"Hey, the weather's looking rough out there. Try to get home before seven, okay?"
"Don't worry, I won't be late. I'm practically counting the minutes."
A low chuckle rumbled from the other end.
"Hmph. I'll be waiting for you, then."
"Okay, bye." The call ended abruptly. Ellina let out a slow breath, glancing outside the convenience store's fogged-up windows.
He was right—the weather had gotten worse.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, swollen with the promise of a downpour. The usual hum of evening customers was absent, leaving the store eerily quiet. Only the occasional rumble of thunder and the howl of the wind filled the silence.
I need to finish up fast.
-----
"Please come again!"
Finally, the last customer left.
Ellina checked the clock—6:30 PM. Shift over. She hurriedly packed her bag, her movements sharp with urgency.
"Okay, bye, Hugo!" she waved to the next shifter as she dashed out, barely hearing his reply over the growing storm.
Outside, the world felt hollow. The streets were empty, the only sounds the distant growl of thunder and the whispering wind that sent chills down her spine.
This is the perfect weather for ice cream… A detour wouldn't hurt, right?
----
"Welcome!" The cheerful voice of the cake shop worker snapped her mind back to reality.
"Hello! Can I get one strawberry and one blueberry cheese pastry, and…" Her eyes flicked to the freezer. "One crunch chocolate ice cream tub, please."
As the cashier rang her up, she checked her watch—7:05 PM.
Oh no. I'm late.
"Thank you, ma'am! Come again!"
Ellina snatched the bag, her pulse quickening.
Heion's going to be furious.
With a quiet curse, she broke into a brisk walk, then a jog, the weight of the desserts in her hands a poor excuse for delay.
The first raindrops began to fall.
------------
"I'm home."
The house was dark, unnervingly silent. Not a single light was on. A chill crept down her spine—
Why are the lights off?
"Heion!" she called out, "Heion!!" her voice echoing through the empty space. No answer.
Drenched from the rain, she quickly shoved the ice cream and pastries into the fridge, her fingers trembling with cold. She untied her soaked hair, shaking out her damp shirt with restless energy.
Then—movement.
A shadow shifted in the darkness.
Slowly, she turned.
Her breath hitched.
Her eyes widened.
Seeing him.
"Y-you…?" The words barely escaped her lips, her chest tightening—was it fear? Shock? She couldn't tell.
Instinctively, she stepped back, her body hitting the fridge with a dull thud.
"Heion!... Heion! HEION!" The words tore from her, hoarse and broken, as if her throat had closed up. Panic clawed at her ribs.
She tried to run—but he was faster.
A strong hand caught her wrist, yanking her back. Before she could react, he lifted her effortlessly and set her down on the dining table with an unsettling calm.
She scrambled backward, but he leaned in, his weight pressing her in place.
"P-please don't." Her plea was barely a whisper.
Ignoring her, he dropped his head onto her shoulder, his breath warm against her damp skin. His fingers tightened around her wrists, pinning her.
Worse—he stood between her thighs, caging her in.
Then, he spoke.
"Did you miss me?"
That voice.
That familiar, haunting voice.
Hearing it again after all these years sent a violent rush of emotions crashing through her—pleasure, fear, disgust, fury—she didn't know which one to cling to.
She didn't know what to feel.
Ellina gulped, teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she fought back tears. But with a shaky breath, she forced the words out—
"How— how did you find me?"
His grip tightened, fingers digging into her skin. He didn't lift his head, his voice a low, warning hum.
"I asked you a question first, Ellina."
She twisted her wrist, trying to break free—useless. His hold was iron.
"Where is Heion? What did you do to him?" Her eyes darted around the dark room, frantic, searching for any sign of him.
Finally, he lifted his head, dragging his lips against hers in a slow, taunting brush. She jerked her face away, but he only smirked, his breath hot against her ear as he whispered—
"I killed him."
Her lungs seized.
No.
No, no, no— it can't be—
Her chest heaved, breaths coming in sharp, ragged gasps. It can't be true. It can't—
A white-hot fury surged through her veins.
I'm going to kill him.
I'm going to kill this bastard. Right now.
In one desperate motion, she yanked her hand free and grabbed the fork behind her from the table, pressing the sharp tines against his throat.
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he giggled—a dark, amused sound—and leaned forward, pressing his throat harder against the fork until their faces were inches apart.
"Do it." His fingers wrapped around her wrist, forcing the fork deeper. His voice dropped to a whisper, rough with something like longing. "Kill me, Ellina."
Her hands trembled, the fork still pressed against his throat.
He was dangerous, a coiled viper, and yet... he simply gazed at her, his lips twitching into a slow, unsettling smile. He didn't flinch, didn't fight her. Instead, his eyes, dark and fathomless, drank in her tears as they streamed down her cheeks.
With deliberate slowness, he dragged his thumb across her skin, collecting a tear—then brought it to his lips, licking it away without breaking eye contact. The possessive hunger in his stare was a physical weight, pressing down on her. It was a look that seemed to say: She's crying. For me. She still cares.
A broken sob tore from her throat, raw and desperate. The fork clattered to the floor, forgotten.
She covered her mouth, shoulders shaking as she cried, her voice choking on every ragged breath.
He didn't hesitate.
One hand tangled in her hair, the other gripping her waist, he pulled her flush against him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He inhaled deeply, as if he could consume her scent, her warmth—as if he'd been starved for years.
"D-did you— sniff... Did you actually kill him?" she whimpered between sobs. "Did you really kill Heion?"
His jaw clenched.
Irritation. Fury.
He bit down on her neck—hard—but she didn't react. Didn't even flinch.
