Crushed Affections

After finishing his words, Leonard turned and headed toward the door. Lia suddenly stood and rushed after him. "Bella, I'll head out now. See you tomorrow!" Leonard was slightly surprised. He had assumed that Lia would avoid him.

Once the door closed and they were in the hallway, Lia seemed to change her usual demeanor, suddenly appearing awkward. "Let's go. We can head downstairs together."

Leonard lowered his head slightly and spoke in a quiet voice. The light behind him cast a shadow over his face, and his eyes, which used to be full of life, now seemed deep and still, losing the sparkle they once had. They entered the elevator, just the two of them. The confined space felt like their final chance to say goodbye.

Leonard wanted to apologize for what had happened the other day. He had been too impulsive, scaring her even though she had come to find him afterward and said so many cold, harsh things.

Just as he was about to speak, Lia interjected. "Leonard, you need to be happy too... I shouldn't have said those things last time. You scared me... Let's all make sure we do better moving forward."

Leonard forced a smile and said softly, "Once something's said, it can't be undone... When have I ever cared? I'll be fine... It'll just be like you've never even existed. All those things I said, just consider them a bad joke." In that instant, Lia's eyes welled up with tears.

The elevator reached the ground floor, and Leonard, acting like a gentleman, gestured for her to go ahead. He stood a little taller, his gaze no longer avoiding hers.

What he didn't know was that, at that moment, he appeared to Lia as if he were glowing.

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Lia thought it might just be a trick of the light, a mix of her tears and the surrounding lights, but she didn't want him to see her like this. She quickly walked out. But as soon as she stepped outside, a sharp pain shot through her chest. She had to léan against the wall, crouching down, struggling to breathe. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Leonard quickly moved toward her, expertly searching her body. "Where's your medicine? Are you having an episode?"

Lia couldn't respond. She wondered if he was an idiot. She hadn't brought her medicine, and normally, she wouldn't experience an episode. She had no idea what had caused it this time.

After a moment, Leonard realized

that Lia didn't have any medicine with her. He immediately scooped her up and carried her toward her

building. When they reached bet

place, De found the medicine and made her take it. He sighed in relief only when she seemed to be recovering. "Are you feeling better now?"

Lia lay weakly on the couch, nodding slightly. "Thank you..."

She was practically going to be his cousin's wife Leonard knew that he had to keep his distance, so he stood up and took a few steps back. "I'll head out now. But next time,

make sure you have your

with you. Why are you experiencing episodes so frequently? There wasn't any obvious trigger just now..."

He paused, thinking for a moment. Lia typically only had an episode after emotional upheaval-extreme fear, sadness, or joy. But all they had done was talk for a few minutes in the elevator...

Lia didn't say anything. She simply closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what was happening to her either, and her chest tightened with an unfamiliar discomfort when she heard Leonard's words.

Leonard didn't leave right away. Instead, he quietly sat beside her, watching over her. He didn't find it reassuring that someone with a heart condition was living alone.

After a while, Lia noticed that he hadn't left and smiled weakly. "What's wrong? Are you afraid I'm going to die? Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Didn't you say that you had somewhere to be? Don't let me hold you up." She forced a smile like she was trying too hard to appear normal.

Leonard quickly found an excuse to stay. "It's fine. I can skip it. With you like this, how would I explain to Zion if I leave and something happens? After all... you're going to be my cousin's future wife."