Silence still hung in the room.
Heavy.
Unresolved.
Valentine looked away first.
Jaw tight.
Breathing uneven.
"I need to use the bathroom."
Her tone wasn't soft.
It wasn't polite.
It was controlled.
Artavius didn't respond immediately.
Then—
he stood up.
The chain shifted.
clink.
Valentine's eyes dropped to it.
Then back to him.
"…so?" she said.
A hint of challenge in her voice.
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"There."
He nodded toward a door.
Valentine didn't move.
"…with this?" she lifted her wrist slightly.
The handcuff catching light.
A pause.
She looked straight at him now.
Suspicion clear.
"You're just going to stand there?"
Silence.
Then—
his expression changed.
Not softer.
Not kinder.
Offended.
"…what the hell do you think I am?"
Before she could react—
click.
The cuff around her wrist came off.
Then his.
Fast.
Sharp.
Valentine blinked.
Caught off guard.
"You thought I'd stay here while you—what—change? bathe?"
His tone edged with irritation.
"Are you stupid?"
She frowned slightly.
Still processing.
"…ah?"
That only annoyed him more.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
"Unbelievable."
He stepped back immediately.
Creating distance.
"I'm not that kind of person."
Flat.
Clear.
Then he turned toward the door.
"I'll be outside."
He paused for half a second—
then added, colder—
"Don't try anything."
And walked out.
click.
The door shut.
Locked from outside.
Silence.
Valentine stood there.
Free.
But not free.
Her fingers moved to her wrist.
Where the cuff had been.
A pause.
Her eyes shifted to the door.
"…idiot."
But this time—
it didn't sound the same.