When it was my turn to speak, I stood on shaking legs and walked to the front. I read my statement. I described what it felt like to be strangled in public while my daughter begged for my life. I talked about the nightmares Nikia still had, the fear I still carried every single day. My voice shook, but I didn’t break.
When I sat back down, I felt Young Chul’s hand briefly touch my shoulder—just for a second—but it was enough.
The judge didn’t take long to decide.
“Mr. Williams, you violated a restraining order, committed assault in front of a minor, and showed a complete disregard for the safety of your ex-wife and daughter. I’m sentencing you to eight years in state prison with a permanent restraining order upon release.”
Eight years. I could finally breathe.
As they led DeAndre away, he looked back one last time—not at me, at Young Chul—and I saw it clearly. He was terrified.
Outside the courthouse, I finally let myself cry. Young Chul pulled me into his arms right there on the steps, and I buried my face in his chest and let everything out.
“It’s over,” he said quietly. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
And for the first time since I left DeAndre, I actually believed it.
Two weeks after the sentencing, Young Chul asked me to dinner. “Just me, without Nikia. I want to take you somewhere,” he said over the phone. “Just the two of us.”
My heart jumped. Like a date. Yes, like a date. I hadn’t been on a real date in years. My mother agreed to watch Nikia, and I spent an hour trying to figure out what to wear. I finally settled on a simple black dress Janelle had bought me for my birthday last year that I’d never worn.
When Young Chul picked me up, the look on his face made all the anxiety worth it.
“You look beautiful,” he said quietly.
He took me to a rooftop restaurant I’d never even heard of. When we got there, I realized why. It was his. And tonight it was empty except for us.
“You reserved the entire restaurant?” I asked, stunned.
“I wanted privacy to talk to you without interruption.”
We sat at a table overlooking the city. The lights stretched out below us like stars. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me.
For a while, we just talked—about Nikia, about my classes (I’d started looking into dental hygienist programs), about his businesses, normal things. But then his tone shifted.
“I need to tell you something,” he said, setting down his glass. “And I need you to really hear me.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve been trying to keep my distance,” he said. “Trying not to take advantage of the fact that you were vulnerable when we met. But I can’t anymore.”
“Take advantage? Young Chul, you saved my life—”
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day I saw you at that mall,” he interrupted. “Protecting you started as the right thing to do, but it became more than that. Much more.”
My breath caught.
“I need you to understand what you’re getting into if you choose this,” he continued. “If you choose me, my world is complicated. Dangerous. Being close to me could put you and Nikia at risk.”
“I’m already safer with you than I’ve ever been on my own,” I said.
“That’s not what I mean. There are people who would use you to get to me. People who—”
“I don’t care,” I cut him off. “Adrien, I don’t care,” I repeated, my voice stronger now. “You’ve shown me what it feels like to be protected, to be valued, to not have to fight every single battle alone, and I trust you completely.”
He reached across the table and took both my hands in his.
“If you let me into your life—really into your life—I will protect you and Nikia for the rest of my life. This isn’t casual for me. I’m not asking to date you and see what happens. I’m asking you to let me be your partner… your protector. Permanently.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Are you asking me to—?”
“I’m asking you to choose me,” he said, “knowing everything I am, everything I’ve done, everything I’m capable of.” His grip tightened. “And I’m promising you that I will never let anyone hurt you again.”
I didn’t even have to think about it.
