Kara was anxious. She didn't know why, but as night deepened and Malrick still hadn't returned, a strange restlessness took root inside her. It was as if hundreds of tiny creatures were bouncing around in her chest, scratching at every corner of her heart.
She kept telling herself he was fine. Someone as powerful as Malrick couldn't possibly be in danger. Still, she couldn't quiet her thoughts.
She told Tony and JARVIS that Malrick was missing, but deep down, she knew she was just looking for an excuse — a reason to find him. What she really wanted to know was who he'd gone to see. Was there someone in this world who could make him stay out all night?
For the past week, they'd been living in the same suite — separate rooms divided by only one wall. He hadn't gone anywhere during that time. But now, the moment he left, he hadn't come back.
Her brilliant Kryptonian mind — usually her greatest strength — became her enemy. It threw a flood of possible explanations at her with cruel precision.
Maybe, as Tony joked, Malrick had gone off to meet another woman.
Maybe he'd been weakened by red sunlight and captured.
Or maybe he'd simply left — abandoned this universe entirely, leaving her and Tony behind.
The more she imagined, the tighter her chest became.
Kara couldn't sleep. She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window all night, her eyes fixed on the horizon, waiting for the first hint of sunlight.
As dawn broke, light poured through the glass and warmed her face — but not her heart. There was still no sign of him. Hours passed. The sun climbed higher, her shadow shrank beneath her feet, and irritation started to rise within her. She wanted to tear the sofa apart, to pull out the stuffing and crush it in her hands.
That feeling — that wild, uncontainable emotion — was new to her. Not even the years she spent trapped by Luthor or adrift in the void had made her feel like this. She didn't understand it. Was it worry? Frustration? Or something deeper she couldn't name?
She told herself it was concern — that she was simply worried about her savior, the man who had risked everything for her. That had to be it. But the fire in her chest only burned hotter.
Using her super hearing and vision, Kara scanned half the planet. Every sound, every movement — nothing escaped her senses. But still, there was no trace of Malrick.
She wanted to fly out and search, but Tony had forbidden it.
"If you're seen, every government on Earth will come after you," he'd warned.
Even JARVIS couldn't help; the AI was still locked in a network battle, trying and failing to locate Malrick's energy signature.
By afternoon, Kara could barely stand still. She paced by the window, her boots tapping out an impatient rhythm on the floor — faster and faster until it became almost musical.
And then — she saw him.
Far off in the sky, descending toward Gotham, Malrick appeared. For a moment, every ounce of tension in her body vanished, washed away by relief so pure it almost hurt.
But the joy lasted only a second. Because in his arms was another woman.
(Damn, Bro's a scumbag…)
She had dark curls, radiant eyes, and skin that glowed under the sunlight. Her smile was warm and free — and she was looking at Malrick the same way Kara once had.
Kara froze. The woman kissed Malrick's cheek as they descended together, their laughter carrying faintly through the air.
Kara had seen humans kiss like that before. In Gotham, couples did it openly — a sign of love, affection, connection. Love. Was that what this was? Did Malrick go out to meet someone he loved?
Something inside Kara cracked. The sound was silent yet deafening, echoing from her chest to her ears.
Without realizing it, she pushed open the glass window — the pane shattered outward — and she launched into the sky. She flew toward him, cutting through the hot air until the world blurred around her. Her vision shimmered; even her heat-resistant eyes couldn't steady the distorted air.
She stopped in front of him midair. Malrick looked at her — surprised. The woman in his arms, Diana, did the same.
Kara didn't even know what she wanted to say. Her thoughts tangled. Should she accuse him? Joke bitterly that he'd disappeared all night just to bring home a new woman? No. She couldn't say that. She had no right. She wasn't even human.
She swallowed the ache in her throat, her voice steady even as tears began to fall.
"Malrick, where were you all day? Tony was worried. He didn't sleep all night."
She wasn't sure if that was true. But it was the only thing she could say.
Malrick blinked, caught off guard by her tears.
"Kara… you're crying?"
"Are you kidding me?" she snapped, though her voice trembled. "You vanish for an entire day, and that's the first thing you say?"
She held his gaze stubbornly, her face calm while tears streamed down without pause.
Malrick hesitated. What could he possibly say? If this were Tony, he thought, his brother would probably just pull out a check, sign it, and tell the girl not to cry — that life would be more exciting next time.
But this wasn't one of Tony's flirtations. Kara wasn't some magazine cover model. He hadn't done anything wrong — so why did she look so heartbroken?
Before he could speak, Diana beat him to it.
"Your name's Kara, right?" she said warmly. "Don't cry. What did this bad man do to you? Tell me, and we'll scold him together."
Reaching out from Malrick's arms, Diana gently wiped Kara's cheek. Kara stared, stunned by the woman's kindness.
Diana, meanwhile, sized up the situation instantly. She'd heard enough stories from her mother about men who couldn't be trusted — and this looked like one of those moments. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she turned back to Malrick.
For the first time, she understood what her mother meant when she said all men, no matter how noble they seemed, were still trouble at heart.
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