The morning in the Dock Sector arrived with an unnatural slowness today.
There were no clouds in the sky, yet the sunlight didn't seem to have enough strength to fully rise. The cold wind blowing from the sea swept through the city's alleys, carrying with it the scent of salt and rusted iron.
The old streetlights on the roadside hadn't fully turned off yet.
The city seemed to have woken up, but not with its soul.
Everything felt a bit tired.
---
Inside Asha's room, sunlight filtered through the window.
But that light wasn't very warm.
Asha was sitting beside the bed.
A mug was in her hand.
It once held hot tea.
Now, it had gone cold.
She hadn't even noticed.
Her eyes were fixed on the window.
Toward the street.
She was waiting.
For what, she didn't fully know herself.
---
A single thought replayed in her mind over and over.
"Did he really leave?"
She couldn't forget yesterday.
Iren's cold voice.
The talk of moving away.
Her eyes grew a little misty.
"Stupid..."
She said softly to herself.
"Why are you waiting?"
Still, her gaze did not shift from the window.
---
The fever hadn't completely subsided yet.
Her body was weak.
Occasionally, her head would spin.
Yet, she didn't return to bed.
She sat by the window.
Because she held a strange belief in her heart—
Maybe he would come today.
Maybe.
---
Standing on the roof outside was Iren.
His position hadn't changed.
He had been on the roof of this building since yesterday.
From a distance.
In silence.
He was monitoring every window of Asha's house.
His eyes were very alert.
But his gaze would occasionally soften—
Whenever he saw Asha.
---
Today, he saw her sitting by the window.
In the same spot.
For a long time.
The unease in his chest grew.
"Still sick..."
He whispered.
He felt like going down and knocking on the door.
But he knew—
He couldn't.
---
Iren slowly sat down on the edge of the roof.
His eyes were still fixed on Asha's house.
Dok's words surfaced in his head again.
"You are weak, Iren."
His fist tightened.
"I am not weak..."
He said in a low voice.
"I am just cautious."
---
Even then, a question was eating away at him.
What if Dok really reached Asha?
What if he targeted not just Iren—
But Asha as well?
A cold sensation spread through his chest.
He closed his eyes.
For a single moment.
---
Over there, Asha was still by the window.
There was exhaustion in her eyes.
Still, she tried to smile.
Because a memory had floated into her mind.
From yesterday.
From the fair.
That tiny moment—
When Iren had smiled faintly for the first time.
Asha had joked then—
"You don't look bad when you smile."
Remembering those words, a weak smile flickered on her lips.
---
But after a few seconds, that smile vanished.
Because the street was still empty.
No one had come.
---
Time moved slowly.
It became noon.
The sunlight shifted its angle on the window.
But Asha's position didn't change.
She was still waiting.
---
Standing on the roof outside, Iren was watching.
His brow furrowed.
"Still sitting there...?"
He was surprised.
A strange pressure built up inside his chest.
He realized—
Asha was waiting.
For him.
---
Iren slowly lowered his head.
"Why are you doing this..."
There was a faint trace of exhaustion in his voice.
He didn't know what to do.
If he went close, there was danger.
If he stayed away—
There was this scene.
---
Right then, suddenly, his eyes darted elsewhere.
Toward the alley beside Asha's house.
There was no one.
Yet—
A movement.
Very fast.
As if a shadow had slipped away.
Iren stood up straight instantly.
His eyes turned sharp.
He scanned the entire area.
But there was nothing.
---
Silence.
That heavy silence of the Dock Sector.
A few seconds.
A few gusts of cold wind.
Then everything was normal again.
---
Iren looked back at Asha's window.
Asha was still sitting there.
But her eyes were half-closed.
The fever was likely rising again.
Her head slowly leaned against the wall.
She was tired.
Very tired.
---
Right then—
In the corridor inside Asha's house,
A shadow moved slowly.
Silently.
Like a ghost.
---
Standing outside, Iren suddenly felt something.
Every nerve in his body became alert.
There was no sound.
Yet, he felt—
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
---
He whispered—
"Did I wait too long...?"
---
At that very moment—
The door to Asha's room
From the inside
Slowly,
Slowly,
On its own,
Opened just a little.
---
**Chapter End.**