But another voice pierced the moment , Julian's, low and sharp, like a needle in an open wound. "Felicia, sweetheart… help me. If you just stand there, it means you don't love me. You know I can always find someone else."
The words struck harder than a slap. Inside Felicia, old wounds split wide. Fear of being abandoned, of losing the ground beneath her, shook her core. She shivered, rising slowly, tears sliding down as though something beyond her will pulled the strings.
In a rush of stormed emotion, she shoved Kaivan, knocking him down. Then, in the heavy silence, Felicia dropped onto him, straddling his waist. Her eyes were a tempest , not of anger, but of fear, doubt, and an untended love struggling to bloom.
Kaivan didn't resist. His face stayed calm, even as chaos raged before him. Before he could speak, Felicia's fist landed hard against his cheek. "Why won't you fight back?!" she screamed, her voice a tangled knot of sobs and fury. Her hands rained down, wild and desperate , but Kaivan didn't lift a hand. He only looked at her, eyes steady, full of understanding.
"I won't leave my boyfriend! I won't go with you, Kaivan!" she shouted. But each cry felt like a nail driven into her own heart. Her hands shook. Anger fractured into something rawer , an exposed wound. Blood traced Kaivan's lip, yet his gaze never wavered. He bore it all, as though taking Felicia's pain into himself.
"Why did you help me back then?! We didn't even know each other!" Felicia's blows grew weaker, her fingers trembling. "Why come here just for revenge? Because he wrecked your workplace?!" Her voice splintered, fragile as a breaking glass.
"Why… why do you look at me like that?! Like you've known me all your life?! Why, Kaivan?!" Her scream burst with tears she could no longer hold back. She froze mid-swing, hands suspended as though unsure of what to do next.
Kaivan finally spoke, voice soft, almost breaking. "I'm sorry… for being too scared to be honest from the start. I didn't just come here to hunt the one who destroyed our place. I came… to bring you back, Felicia."
His battered hand lifted, brushing her tear-streaked face. The touch was light, barely there, yet it carried a warmth that seeped straight into her soul. Felicia stilled, stunned , his words struck harder than any blow.
"I'll always be your shield," Kaivan whispered. "Against everything you can't fight alone. But… in return, please protect me from a world too vast for me to face by myself."
Felicia's sobs spilled freely , not born of rage, but of surrender. The hands that once sought to strike now folded around him. "Truly… you'll be there for me, no matter what?" she asked, voice hoarse, filled with wounds still aching.
Kaivan only nodded, a warm smile softening the bruises and cuts on his face. And that was enough. Felicia collapsed into his arms, her sobs shaking his shoulders. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I hit you... Kaivan..."
She wept against his chest, her body limp as though every burden had finally fallen away. Kaivan held her, silent and steady, like the home Felicia had been searching for but never found. Time seemed to stop. In that embrace, they were no longer two wounded people , they were two souls finding each other amid the ruins.
Felicia finally lifted her face, still trembling. "I... I don't know what to say..." Kaivan brushed her tears away with his thumb. "You don't have to say anything now. I'm here. I'll stay here."
In the dim corner of the room, Julian watched, his face flushed with anger. His shout tore through the air: "If you're going to be like this, I'll find someone else!" Desperation cracked his voice, as if the world he'd built was crumbling in an instant.
Kaivan stood firm. With a gentle yet resolute voice, he whispered in Felicia's ear, "Tell him, Felicia. Tell him you don't care anymore."
Felicia slowly turned, her eyes still wet but now shining with courage. She met Julian's gaze and said clearly, "Julian, I want to break up. Find someone else if that's what you want."
The words struck Julian like a hammer. He lunged forward, but Felicia pulled Kaivan close and kicked Julian hard in the stomach, sending him sprawling. He froze, stunned. The world Julian had built on control shattered in an instant.
Kaivan, still weak, tried to stand. Felicia quickly supported him. From the corner, Radit glared with fury. "Can I teach him a lesson, Kaivan?" he asked, face flushed with emotion.
Kaivan raised his hand slightly. "No, Radit. I have a better plan."
His gaze shifted to Felicia. "Do you know where Julian parked his bike?" Felicia nodded, her feelings still a tangled storm.
Carefully, Kaivan picked up Julian's knife. They moved toward the door. Kaivan's steps were heavy, but his tone stayed firm as he stopped in front of Julian.
"If you dare come after me again, I'll make sure you won't be able to walk," he said flatly. Julian lowered his head, trembling at a threat he couldn't deny.
Kaivan was almost out of the room when he turned, his gaze piercing the cowering figure in the corner. "And don't ever lay a hand on my Felicia again," he added, sharp as a blade.
Felicia froze. Amid the exhaustion and wounds, her eyes widened, then dropped. My Felicia, huh? she thought. A faint smile slipped across her face, warm and unfamiliar, like the first light after a storm.
Radit followed behind, shaking his head. Does this idiot even realize what he just said? Or... did he really fall for her? A scoff wrapped around a sense of relief.
Once they were outside, Kaivan gave brief instructions. The exhaust was packed with mud, the oil tank filled with sand, the radiator drenched in gutter water. By morning, Julian and his gang would be pushing their bikes home, their faces lowered in shame that could not be washed away.