A cold shiver climbed her spine.
— What? No, I—
Sion. Look at me.
He raised his eyes.
And Nari froze.
His eyes were red, swollen, devastated.
Not from alcohol.
Not from exhaustion.
From raw pain.
— You abandoned me, he repeated, a nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth.
You abandoned me.
YOU ABANDONED ME!!!
He screamed, like his heart finally shattered open.
His voice cracked.
Tears burst out.
— I'm here now! What's wrong with you?! Nari cried, panicked.
Sion shot to his feet in one violent, almost animal movement.
He grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her cheeks as if she might vanish.
— You're sick of me already, is that it?! he spat, breath trembling, burning, his eyes locked into hers — drowning in rage and fear.
— No! I was just with a friend!
And let go, you're hurting me!
— WHY DO YOU NEED FRIENDS?!
YOU HAVE ME!
His scream made the walls vibrate.
— YOU ABANDONED ME TO GO SEE THAT BITCH FRIEND OF YOURS!
— I forbid you to insult her! Nari shouted, struggling to pull her head free.
— YOUR.
FRIEND.
THE.
BITCH.
Each syllable: a stab.
A venom.
A jealousy so sick and uncontrollable it nearly shook the room.
— Okay. I'm leaving, she said, cold and sharp.
She grabbed her bag.
Sion was faster.
He seized her arm, yanked her back with a force that slammed her against the wall.
The impact echoed.
Nari gasped.
He leaned over her, throat tight, nostrils flaring.
— Where are you going…? he whispered, dangerously calm.
We're not done.
— Far away from you.
That was the sentence that broke something inside him.
His expression changed.
Darkened.
Burned.
Collapsed.
— You're going to him, aren't you…?
HIM.
The one who drove you home.
He was trembling.
With jealousy.
With rage.
With fear.
— He fucked you, didn't he?!
TELL ME!
He screamed, his face twisting—
and his fist shot forward.
Not toward her.
Toward the wall.
Just beside her head.
The plaster burst in a dull crack.
Fragments fell onto Nari's shoulder.
The dust, the violence of the blow, the scorching heat of Sion's breath against her skin…
it all blended into a suffocating, dizzy haze.
But Nari did not move.
Not a recoil.
Not a tremor.
She looked him straight in the eyes.
Calm.
Cold.
Unshaken.
— Listen to me carefully, Sion, she said, separating each word.
Either you calm down right now…
She stepped toward him.
Very slowly.
Very controlled.
Her forehead nearly brushing his.
— …or you get out of my life.
Silence.
The kind of silence that weighs, that screams, that tears the air apart.
— Is that clear…? she breathed, her voice low but razor-sharp.
Sion stopped moving.
His fist stayed against the wall, trembling.
His breath caught.
His eyes locked on hers as if she had just ripped something vital out of his chest.
And the living room fell into a suffocating stillness, their breaths mixing — heavy, burning, loaded with a million things ready to explode.
He widened his eyes.
As if a pit had opened beneath his feet.
As if he was only now realizing… that she meant it.
That this time, she could actually leave.
Abandon him.
Take away the one thing that still held him upright.
And then—
He collapsed.
Literally.
His legs gave out as though the entire structure of his body had shattered.
He fell to his knees before her — stripped of dignity, pride, mask.
His fingers clung to her legs, clutching her like a drowning man clings to a lifeline.
— I'm sorry…
His voice shook. Fractured. Torn.
— I'm sorry, Nari…
Don't leave me…
Don't abandon me…
I'm begging you…
Each word struck the air like a smothered sob.
Nari remained still, breathless, her heart slicing open.
Seeing him like that…
Sion — the predator, the man with burning golden eyes —
on his knees.
Broken.
Lost.
It tore her chest apart.
He finally lifted his face.
His eyes trembled.
Red.
Wet.
Destroyed.
— This morning… when you sent me that message… he murmured, voice strangled.
My mother was having an episode.
It was too much.
I wanted to see you…
A lie.
A pretty lie.
Well sewn, well placed, well played.
— And when you told me you weren't coming…
I felt alone.
Abandoned.
You're the only person I want to see.
Then, like a confession ripped from raw flesh, his voice darkened.
— And when I saw you come home with that guy…
I… I lost my mind.
The truth.
Clear.
Sharp.
He pressed his forehead against her legs.
Like a wounded dog.
Like a child searching for shelter.
— I'm begging you…
don't leave me again.
Nari knelt down slowly.
Very slowly.
As if each movement weighed ten kilos.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Then another.
Her heart pounded wildly, overflowing with pain, tenderness, guilt — and something unspeakable.
She wrapped her arms around him.
Her fingers closed around the back of his neck.
And Sion collapsed into her, face buried in her stomach, breathing like a man gasping for air.
— I'm sorry…
Her voice shook, cracking over the words.
I didn't mean to leave you alone.
I'm here.
From now on… I'll stay with you.
Only you.
Sion smiled.
Not the smile of a broken man.
The smile of a man who had won.
A dark smile.
Satisfied.
Possessive.
Devouring.
He lifted his face to her slowly.
His hands slid over her waist.
Up along her ribs.
Then his golden eyes locked into hers.
— I love you more than anything.
His voice vibrated with an almost unhealthy intensity.
— Be mine and only mine.
Nari inhaled deeply.
Her heart hammered so hard she felt it in her temples.
— I'm yours, Sion. Only yours.
He smiled. Slightly.
A shadow crossed his gaze.
— Then you don't need anyone else.
Just me.
Alright?
A shiver ran up Nari's spine.
Not a shiver of fear.
A shiver of vertigo.
Of dependence.
Of something she still refused to name.
— …Yes.
Just you.
Just you.
The words slid from her lips like a seal.
A promise she could never take back.
And Nari attached herself to him,
— a little more,
— a little too much,
— enough to lose herself.
In the apartment, silence fell again.
Thick.
Saturated with emotion.
With love.
With gentle madness.
Outside, the snow kept falling.
Silent.
Smothering.
Covering everything in a pristine white.
Like a blanket over a scream no one would ever hear.
Like a shroud over a truth they refused to face.