbed flesh proof I’d tried to wash the guilt away entirely.

I just hoped the girl was still alive and fighting… Because I didn’t want to be the one to deliver that news to my Bella…

I wrapped the towel low on my hips, leaning on the sink with both hands.

Tonight, I’d hand the suits their fucking list. And soon after? Newman wouldn’t see another sunrise again.

But for now?

For now, I needed to walk out of this bathroom, climb back into that bed, and hold my Bella while I still had the chance.

Because if I was honest, a small, dangerous part of me worried that this little thing between us wouldn’t last forever…