The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 153

**Chapter 153**

**Margot’s POV**

The moment I laid eyes on Coban again, it was as if I had stepped into the eye of a storm I had been bracing for all morning long. The anticipation had been building, and now, standing before him, a rush of relief washed over me, almost overwhelming in its intensity.

He was there, solid and breathing, very much alive—just as I had dared to hope.

However, the sight of him brought with it a wave of conflicting emotions. His face bore the marks of a recent struggle; dark bruises shadowed his eyes, and his nose was swollen, giving him an almost feral look. Yet, despite his battered state, he stood tall, still the imposing figure I knew him to be.

And then, when he enfolded me in his arms, pulling me tightly against his chest, I felt a surge of warmth and safety that almost made me forget the reality of our surroundings. His lips pressed gently into my hair, and for a fleeting moment, I lost myself in the comfort of his embrace.

It felt so right, yet so confusing. A mix of comfort and terror wrapped around me like a tightly tied bow, leaving me breathless.

But just as I began to lose myself in that moment, Leo’s voice sliced through the air like a knife.

“What the hell, Coban?!” Leo exclaimed, his tone sharp and accusatory, echoing in the small room. “You’ve had her sleeping on the damn floor?!”

My breath hitched in my throat.

He hadn’t even let Cara have the bed?!

A part of me had clung to the hope that Coban would treat Cara with a different level of respect, that because she was Leo’s girl and not his, he would offer her more kindness. But clearly, that was a naive assumption.

I felt Coban tense beside me, his body going rigid. I could sense the shift in his demeanor instantly—the way his muscles tightened, the way his jaw clenched in response to Leo’s words.

“What the hell did you expect me to do?” Coban shot back, his eyes darting between the three of us, flashing with indignation. “You think I was going to play house with your girl?”

“Let her sleep on the damn bed like a human being!” Leo retorted, stepping forward, his finger jabbing angrily at Coban’s chest. “Quit being a jerk!”

My heart raced, pounding against my ribs like a caged animal.

This was the Coban I always dreaded—the one who could shift from protective to volatile in the blink of an eye. A ticking time bomb, ready to explode without any warning.

It was Cara who reacted first.

She dashed to my side, grabbing my arm and tugging me back, as if trying to shield me from the fallout of their confrontation.

I could feel her trembling beside me, her anxiety palpable.

“Hey, I was just messing around! I didn’t mind it too much!” she pleaded with Leo, her voice laced with regret for even bringing it up.

But Coban ignored her completely, his focus solely on Leo.

“Where the hell do you expect me to sleep then,” he snarled, stepping closer, looming over Leo, “if your girl’s taking up my bed?”

My stomach dropped at the escalating tension.

Leo didn’t hesitate for a second, and I wished with all my heart that he had.

“Grow up and sleep beside her,” Leo shot back, his voice firm. “I don’t expect you to be fucking her, just let her sleep on the damn bed beside you—it’s not hard!”

The room fell into a dead silence, the air thick with tension.

I felt as if my heart had stopped altogether.

Coban turned his head slowly, almost deliberately, toward me.

His gaze narrowed, and I could see his jaw clenching so tightly that I feared his teeth might shatter under the pressure. He didn’t shout; he didn’t move immediately. That was the worst part—the quiet before the storm.

“So,” he said, his voice low and dangerously calm, “you mean to tell me that you slept in the bed with my Bella last night then?”

I wanted to disappear.

I wanted to shake Leo, to grab him by the collar and scream at him, “Why would you say that?” This was the one thing we were never supposed to mention, the one detail meant to keep the peace intact.

Cara tightened her grip on my arm, sensing my panic spiraling out of control.

Leo looked startled but stood his ground, refusing to back down.

“Quit being a wuss and get over it,” he shot back defiantly. “Do you really think I’d mess around with your girl behind your back?”

That was the tipping point.

Coban moved first, shoving Leo hard in the chest, sending him stumbling backward. “You crossed a damn line!”

But Leo wasn’t backing down; he came right back at Coban. “Screw you!”

They collided like two wrecking balls, fists flying, bodies crashing against the floor. The sounds of skin meeting skin and breath being knocked from lungs filled the air—it was chaotic, violent, and completely out of control.

“STOP!” I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation.

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