Leona's POV
The car slowed gradually in the night, its engine humming low and restrained, as if unwilling to disturb the street's excessive stillness.
My home's iron gate came into view—familiar, yet oddly estranged.
Only when the car came to a complete stop did I realize I'd been lost in thought the entire ride. The cabin fell silent, filled with nothing but the sound of our breathing.
I unbuckled my seatbelt but didn't get out right away. Instead, I turned to look at Eric in the driver's seat.
The warm glow of the streetlights filtered through the window, casting soft shadows across his face. That was when I noticed the dried bloodstain on his cuff, and my heart tightened without warning.
"Today… thank you," I murmured, surprised by the hesitation in my own voice. "Your injury… are
