로그인Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty SixThe ride back home felt longer than usual.Aria sat by the window of the taxi, her gaze fixed on the passing streets, but she wasn’t really seeing them. The city moved like it always did—cars passing, people crossing, life continuing without pause—but none of it settled her the way it normally would.She wasn’t restless.She wasn’t overwhelmed.But her mind wasn’t quiet either.It moved slowly, carefully, like it was trying to understand something it had avoided for too long.By the time the taxi stopped in front of her building, she barely noticed how long the ride had taken. She paid the driver, stepped out, and walked inside without hesitation, her movements steady, her expression unchanged.Everything about her looked the same.But inside, something had already started shifting.Her apartment greeted her with the same calm it always did. Clean. Organized. Predictable. The kind of space she had built for herself after everything had fallen apart.
Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty FiveThe plane had already taken off by the time Damien finally allowed himself to settle into the quiet.Not the kind that came from absence.The kind that came when there was nothing left to do.No decisions to make. No conversations waiting. No room to turn back.Just time.He sat by the window, his seat slightly reclined, one hand resting loosely against the armrest while the other stayed still on his lap. The low hum of the aircraft filled the space around him, steady and consistent, almost enough to drown out everything else.Almost.Outside, the sky stretched endlessly, clouds layered beneath them like something distant and untouched. He wasn’t really looking at anything in particular, but his gaze stayed there anyway.Still.Focused.Not because he was trying to escape his thoughts.But because he wasn’t avoiding them either.For the first time in a long while, he let everything come as it was.No resistance.No defense.Just honesty.Minnesota h
Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty FourAria didn’t make the decision all at once.It didn’t come like urgency or panic or some sudden rush of emotion she couldn’t control. It came slowly, building through the quiet moments she couldn’t ignore anymore. The way her father’s words had stayed with her. The way the memory of that evening kept replaying—not what she said, but how quickly she had said it. How certain she had been, without giving him space to speak.She had gone to bed that night thinking it would pass.It didn’t.The next morning, she told herself to focus on work. Patients, reports, schedules—things that made sense, things she could control. And she did. She showed up the way she always did. Steady. Composed. Reliable.But somewhere in between conversations and consultations, her mind kept drifting back to him.Not the version she had known before.Not the man who had hurt her.The one she saw now.The one who didn’t argue.The one who didn’t push.The one who had simply… left
Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-ThreeAria stayed beside her father for a while after helping him sit, her attention fully on him as she reached for the glass of water on the table and handed it over. Her movements were careful, practiced, the kind that came from years of knowing exactly what to do in situations like this. But beneath that calm surface, something inside her had already begun to shift.“Drink slowly,” she said, watching him closely as he took a few small sips.“I’m alright,” he replied after a moment, though his voice carried a tired edge. He leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath before glancing at her again. “You worry too much.”Aria didn’t respond to that. She just adjusted the cushion behind him and reached for the small paper bag on the table, pulling out the medication inside. Her brows pulled together slightly as she looked at it.“These aren’t from your usual pharmacy,” she said, more to herself than to him.Her father followed her gaze and smiled fai
Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-TwoBy the time Aria got home, the evening had settled into a quiet calm that usually brought her comfort. The street outside was familiar, the kind of place where nothing ever felt out of place, where routines stayed predictable and life moved in a steady, manageable rhythm.She stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her before slipping off her shoes. The house greeted her the way it always did—still, neat, unchanged. It should have felt grounding.But it didn’t.Her eyes moved instinctively toward the living room, then the hallway, then the small corner where her father usually sat after his evening walks.Empty.She paused for a second, her brows pulling together slightly.“Dad?” she called out, her voice carrying lightly through the house.No response.That wasn’t unusual. He often took his time during those walks, sometimes stopping to talk to neighbors or just enjoying the evening air longer than planned. But something about today felt… dif
Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-OneThe day had stretched longer than usual, not because of the number of patients Aria had seen, but because of the quiet awareness that had followed her from the moment she stepped into the hospital that morning. It wasn’t loud or distracting. She didn’t make mistakes, didn’t lose focus, didn’t let it interfere with her work. But it was there, sitting somewhere at the back of her mind, steady and unshaken.Him.She didn’t look for him again after that moment in the waiting area. She didn’t need to. Something in her already knew he hadn’t left.And that alone was enough to unsettle the balance she had worked so hard to rebuild.By the time her shift ended, the sky outside had begun to soften into evening. The hospital slowly quieted, the rush of the day easing into something calmer. Aria finished up the last of her notes, her pen moving steadily across the paper before she closed the file and set it aside.For a second, she just sat there.Still.Then s
Chapter Twenty-Two“You mean Damien didn’t sleep at home?” Richard asked, his voice already sharp. Aria stood near the long dining table, her hands folded in front of her. She didn’t look up. She kept her eyes straight, like she was afraid to meet his.“Yes, sir. And he missed all his medications f
Chapter Twenty-One His eyes opened slowly. Clara wasn’t there. He swung his legs off the bed, noticing the quiet of the apartment. The kitchen was where he heard soft movements. Clara was there. She had been moving quietly, her blonde hair brushing her shoulders, as she stirred something in th
Chapter TwentyHe hugged her from behind as soon as he stepped inside.She stiffened for a second, letting out a soft gasp, pretending to be surprised. But through the corner of her eyes, she had already seen him outside her window upstairs. She had been waiting, watching, planning every reaction.
Chapter Nineteen “Girlll, I heard the new bride to Damien is a doctor,” Naya said loudly through the phone. “A psychiatrist for that matter. His dad did all this to get Damien back to his senses.”Clara froze. The way her face changed immediately, even Naya could feel it through the call.Clara dr







