STRANGE THOUGH

“You’re going out again?” I asked when Selene slowly pulled away from Xavier before standing up.

“Yes,” she answered. “I’m going back to work.”

Her words made my jaw tighten instantly.

“There’s no need for that,” I said before she could say anything else. “I already arranged a one-month break for you. You’ll still receive your salary, so you should stay with Xavier until things settle down.”

She looked surprised by that.

“I also increased the amount,” I added. “So you don’t have to worry about anything for now.”

Selene glanced toward Xavier briefly before looking back at me again.

“Thank you for taking care of him,” she said quietly. “He’s all I have.”

I smiled faintly, but something tightened painfully inside my chest anyway because for one brief second, I had expected her to say we instead of him.

“Thank you, but no thanks,” she continued gently. “You’ve already done enough for us. Keeping Xavier safe is the greatest thing you could have done for me.”

Then she turned toward the door.

“Selene.”

She stopped immediately before turning back, and for a moment neither of us looked away from the other.

There was hesitation in me now, something unfamiliar and strangely heavy as I studied her face. I had dealt with bloodshed, power struggles, and enemies without blinking, yet somehow this conversation felt harder than any of them.

“I wanted to talk to you about Xavier’s hearing,” I said carefully.

The moment those words left my mouth, her expression changed completely.

“I contacted one of the best audiologists in the country,” I continued slowly. “They believe there’s a possibility a cochlear implant could help him hear again, at least partially, but we would need your approval before anything moves forward.”

Shock flashed across her face so suddenly that she almost looked frozen where she stood.

Disbelief followed immediately after it, then hope.

Her lips parted slightly while tears slowly gathered in her eyes as she stared at me like she could barely process what she had just heard.

✦SELENE'S POV✦

◈OME WEEK LATER - AT DUSK◈

“Strange though,” Ivy suddenly murmured as we continued down the quiet street.

I glanced at her calmly and frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You remember David?” she asked.

I tried recalling the name for a moment before she continued.

“David. The guy who came to the restaurant with his date Rose...”

Recognition crossed my face slowly before I let out a quiet breath. “Oh. The one who slapped me.”

“Yeah, that one,” Ivy replied immediately while pointing at me.

I clicked my tongue softly. “I still haven’t recovered from that slap.”

A laugh escaped both of us, briefly easing the heaviness around us, but Ivy’s amusement disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Her expression shifted strangely while she stared at me for a second longer than necessary.

“He’s dead.”

My laughter faded instantly as my steps slowed while unease slowly crept into my chest. “What?”

“You seriously didn’t hear about it?” Ivy asked while staring at me in disbelief.

I scoffed quietly and looked ahead again. “I barely have time to breathe lately, let alone watch the news. I haven’t even had time for myself.”

“Huh?” Ivy blinked repeatedly at me. “Selene, the whole thing went viral.”