Leon went silent for a moment, as if trying to digest what I had just said.
"Valeria… are you serious?"
His voice was low, but shaking with anger.
"Yes. And I don't understand why you're reacting like this," I said. The tight knot in my stomach twisted harder. Why did he trust me so little?
Leon stepped closer—two firm steps.
"I'm trying to protect you. And you… you're comparing me to that guy."
"Protect me? You're trying to control me."
"I'm not controlling you! But you act without thinking!"
His voice rose, no longer calm, no longer collected—the man I had met was gone, replaced by someone whose anger broke through the seams.
I crossed my arms over my chest, my tone icy.
"Without thinking? I'm trying to figure out whether someone is trustworthy or not. That is thinking. You're just yelling."
Leon shook his head, frustrated.
"I don't want to yell but… you don't know that guy, Valeria! You don't know him!"
"I didn't know you either!" I snapped. "On the first day, when you took me to your house, that wasn't a problem. But now it is?"
Leon opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat.
"Because… because we… you… I…"
"Because what, Leon?" I said. "Say it. Just say it."
He exploded:
"Because I thought— I thought you believed in me! I wanted you to trust me!"
"I do trust you," I said quietly. "But within the limits of friendship. Not enough for you to yell at me."
Leon took one furious step forward.
"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you! Is that so hard to understand?"
"It is hard!" I shot back, my voice trembling. "Because you are hard to understand! It's HARD, Leon! I CAN'T DO THIS—maybe it just doesn't work!"
His expression darkened.
"What do you mean it doesn't work? How can you decide something like that so quickly?"
"In your eyes, anything bad that happens to me is always someone else's fault. As if you could never make a mistake!"
Leon's jaw tightened. There was a hollow emptiness in his eyes—like something inside him had cracked, and he was speaking through the shards.
"I would never hurt you."
"You can't know that."
The air between us turned so heavy it felt suffocating.
A few seconds of dead, painful silence… Then Leon stepped back, as if frightened by his own anger.
"Valeria… please," he said softly. "Let's talk when you calm down."
I shook my head.
"Even if we talk, you won't understand. That's the problem. You only see your own point of view."
Leon froze—helplessness flickering across his face. Then suddenly, it hardened.
"Fine then. If that's what you really want… go live in that apartment with him. I have nothing else to say."
"You… you're serious?"
"I'm very serious, Valeria."
His tone was cold—sharp enough to cut.
"In fact… maybe I am dangerous for you."
"W–what…?"
"'You can't know that,'" he echoed my words, finishing my sentence.
His eyes turned icy.
"Maybe you're right."
His words slammed into me like a door shutting in my face.
My throat tightened—I couldn't speak.
I got out of the car. My hands shook as I grabbed my things. Maybe it was my hands—or maybe the whole world was shaking. By the time I reached the front of the building, I had to stop and catch my breath.
That's when my phone rang.
A number flashed across the screen.
"H–hello?"
The voice on the other end was frantic, rushed.
"Hey! Are you there? Hey! You need to come here—now!"
"W-what happened?!"