The room was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence.
It was the kind that lingered after fear had already done its damage.
The warm food Elliot had brought sat untouched on the coffee table. Steam slowly faded until it disappeared completely.
No one spoke.
Ella sat curled up on the sofa, clutching a cushion tightly against her chest. Her breathing had finally steadied, but every now and then, her fingers trembled.
Anna hadn't moved from her side.
She watched Elliot with cold, unwavering eyes, as though the slightest wrong move would send him straight back out the door.
Elliot remained standing near the entrance.
For the first time since they had met him...
He looked completely lost.
His usual confidence was nowhere to be seen.
He lowered his gaze toward the floor.
"...I should leave."
His quiet voice barely broke the silence.
Anna didn't answer.
Ella slowly raised her head.
"Elliot..."
He stopped.
For a moment, his hand remained on the doorknob.
Ella looked at him for several seconds before finally asking,
"Have you... ever been so scared that you couldn't breathe?"
The question struck him harder than any slap.
His fingers tightened slightly around the doorknob.
He lowered his eyes.
"...Yes."
That was all he said.
He lowered his head and quietly walked out.
The guilt and regret on his face were impossible to miss.
It was the expression of someone who felt as though he had done something unforgivable—even if he hadn't been the one who caused the fear.
Ella watched silently as his back disappeared behind the door.
The door closed.
Anna immediately wrapped her arms around Ella, pulling her closer.
"Hey... it's okay," she whispered, gently rubbing her back. "Don't worry. You're safe now."
Ella said nothing.
She simply remained in Anna's arms, slowly calming down.
A few minutes passed.
Once Ella's breathing had completely steadied, Anna reached for the food Elliot had brought.
"Come on," she said softly. "You need to eat something."
Ella hesitated before taking the food.
Soon, the two of them began eating quietly.
The television played in the background, filling the room with a little noise.
After a while, Ella looked toward Anna.
"What happened after that?"
Anna continued eating while looking at the television.
"After what?"
"The story you left from there."
Anna paused.
"Oh... that."
She turned her gaze toward Ella.
"Well..."
Earlier
After the guy started begging on his knees for forgiveness, crying desperately, the person standing in the shadows finally stepped into the light.
His cold gaze fell upon me.
There was something terrifying about his eyes.
For a moment, it felt as though he could kill me simply by looking at me.
He was a tall man wearing the most elegant suit I had ever seen. A gun rested firmly in his hand, while the other was covered by a black glove.
He stood completely steady.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Then, without saying anything, he removed his jacket and gently wrapped it around me.
I had been sitting on the cold floor, trembling.
The warmth of the jacket felt strangely comforting.
"My, my... what a mess."
A voice suddenly came from behind the door, piercing through the darkness.
The man in the suit immediately straightened.
"Young Master, you shouldn't need to be here. I will handle it."
His voice was filled with complete respect.
"So this is the bastard?"
The boy spoke from behind him.
He stepped into the room.
He wore a black suit decorated with subtle silver embroidery, making him look almost as though he belonged to some royal family.
He held a handkerchief over his nose, clearly bothered by the existence of this place.
He wasn't older than me.
Yet the way he carried himself...
It was nothing like an ordinary boy.
He had the presence of a king.
A person who had grown up in a completely different world.
The moment the man saw him, his face went pale.
"Young Master, please forgive me!"
He hurried forward, attempting to grab the boy's legs.
"Please! I didn't mean—"
Bang.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room.
The bullet pierced his hand.
He cried out and collapsed backward.
The man in the suit lowered the gun, his expression cold.
"Don't you dare lay those dirty hands on him."
"Calm down, Hal."
The boy spoke casually.
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm for what had just happened.
Hal immediately lowered his weapon.
"Yes, Young Master."
The boy's gaze then shifted toward me.
"And what's you doing here, miss?"
His voice wasn't threatening.
But somehow, it still made me nervous.
"I... w-w..."
I tried to speak.
But no words came out.
My throat felt completely dry.
"It seems she's traumatised," Hal said quietly.
"Seems so."
The boy looked at me for another moment before turning away.
"Well, anyways..."
He adjusted his sleeve.
"We completed our work. Tie this bastard up and take him. Father will be giving orders about what to do with him."
He then glanced toward me.
"And tell someone to get that girl home."
"Yes, Young Master."
Hal immediately obeyed.
A few minutes later
"Are you ready to leave, young miss?"
Hal stood beside me, his voice considerably warmer now.
I nodded.
"The bodyguards will drive you to your home. Please be careful next time."
He gave me a warm smile.
"Yes..."
I hesitated before looking toward the hallway where the boy had disappeared.
"What is the name of the boy?"
Hal followed my gaze.
"He's Young Master Elliot."
"Elliot..."
I repeated the name quietly.
Then I looked back at Hal.
"Please tell him... thank you."
"I will."
Hal nodded.
And that was the end of the story.
Back to the present
Anna looked at Ella, who was still nestled against her side like a child.
"And that's the end of the story."
Ella blinked.
"So... Elliot saved you?"
"Technically, Mister Hal did."
Anna shrugged slightly.
"But Elliot was there."
Ella thought about it for a moment.
"It's good that they were there."
"Yeah..."
Anna looked back at the television.
"I was lucky, I guess."
Ella remained quiet.
But somewhere in her mind, the image of Elliot standing at their door earlier returned.
The same Elliot who had looked so confident.
The same Elliot who had now left their apartment with guilt written across his face.
For the first time, Ella wondered...
What kind of person was Elliot Glacian, really?