Chapter 78 – Potential

Margot’s POV

The sound of boots striking concrete, followed by a deep male voice yelling something unintelligible, dragged me up from a dense fog of sleep.

“Let’s go, females! Thirty minutes! Up, dressed, and lined up!”

I blinked hard, startled and confused, my brain lagging behind my body. My arms stretched instinctively above my head as my back arched against the thin mattress. I groaned softly, not quite ready to return to reality.

The cell was filled with the muffled sounds of shouting and doors being slammed open down the corridor. The usual morning chaos. But somehow, this time, it all felt far away. Distant. Like a dream I hadn’t fully let go of.

The sheets were warm, the pillow still smelled like him.

Then I saw him.

Coban.

Already up. Already showered.

His shoulders flexed as he pulled on his black shorts and reached for a clean white vest from his shelf. Water still clung to his damp hair, dark strands sticking to his forehead before he raked them back with his fingers.

He caught me staring.

“You needed that rest, clearly,” he said casually, glancing over his shoulder.

I sat up fully, my spine still stiff, trying to piece together the events of yesterday: the panic, the kiss, the breakdown… and the way we’d just stayed there, tangled up in each other until sleep pulled me under like a tide.

He was right. I must’ve needed it. I hadn’t realized how completely drained I was until now. My limbs felt like lead, and my face still ached slightly from the pressure of dried tears.

I watched him move around the cell with that same quiet control he always carried, and guilt slid through me like a knife.

God, I’d really lost it yesterday.

And the worst part was… I liked it. The kiss. The way he touched me. The way it felt like everything else – my past, the walls, the cameras, the guards – just disappeared when he looked at me like that.

But I ruined it. Just like I always did.

He hadn’t made another move since. No teasing. No smug smirks. Not even a hint of interest. Just civil. Cool. Collected. And it stung more than it should have.

“Margot.”

His voice snapped me from my spiral.

“Huh?” I blinked at him, heat creeping into my cheeks.

“I asked if you’re listening to me.” His brow lifted as he shoved his laundry into the sack near the door. “You’re in your head again.”

“Sorry. What did you say?” I cleared my throat, trying to shake off the fog.

He ran that same hand back through his hair, still damp. “I said… you gonna miss me today?”

The corner of my mouth lifted before I could stop it, a short laugh slipping out. “Sure,” I said with a smirk, shaking my head.

But then his expression shifted…

And then came the second part…

“No, for real though… do you plan on telling them I’m a fucking bastard who deserves to be locked up for life?” he asked, not joking this time. “Because I’d rather have a heads up if you are.”

The air changed. My chest tightened.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, the cold concrete meeting my bare feet. “No,” I said instantly, my voice stronger than I felt. “I don’t plan on saying anything like that. I don’t think you deserve to be in here for life, Coban.”

He glanced at me, his jaw shifting slightly like he wasn’t sure how to take it. I used his name deliberately, hoping it would land somewhere deeper than the surface.

“You don’t mean that,” he muttered, waving it off like it was too dangerous to believe.

But I stood, closing the distance between us by just a step or two. Enough for him to notice.

“No, honestly. I do,” I told him. “You’re not a complete bad guy. Sure, you’ve done bad things, but…” I hesitated, then nodded, committing to it. “I think you can get out of here. You’ve got more in you than just… this place.”

He snorted faintly, dismissing it the way he always did when anything sincere crept too close to his skin. “You don’t even know half of what I’ve done, Bella, don’t get ahead of yourself now…”

I swallowed hard at the sheer thought, but stuck by my gut anyway.

“I don’t need to,” I said softly. “I see who you are now and I think there’s potential.”

That one made him pause. Just for a second.

“Potential?” He mused, as I nodded eagerly.

But instead of saying anything else about my word choice, he turned away, busying himself with his laundry like it was suddenly the most important task in the world to him.

I let out a long breath, the air heavy with everything that had gone unsaid. Maybe I was trying too hard to fix things after yesterday. Maybe I just didn’t want the fragile connection between us to crack and disappear completely.

He could be terrifying. Controlling. Impossible. But he was also the only reason I hadn’t fallen apart completely in this place.

He kept me in one piece.

And that counted for something.

I turned toward the bathroom, hearing the yells from the guard still outside our cell block. My fingers trembled slightly as I reached for the handle, forcing myself not to look back.

Inside the bathroom, I turned on the shower before turning to stare at myself in the cracked mirror.

The girl looking back at me seemed exhausted even after a lengthy sleep. Bruised. Raw in a way no makeup could even attempt to cover.

But she was also still standing.

She was still here.

“You’ve got fifteen minutes left. Let’s not give them a reason to drag you out of here… I’ll need to kill the pigs,” Coban called from behind the door in an attempt to joke, as I nodded despite the fact he couldn’t see me.

I moved quickly to climb under the warmth of the shower, washing away yesterday’s remaining sweat, tears, and grime.

I scrubbed my scalp with shampoo, cleaning my grease-coated hair, before smothering every ounce of my skin in lathers of scented soap.

Satisfied, I climbed out, towel-drying my head before dabbing at my wet skin next.

Good enough…

I grabbed my toothbrush, coated it in paste, before beginning to scrub.

Halfway through, I heard Coban’s voice meet my ears again from the outside; “Only five minutes left… you’re such a woman!” He groaned, which made me chuckle to myself.

Who could blame me? I hadn’t showered or brushed my teeth last night after the state I wound up in. It was deserved in my opinion.

I finished up at the sink, tugged on my fresh underwear and clothes, before turning to exit – carrying the dirty ones to the laundry pile.

“You good?” He questioned, knowing we were about to be separated for the day.

“I am, are you?” I nodded, as he all but mumbled back somewhat of a response.

If I knew any better… I’d say the man was nervous…