“What is it?” Caspian jumped on his bed as Elora slipped under the covers in a hurry. Caspian sat up and turned on the lamp on the bedside table.“El? What happened to you?” asked Caspian as he pulled the blanket away.Elora curled up like a frightened little girl, and before long, her face turned red. Partly because she embarrassed to show her timid side and because she saw Caspian wearing nothing under the covers.Caspian ignored Elora’s glaring eyes looking at his lower body. He inched closer and grabbed Elora’s chin so that her gaze drifted to Caspian’s face.“What is it? Why did you suddenly come in like you’ve seen a demon? Are you having nightmares again?”“Aa—I,” Elora stammered, “it looks like someone came into my room.”Without asking any further questions, Caspian immediately got up from the bed, put on the cloth pants draped at the end of hi

Maribeth served two cups of tea on the table, in front of Elora and Caspian, who were now sitting on the dull yellow sofa. Almost nothing has changed from this place, apart from the wallpaper that looks like it’s just been replaced, ivory yellow with tiny colorful flowers. Maribeth, the owner of this orphanage, has a taste for everything that contains flowers. Elora still remembered her room upstairs, where the bed was always covered with begonia-patterned sheets.Maribeth smiled and looked at Elora and Caspian. “I haven’t seen you in a long time. You said you’d send word after you got out of here.”Elora looked down, staring at her wrinkled blouse. She was gathering courage and reason, but none of them came to the surface. There is only guilt. Guilty that for years, Elora judged this place not to accept her. Her views when she was a child and as an adult turned out to be different.As soon as she saw Maribeth, with the wrinkles on

Elora couldn’t sleep all night. She thought about Caspian’s whereabouts, who had left without his cell phone. Elora hated herself for asking Caspian such a stupid thing. Elora trembled with fear at the thought of Caspian no longer wanting to be with her and leaving Elora ... leaving her alone as before. Loneliness became a scary thing for Elora now.After sinking into despair, Elora roamed the manor suite, which was twenty times as big as her apartment while drinking half a bottle of whiskey she had taken from the minibar. Elora was unconscious after that, and it allowed her to sleep without dreaming bad things. Elora had only fallen asleep when someone shook her body gently.“El, get ready. We’ll be leaving soon.” Caspian’s voice whispered softly in Elora’s ear. Elora groaned and rolled over, realizing too late that she had fallen asleep on the sofa. Elora almost fell to the carpeted floor, but Caspian deftly caught her.

Elora sat straight up on Caspian’s lap.“What did you say?” she hissed.Caspian let out a short laugh and then smiled. A sweet smile that melted Elora’s heart in an instant. Caspian didn’t answer, his hands busy reaching into the pockets of his jeans. Elora shifted slightly, so Caspian could do it more easily.Caspian held out his clasped hand, then lifted it and opened his palm right in front of Elora. In his hand was a diamond ring.“I bought it last night.”Elora flinched. “You didn’t buy it after getting drunk at the bar, did you?”“I’m not you.” Caspian joked.“Why me?” Elora folded her arms in front of her chest with a snort.“Drink half a bottle of whiskey and put on your lover’s clothes.”“I told you it wasn’t—”Elora’s words stopped when Caspian covered Elora’s li

“They will do it today.” Jason, who was crouching next to Elora in the basement's corner, whispered in Elora’s ear as if he was afraid that someone would hear his words. Although there was no one here but the two of them.“Do what?” Elora blinked innocently. She didn’t understand the meaning of her brother’s words.Jason’s black hair swayed lightly as he exhaled loudly. “Repel the creature! The creature that makes your body explode and makes a member of the pack should stay away from our family!” Jason shrieked, still in a whisper. “After the creature is gone, you can sleep again in your room! Mom has decorated your room with pink and stuffed bunnies!”Elora’s eyes widened at Jason’s words. The curve of a smile etched on her tiny lips. Elora glanced at the battered metal bed a few meters away from where she was. Her mother had tried to decorate this place as beautiful as possible