The knock echoed in Leah's chest long after the sound faded.
She stood frozen in the center of her room, staring at the door as if it might disappear. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
He came.
Even in pain… he came.
"Leah… it's me…" His voice had been hoarse. Weak. Strained.
Her pride tried to rise again — a final defense. She should be angry. He overstepped. He saw things she never wanted him to see.
But the sound of his breathing through the door shattered that anger before it could form.
Slowly, hesitantly, she walked forward.
Her fingers hovered over the handle.
"Just… look at him," she whispered to herself.
She opened the door.
Izana stood there, swaying slightly.
His white blindfold was still in place, but his posture was unstable — shoulders slumped, one hand braced against the doorframe. His breathing was uneven. His skin looked pale beneath the dim hallway light.
For a second, Leah didn't know what to feel.
Relief. Shock. Worry. Guilt.
Anger never came.
"…Izana…" she breathed.
He lifted his head slightly toward her voice. "You opened it…"
There was something so raw in his tone that it made her chest tighten.
She swallowed.
She didn't know what to say.
So she did the only thing she could think of.
She started to close the door again.
Not out of cruelty — but fear. Fear of what this meant. Fear of how much she cared.
The door barely moved before Izana's hand shot forward and caught it.
It wasn't strong. It wasn't forceful.
It was desperate.
"Don't," he said quietly.
Before she could react, before she could think —
He stepped forward.
And hugged her.
It wasn't sudden or rough. It was careful. Almost fragile. His arms wrapped around her gently, deliberately avoiding her injured shoulder. His movements were mindful, as if even now his greatest concern was not hurting her.
Leah froze at first.
Then she felt it.
How weak he was.
His body trembled. His weight leaned into her more than it should have. His grip wasn't tight — it was clinging. Like he was holding onto the only solid thing in the world.
"Izana…" she whispered, alarm rising in her voice. "You're barely standing…"
He buried his face against her shoulder — carefully avoiding the bruises — and his voice broke.
"I'm sorry."
The words came out small.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have made you angry. I just… I was scared."
He tightened his hold slightly.
"I was scared when I saw you hurt. I was scared when I thought you were in pain and not telling me. I just wanted to help."
His breathing hitched.
"I couldn't stay away from you."
Leah's heart pounded violently in her chest.
"I tried," he continued, voice trembling. "Four days. I tried to give you space. But I couldn't. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe without thinking about you."
Her hands slowly lifted.
Still hesitant.
Still shaking.
"I was just worried about you," he whispered. "Because I—."
He stopped.
The word slipped out before he could catch it.
"—because I love you."
Silence.
Even the air seemed to still.
Izana froze.
He felt it the second it left his mouth.
Love.
He had said it.
Out loud.
His breath caught sharply. His arms stiffened slightly around her.
"…I…" he faltered, voice barely above a whisper. "…I didn't mean to—."
Leah let out a sound.
Not anger.
Not shock.
A broken, choked cry.
Her arms wrapped around him fully now.
She hugged him back.
Tight.
Not caring about pride. Not caring about fear.
"Izana…" Her voice shook. "I've felt that way for a while too…"
His breath stopped.
"I just didn't know how to say it," she admitted, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know how to face it."
She pressed her forehead gently against his chest.
"But I love you too."
The words were soft.
Certain.
And the moment they were spoken, something shifted.
Izana's hands trembled against her back. His chest tightened, but not from pain.
From warmth.
From relief.
From something brighter than anything he had ever felt.
He slowly lifted a hand to her face, fingers brushing her cheek gently, as if asking permission without words.
Leah looked up at him.
Their faces were close now.
Close enough to feel each other's breath.
There was hesitation there.
Uncertainty.
This was new territory.
But it wasn't rushed.
It wasn't desperate.
It was careful.
Izana leaned forward first — slow enough that she could pull away if she wanted to.
She didn't.
Their lips met softly.
It wasn't perfect. It wasn't practiced.
It was unsure.
Gentle.
Pure.
A first kiss shaped by emotion more than confidence.
They both froze for a second, as if surprised by the reality of it.
Then it deepened slightly — not intense, not overwhelming — just steady. A quiet confirmation of everything neither of them could put into words.
And somewhere deep within Izana's chest —
The curse screamed.
A sharp, searing pulse tore through him, but this time it wasn't attacking him.
It was breaking.
The warmth in his chest — the sincerity, the mutual love — burned against it like light against shadow. The mark beneath his skin flared painfully, as if cracking under pressure.
The curse recoiled.
Injured.
Weakened.
For the first time, it felt smaller.
Izana gasped softly into the kiss, not from fear — but from the strange sensation of something dark retreating.
Leah pulled back slightly, concern flashing in her eyes.
"Did it hurt?" she asked quickly.
He shook his head faintly.
"No," he whispered. "…It feels lighter."
She didn't understand how. But she could see it — the tension in his expression had shifted.
What neither of them noticed was the faint warmth spreading beneath his clothes.
The slow seep of red along his side.
The stitches had reopened during his walk down the hall. Every step, every movement, every strain had pulled them further apart.
And now, pressed against her, the bleeding had worsened.
But he didn't care.
Not right now.
Right now, he was holding her.
And she was holding him back.
For the first time in four days, the mansion no longer felt suffocating.
For the first time, the silence felt peaceful.
And neither of them realized that the price of that moment was quietly staining the floor beneath them.