Yuna:
Night slowly swallowed the sky.
The mansion felt colder than usual. The silence inside the house was almost suffocating. Every room looked the same as always, yet tonight it felt unfamiliar… like the walls were hiding something.
I sat on the couch and drinking wine, staring at the phone in my hand.
No messages.
No calls.
Ethan always texted me before going somewhere dangerous… even if it was just one word. But I think he had changed.
"Stay safe."
But tonight… nothing.
I sighed and laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. My thoughts kept going back to the morning.
The way Ethan avoided my eyes.
The way Luca kept answering for him.
The way Ethan left without saying a single word to me.
Something definitely happened yesterday.
Something between Ethan and Luca.
Hours passed.
The clock on the wall showed 11:47 PM.
I was still awake.
I walked downstairs to the garden and sat on the couch outside, hugging a pillow. The large glass windows showed the empty street outside.
The wind rustled the trees softly.
Then suddenly—
A sound.
A car engine.
My heart jumped.
I rushed to the window and saw
The same black car stopped in front of the mansion.
"Luca…" I whispered.
The car door opened.
Luca stepped out first.
But something was wrong.
His white shirt was stained with blood.
My breath got stuck in my throat.
Then the other door opened.
Kai stepped out from the driver's seat, helping someone from the back seat.
My heart stopped.
It was Ethan.
He was barely standing.
His black suit was torn and soaked with blood near his shoulder. His head slightly leaned forward as if he was losing strength.
"ETHAN!" I gasped and ran toward the garden door.
Luca's warning echoed in my mind.
Don't open the door.
But I couldn't stay inside.
I opened the door and ran outside the garden house.
I run towards Ethan and hugged him,"ETHAN,WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM".
Kai and Luca were supporting Ethan as they walked toward the house.
"Move!" Luca said urgently when he saw me.
But I froze when I saw Ethan's face.
His lips were pale… his breathing heavy.
"What happened to him?" my voice trembled.
Luca avoided my eyes.
"It was just a small problem," he said.
"THIS doesn't look like a small problem!" I shouted.
Kai and Luca carried Ethan inside and placed him carefully on the couch.
Ethan groaned in pain when his body moved.
I rushed to him and knelt beside the couch.
"Ethan… Ethan look at me…"
For a moment his eyes slowly opened.
Those dark eyes finally looked at me after an entire day.
But instead of warmth… there was something else.
Pain.
Regret.
And something like… distance.
His voice came out low and weak.
"Yuna…"
My chest tightened hearing my name from him.
"You shouldn't have come outside," he whispered.
Tears filled my eyes.
"You're bleeding and you're worried about that?" I said shakily.
Luca sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"It was an ambush. The deal was a trap."
My eyes widened.
"A trap?"
Kai nodded seriously.
"They wanted Ethan."
My heart dropped.
"Who?" I asked.
But before anyone could answer—
Ethan suddenly grabbed my wrist weakly.
His grip was warm… but trembling.
"Yuna…" he said quietly.
His eyes held mine for a long moment.
Then he said the words that made my heart sink.
"Stay away from me."
The room went completely silent.
I stared at him in disbelief.
"…What?"
Ethan slowly closed his eyes as if the words hurt him more than the wound.
"Luca was right," he murmured.
"You're not safe around me."
My voice broke.
"Did my brother say something to you yesterday?"
Ethan didn't answer.
That silence… was the answer.
Luca looked away.
And in that moment I realized something terrible.
My brother did threaten Ethan.