The air inside the mansion had changed.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
Lisa sat in her room with the lights off, curled up in her blanket, staring blankly at the ceiling. The soft hum of the air conditioner couldn't drown out the quiet storm inside her.
Flashes.
Of dim lights.
Warm skin.
A familiar scent.
A whisper.
"Don't go... or I'll miss you for the rest of my life."
Her fingers gripped the blanket tighter.
She didn't remember everything.
But she was starting to.
⸻
Downstairs, in the private study, Mia finally snapped.
She slammed the door shut behind her and crossed her arms, her usual calm gone.
"Alex, what are you doing?" she demanded.
Alex looked up from his desk, his expression cold but his eyes tired. "What do you mean?"
"Don't pretend you don't know. Ever since we came back from Maldives, you've been acting strange. You barely look at me. You flinch when I mention Lisa. You—" She stopped, taking a deep breath. "—you're hurting her, Alex."
Alex's jaw tightened.
"I'm not hurting her," he said, voice low.
"You are," Mia insisted. "And if you don't stop, I will."
He stood slowly, walking over to the window. His back was to her. But his voice cracked just slightly.
"She doesn't remember. That night... she doesn't remember."
Mia's breath caught.
So it was true.
There was a night.
"You—" her voice trembled, "—you touched her?"
"I didn't plan it," he muttered. "She kissed me. She cried. She begged me not to leave. And I... I didn't stop it."
Mia closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.
"You're engaged to me, Alex."
"I know."
"Then end it. Now. Before you destroy her completely."
⸻
At dinner that night, their parents excitedly brought up wedding plans again.
"Spring next year would be lovely!" Mia's mother beamed. "The blossoms would be perfect, and the venue in Jeju—"
"I've contacted the florist already," Alex's father added. "We just need to settle on the date."
Mia gave a tight smile and said softly, "We might need more time. Work has been crazy."
Alex didn't say anything. He just stared at his untouched plate, his thoughts far away.
Lisa, sitting across the table, didn't speak either. Her appetite had disappeared.
But she could feel Alex's eyes on her.
Even when he tried to hide it.
⸻
Later that night, Lisa stood in the garden, under the silver moonlight. She pressed her palm to her chest.
Why did it hurt?
Why did her body remember something her mind hadn't fully pieced together?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a presence behind her.
She turned.
It was Alex.
"I... I can't sleep," Lisa said softly.
Alex looked at her, the guilt in his eyes deep and heavy. "Me neither."
They stood in silence for a long moment.
Then, Lisa whispered, "Alex... what happened that night? The night I got drunk in Maldives?"
His breath hitched.
She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Please. I need to know."
But Alex shook his head.
"You were drunk. You don't need to remember something that never should've happened."
Tears welled in Lisa's eyes.
"But I want to remember... because I think I already do."