That pissed him off even more.
"Heion," he snarled, each syllable laced with venom. "Heion! Heion! HEION!" he roared, yanking her head back by her hair. But then—just as suddenly—his touch softened.
His lips brushed her neck, her chin, his voice dropping to a sickeningly gentle murmur.
"I missed you, Elli. After all these years-" His thumb traced her bottom lip. "I don't like hearing another man's name in your mouth."
A pause.
Then, leaning in, his breath hot against her ear—
"Should I punish you-" A slow, deliberate kiss to her earlobe. "by eating that mouth of yours?"
Suddenly.
"Elli." A voice cut through the chaos—desperate, strained.
Heion.
Her head snapped toward the sound, but before she could turn fully, Sank's hands seized her face, forcing her gaze back to him. His grip was bruising, his voice a venomous whisper.
"Don't look."
His eyes flicked past her, narrowing at the sight of Heion slumped against the doorway, bloodied and breathless. Then, with chilling tenderness, he tilted her chin up, his thumb tracing her lower lip.
"Only. Look. At. Me, Ellina Kousuke."
She recoiled, fury igniting in her chest. "Don't touch me, you bastard!" Shoving him away, she sprinted to Heion, her hands trembling as they hovered over his battered face, his bruised arms.
"Are you alright? This—" Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry—"
She collapsed against him, her tears soaking into his shoulder. Heion's arms stirred weakly, about to embrace her—
Before she could breathe, Sank moved—swift, brutal. He seized Heion by the collar and slammed him into the wall, forearm crushing his throat. Heion's choked gasp strangled into silence.
"Sank—!" Ellina clawed at Sank's arm, nails digging into his skin. "Don't! Let him go!"
"Elli! stay back—" Heion's plea was a dying rasp.
Sank exhaled sharply through his nose—long, slow, unhinged. His grip tightened.
"I can't."
His voice was eerily calm, even as his eyes burned with something feral.
"Did you two marry?" A snarl twisted his lips. "Say it. Did. You. Marry. Her?"
Heion's face darkened, veins bulging as he struggled for air.
Ellina sobbed, collapsing to her knees. "N-no… w-we're not married-not married!" Her fingers clutched Sank's leg, begging. "Please… please let him go!"
A snap of Sank's fingers.
Two men materialized from the shadows, dragging Heion's half-conscious body away.
Before Ellina could scream, Sank hauled her over his shoulder, carrying her like a trophy into the bedroom. The door locked behind them.
He threw her onto the bed, his movements predatory as he climbed over her, caging her beneath him.
"Now," he murmured, lips grazing her ear. "No one can interrupt us, Ellina."
She turned her face away, jaw clenched.
He chuckled, nuzzling her neck.
"Don't." Her voice was ice. No fear. No anger. Just disgust.
Sank stilled. Then—laughter. Dark, delighted.
"You haven't changed. Not a single bit."
Finally, she met his gaze, her eyes hollow, red, wet.
"Leave. Go far away. Why did you came? Why did you find me?" Her whisper was a blade. "I never wanted to see your face again. Never."
His breath hitched. For a fleeting second, he looked wounded.
"How can you say such harsh things?" He braced himself above her, his face illuminated by the moonlight, the storm long faded. His voice cracked. "That hurts, Ellina. How can you be so cruel to me? Is it because you love—" A pause, his jaw tightening. "—that bastard, Heion?"
She opened her mouth, not to argue, but to utter another cutting dismissal —
He kissed her.
Not violent. Not punishing.
Passionate. Warm. Slow.
One hand cradled the back of her neck, the other pinned her wrist. She couldn't push him away.
…Did she even want to?
Tears spilled silently as she surrendered, hating herself for the way her memory remembered him.
When he finally pulled away, his whisper was raw.
"I ran here the moment I found you. Aren't you… even a little happy to see me?"
She knew what he wanted to hear.
But pity was a luxury she wouldn't grant him.
He was a pure devil, she knew that. She knew him best, knew how truly monstrous he was.
"No." Her voice was steel. "I'm not happy. Do I look happy to you, Sank Yvestine?" she looked straight to his eyes. "It would've been better if you were dead."
A beat of silence.
Then—
He smiled.
Gritted teeth. Trembling lips. A laugh that bordered on broken.
"Fine, I'll leave." His hands slid to her throat, thumbs pressing just shy of suffocation. "But first—tell me you love me."
A test. A game.
She didn't hesitate.
"Yes, I love you."
Flat. Empty.
Her palm cupped his cheek, her eyes dead. "I love you, Sank."
His breath stuttered.
"Kiss me."
She smirked with pain, yanked him down by his collar, pressing her lips to his with mechanical precision.
His entire body twitched.
Then—
Crash.
The kiss turned ravenous, teeth and tongue and possession. He devoured her like a man starved, hands gripping her face like he could carve himself into her bones.
She closed her eyes, accepting all this brutality one last time from him until— A sudden, sharp bitterness bloomed on her tongue, cutting through the taste of him. Her eyes flew open, wide and disbelieving.
A pill.
Her mind screamed, No! But even as the thought formed, a strange, heavy warmth began to spread through her limbs.
It was too late.
Darkness swallowed her, consciousness slipping like sand through fingers, pulling her down into an abyss she couldn't fight.
As her body went limp, Sank finally released her, licking the remnants of her taste from his lips.
His gaze was black with obsession.
"You're mine."
He lifted her effortlessly, cradling her against his chest as he strode toward the door.
"I won't let you go this time."
A glance back at Heion's motionless form.
"Not again."
The car door slammed.
And just like that—
She was gone with him.