The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 210

Margot’s POV

My silence said enough.

And that…

That was all it took for him.

“Fuck…” he muttered under his breath, dragging a hand down his face again.

Then suddenly, he stepped forward.

Closing the space between us.

And before I could react, his arms were wrapped around me.

Strong and solid, careful of my ribs – but firm enough that I felt his presence keeping me safe.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured into my hair.

The words hit something deep.

Something fragile.

“I’ve got you now… you can’t live in the ‘what ifs’…” he murmurs, as I sniffle in to his chest.

My breath hitched slightly, hearing that.

“I won’t ask you to leave this project ever again, you’re officially stuck with me now forever, Bella… like it or not.” He states, his tone surprisingly calm.

“I won’t ever let you go back there,” he added, his voice lower now. “I might have said some stupid shit this past week, but I didn’t mean any of it… you’re mine now, you’ll stay with me.” He hums, rocking me gently in his hold.

My fingers curled lightly into his side, holding onto him without even thinking.

“You don’t have to worry about that bastard,” he continued. “Not while I’m here, he can never hurt you again.”

Maybe it was crazy.

Maybe

was reckless.

Maybe

was everything I shouldn’t trust.

But standing there, like this, in Coban’s arms…

For the first time in my life…

I felt cared for and wanted.

I let my eyes close, pressing slightly into him.

Letting myself be held.

Letting myself feel it.

The fear.

The relief.

The exhaustion.

All of it.

“I wasn’t going to take it,” I whispered against him. “Even though I thought about it, I knew that I wanted to stay…”

“I know,” he replied instantly, with zero doubt.

“I just…” I swallowed. “I needed to remind myself why I came here in the first place.”

His grip tightened slightly.

Not suffocating.

Just… scared of letting go too soon.

“You don’t need money to stay away from him,” he said quietly. “You’ve already done the hard part.”

I let out a small breath.

Because he was right.

I had.

And I wasn’t going back.

Not to that life…

Not to that version of me.

Not ever again.

His hand moved slowly up my back, brushing gently through my damp hair.

“You’re safe here,” he murmured. “And I’m going to do better for you too…”

I stayed there for a while.

Longer than

meant to.

Longer than I probably should have.

Just… tucked into him.

Letting his arms hold me together in a way I didn’t realise I needed so badly.

His chest rose steadily beneath my cheek, his breathing calm and controlled – so different from the chaos I’d seen from him before.

It grounded me.

Pulled me out of my own head.

Out of the memories.

Out of that house.

Because right here…

That version of my life felt far away. Distant. Like something I’d already escaped.

“You’re shaking.” Coban murmured quietly.

I hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m okay.” I whispered back, though my voice was softer now. Tired.

He didn’t argue.

Didn’t push.

His hand just moved slower against my back, steady and reassuring.

Slowly, I pulled back just enough to look up at him.

His eyes met mine instantly.

Still intense.

Something that almost looked like… sadness.

“You are everything to me,” he muttered under his breath. “I just took a little longer to accept it…”

I smiled at that, as his hand slid from my jaw to the back of my neck, pulling me in just slightly closer again.

Just enough.

The moment lingered.

Soft.

Until eventually, Coban pulled back slightly, just enough to look down at me properly, his brows drawing together as if he was thinking.

Really thinking.

“Alright,” he said suddenly, a shift in his tone.

“We’re not sitting around here all day with you in your head like that.” I blinked at him.

Caught off guard by the change.

“W-What?” I let out a small, confused breath.

He huffed, shaking his head slightly.

“I’m serious,” he went on. “You’ve had enough shit running through your mind for one day.”

His hands dropped from me, but not fully… one still lingered briefly at my waist, giving me a small squeeze before he stepped back.

“I’m going to get dressed,” he added, already turning toward his things. “Then we’re going to get some food.”

The simplicity of it almost made me smile.

Normal.

Again.

I nodded faintly, watching him.

“Sorry for… the wobble,” I mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed now that the moment had passed.

But he just stared at me for a beat.

“What wobble?” he said simply, like hadn’t even happened.

Like I hadn’t just stood there falling apart in his arms five minutes ago over my father…

And something about that, made a small smile tug at my lips.

He turned back to what he was doing, grabbing a fresh set of clothes, and as he moved-

“You tidied up?” he asked, glancing around the room, noticing only for the first time.

Changing the subject completely.

Everything was a little more in place than before.

“Just… a bit.” I replied. “We still need to do laundry.”

At that, he groaned loudly.

“When we get out of here…” he started, stepping into his trousers, “We’re getting a damn maid.”

I snorted at the idea. “A maid?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, completely unfazed. “Someone else can deal with this shit. I’m not built for laundry.”

The idea of Coban Santorelli complaining about laundry like it was beneath him? It was ridiculous… and oddly… cute?