Sera slowly raised her hands, her fingers trembling despite her attempts to stay composed. She swallowed hard, her voice coming out broken, barely audible:
"Ai... Aiden... I didn't mean... to intrude... into your home..."
He didn't lower the gun immediately. Instead, he leaned slightly toward her, a cold side-smile playing on his lips. He whispered near her ear in a calm tone devoid of any warmth:
"Sorry? And who exactly should I forgive?"
Her heart hammered violently. But, contrary to the fear ravaging her, she slowly raised her hand and touched his cheek. His skin was warm... real.
"Aiden... it's me. Your neighbor, Sera. Don't worry."
At that moment, his pupils dilated suddenly. He took a step back... then another. The gun lowered slightly, but his grip on it remained tight, as if his body hadn't received the command to let go yet. Strands of his jet-black hair fell over his face, and his eyes remained fixed on her, clouded with confusion.
"Why... are you here, Sera?" he murmured, as if trying to grasp reality.
She moved toward him with calculated, slow, and cautious steps, as if any wrong move might break him. "Because you're hurt... and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
He looked at her—this time with different eyes. The coldness receded, replaced by a heavy warmth, loaded with countless questions, an old exhaustion, and something resembling surrender. His lips parted slightly as if to say something... but his body betrayed him. His fingers loosened. His stature wavered.
"Aiden—!"
Before she could finish, his body collapsed toward her. She rushed to catch him before he fell completely, her arms trying to contain his weight, her heart racing wildly. His breath was hot and irregular, his head resting near her shoulder.
Sera sighed, and her voice came out as a confession she hadn't intended to make, barely a whisper:
"Aiden... you're drowning me... Why am I so drawn to you?"
She placed her hands over his messy hair, damp with sweat. She shook him gently, her tone laced with panic: "Aiden, wake up... we have to take you to the hospital... Aiden!"
With difficulty, his eyelids moved. He opened his eyes slowly, as if the world were returning to him piece by piece. Their eyes met. For a moment... he smiled. A calm, tired smile that didn't belong to a man on the verge of collapse. He slowly raised his hand and took hers.
Sera's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could speak, he said in a low voice, unexpectedly steady:
"If I were you... I wouldn't have stayed here."
He pulled his hand back and stood up with difficulty, his body swaying before regaining balance. He walked with heavy steps toward the sofa and sat down. Drops of blood stained the floor; he watched the trail of blood with a vacant stare, as if it didn't concern him.
Sera remained frozen in place. Then he continued, without looking at her:
"Go, Sera. Leave."
But she moved. She approached with quiet steps and sat before him, at eye level. "You know? I risked my life on a ladder between balconies just to leave quietly... so don't ask me to leave now."
She began to unbutton his shirt slowly, ignoring his silent astonishment. "I might not be a doctor. I'm a pharmacy assistant... and for the record, I hate this profession. But... that's life."
She pulled the jacket off his shoulder, revealing the wound. It was deep. Very deep. He watched her in silence, hair covering part of his eyes.
"Your wound is serious, Aiden. In fact... very serious. If you weren't a cop, I'd say you were a criminal."
She looked up at him. During her movement, her eyes slipped to his body. A tattoo. A single number: 23.12.09.
She stopped. She raised her hand to touch it... then pulled back.
"I'm calling the ambulance," she said firmly.
But Aiden slowly began to button his shirt. He looked at her: "You can drive, right?"
"Me? I haven't driven in a long time..." she stammered.
He approached her slowly, step by step, until her back was against the wall. He leaned down to her level, the distance between them vanishing. Their breaths mingled.
"You're going to drive, Sera," he said with an unquestionable calmness.
She hesitated for a moment... then a small smile formed, hiding her fear. "Fine... let's go. You don't look good at all. Your fever is too high."
At that moment, she wasn't just driving a car... she was driving herself deeper into a world she could no longer escape.
Sera opened the car door quickly, taking a deep breath as if gathering her courage from the air. She turned to Aiden with wide, nervous eyes, her voice trembling slightly.
Aiden pulled the car keys from his pocket slowly, the movement looking heavier than it should be. He extended them toward her without a word.
Sera's fingertips hovered in the air for a second that felt too long... then she grasped them. Aiden leaned against the car, his eyes following her silently.
"I didn't force you to help me... you can still leave," he sighed.
She met his gaze with a firmness she didn't expect from herself.
"If I left you now... I would truly regret it."
Then she added with sincere quietness:
"Trust my heart."