Soon, the time had finally come—the time when I could renovate my house.
I have enough money now, I thought to myself.
Later that day, I went to see a man named Jon, a local contractor.
"I need some repairs done," I told him.
He nodded. "Yeah, miss, but let me see the house first."
After that, he came along with me. The house, which was barely holding together, had leaking roofs, weak walls, and a weathered, gloomy look. Inside, the bare rooms felt cold and lifeless.
Outside the house, Mr. Jon said, "Alright… but I'll need an advance payment for this work. Do you even have the money?"
"Yeah, I have it. How much do you need?" I asked.
"Twenty gold coins," he replied.
Without hesitation, I said, "Alright, Jon. I'll bring the money by tomorrow. Once I pay you, please start the work as soon as possible."
The next day, I went to Jon again and repeated my request.
But Mr. Jon said, "Okay, so you've paid… but I'll at least need a day to arrange all the men and materials. Is that fine?"
"Yeah, okay," I replied in a neutral voice, though inside I was already getting annoyed.
Why can't he just give me a proper date? I thought.
The day after, when I went to see Jon again, he said, "Miss, I think there's a problem. I'll need twenty more gold coins for the work—the labourers are asking for advance payment."
"What?" I said in disbelief.
"Oh, miss, it's just a matter of time. We'll start working this evening, and I guarantee the work will be finished faster than you could ever expect."
Something about his words didn't sit right with me. So I said, "Okay, I can pay—but come to my house with the labourers first. Only then will I give you the money."
"Alright, ma'am," he replied.
In the evening, Jon arrived with a few labourers. As promised, I gave them the money, and they began working outside the house.
I went inside, leaving them to their work. After a few hours, Jon came in and said, "Ma'am, I have something important to discuss."
"What now?" I asked, my voice tinged with irritation.
He replied, "I think the estimate I gave you earlier was… inaccurate. This house needs much more work than I thought. The labourers are asking for more days, so it will cost another twenty gold coins."
That was it for me. I stormed outside, ready to argue.
It was dark—but not so dark that I couldn't see at least one labourer. Yet… there was no one there.
"Where is the labour?!" I shouted at Jon.
"Well… they left," he said calmly, "and they told me to deliver this message to you."
"Hey, Mr. Jon—are you scamming me?! Do your work! How can I give you more money?" I snapped.
But suddenly, Jon's attitude toward me changed. His tone turned mocking as he said, "Oh, so you don't have any money left? If that's the case, I'm sorry—but your work can't be done."
"What?!" I shouted. "You bastard! Give me my money back!" My blood was boiling.
"If you want it, you can try to take it," he sneered. "But don't expect me to hand it over. Besides… it's probably stolen money anyway, isn't it? So it doesn't matter if I keep it. And if you want to tell someone—go ahead. Let's see how you explain where you got that money, you little brat."
Without thinking, I lunged at him, clawing and striking wherever I could.
"You! Give me my money back!" I screamed.
But before I knew it, I was on the ground. There was no way I could stand against a grown, muscular man—especially a man like Jon, who was well known in the area for his strength.
Tears blurred my vision. I was alone. People passed by, neighbours peeked from their houses, but no one stepped forward. It almost felt like they were… enjoying it.
I could see them—all of them—even the children, peeking at me from behind doors and windows. In the darkness, it almost looked as if they were all smiling.
Jon glanced at his elbow—the only place I had managed to scratch—and snarled, "You witch… let me teach you a lesson!"
I squeezed my eyes shut in fear.
But then—I felt someone grab me. It wasn't a grip meant to hurt… it was to protect.
The hold loosened, and I caught my breath. Slowly, I turned around.
What I saw stunned me.
Jon was there… but on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth. The neighbours, who had been watching like it was some sort of show, suddenly vanished into their houses.
The only one still standing there was Rayan.
I didn't know what had happened—I hadn't even seen it. But the next moment, Jon, now on his knees before Rayan, silently placed all the gold coins I had given him on the ground. Without a word, he turned and ran as fast as he could.
Rayan's gaze shifted to me. His expression was hard, almost angry—but beneath it, I could see worry… and fear.
He stepped closer. "Who was that? Why was that man trying to hurt you?!" His voice was sharp, but I could hear the concern underneath.
"Well… I—uh…" I hesitated. I didn't want him to get into trouble because of me.
His eyes narrowed. "After all this time, you still hesitate to tell me things? Do you… not trust me?"
"What? No, I—" I started, but he cut me off.
"Zera… do you think you don't have a family you can talk to? Why do you keep forgetting about me?" This time, his voice softened, and for a moment, it looked like he might cry.
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"You said we're family… Rayan, tell me—why don't you? Do you even… like me?"
He didn't hesitate.
"No, Zera… I love you."