As they get out of the carriage, someone awaits them.
"Hello, sister. Looks like you enjoyed your day."
Serlina's brother said sarcastically.
As soon as she heard his voice, she felt frightened, which is why she was unable to reply to him.
"She's safe with me; you don't have to worry."
Aizen spoke firmly.
"I need to speak with my sister alone."
Connor said with a hint of resentment.
"You may speak here with me; it's not like I'm a stranger, aren't I?"
"Fine."
"My dearest sister, you wonder why he's so accommodating, right?"
Serlina is confused about why he said that.
"It's because we had a deal"
He looks at his watch.
"I don't have the time for all the details since I have to be gone for weeks; it's perfect timing that Aizen here took you in."
Serlina clenched her fist.
"Once I'm back, I'll take you back with me. If you want to know about our deal, wait for me, sister."
Connor left with his carriage.
Serlina rushed to go to her room, while Aizen followed her from behind.
"Serlina, it's not what you think it is."
"What am I? Am I livestock that you could buy? A deal? How much have you bought me?"
"Am I your toy? Is that why you're so nice the whole time?"
With eyes that are pleading to be heard, he says,
"No, in my eyes that's not how I see you, you're not a toy, not a livestock, nothing could compare."
She's stopping her tears from falling, but she can't stop her voice from trembling.
"Then, what am I?"
"Someone important to me and—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Serlina locked herself in her room.
He was still worried outside the door.
"We could talk whenever you want to; I'll wait. Have some rest."
He directed the maids to help her dress and assist her in everything.
He left while Serlina was questioning everything.
On her bed while she's trying to sleep, she can't help but think...
'Is all that happened today just an illusion to make me fall in love with him?'
'I can't believe that I almost fell for that.'
She covered her face with a pillow and let out her emotions while crying.
She felt betrayed, hurt, and used. As time went by, she didn't notice that she fell asleep.
As she opened her eyes, she felt this emptiness that she couldn't explain. She moved to her bed, staring at the ceiling while thinking.
'It's time of the month again. What am I really sad about? Loneliness? Grief? Longing for someone? I'm not really sure.'
'As time goes by, I feel like suffocating, but I'm still breathing. There's a heavyweight in my chest; it feels like someone is sitting, but it's not a person; it's a feeling of being a burden.'
'Some days are good, but most of the days I always struggle with myself, whether I should live today or tomorrow.'
'Why don't I tell anyone? It's hard for me to trust someone, and the one that I trust and care about, I don't want to pass this heavy feeling on. I'd rather suffer alone than see them sad because of what I'm going through. I don't want them to feel what I feel.'
'I don't want to go anywhere; I just want to lie in this bed all day. I have to tell Luna that I can't go to work right now since I don't feel well. Is it enough reason?'
Nayla messaged Luna to say she can't go to the shop today because she doesn't feel well.
When Luna received the message, she attempted to call Nayla, but Nayla turned off her phone.
"She doesn't answer my calls again; it's probably the time of the month."
Luna sighed in frustration.
"What do you mean it's time of the month again?"
Laurence asked, his face filled with concern.
"Nayla always needs space every month. She doesn't tell me what her problems are, but when she comes back, she's back to normal."
"Should we go to her to check?"
"Suit yourself, but I already tried it; she doesn't want to be disturbed. I know she's a strong person who will not do anything stupid. Don't worry about her too much; she'll be fine as long as we give her some space."
"Can you give me the floor and room where she lives? I'll go check on her."
Luna gave the address of Nayla to Laurence.
"I'll be back after an hour."
"But we have a lot of things to do..."
Laurence had already left.
He bought some sweets, drinks, and onigiri for Nayla, but when he arrived in front of her door, no one answered.
"Hello, this is Laurence. I'm not sure if you're inside, but I left something for you. I heard from Luna that you're not feeling well. If you need something, don't hesitate to contact me... or Luna. I hope you'll feel well soon."
Nayla is still staring at the ceiling while lying in her bed.
'I heard him, but I don't have the energy to get up and open the door.'
Laurence left after he hung the food with a letter on her door.
After staring at the ceiling for hours, she mustered the courage to get up.
'I should at least drink some water.'
When she looked at the window, the sun was about to go down. She didn't notice the time that she lost while lying on her bed.
"Nice, I wasted time once again."
'I feel like breathing and suffocating at the same time. I still need to live, so I cannot be a burden. For sure, my funeral will also be a headache for my auntie.'
Nayla took a shower, and she remembered that Laurence had left her something. After putting on her clothes, she opened the door and took the plastic bag that was hanging on the doorknob.
'What is this?'
She opened the plastic bag, and it was full of sweets and an onigiri.
'Why did he even bother to give me this?'
Nayla noticed the letter at the bottom, and she read it.
'I hope you'll get well soon. If you need someone to talk to, I'll be there to listen.'
Nayla smirked a little.
'If it's only easy to open up, I've done it a long time ago.'
She ate the onigiri even though she didn't have the appetite to eat, and she was stopping herself from throwing up.
'I'm craving Soju or Beer right now, but I already drank all of it last time.'
She stands up, takes her wallet, and heads out to the nearby convenience store.
Zane is looking at a familiar girl from afar, but her vibe is different; she looks sad, gloomy, and almost looks like a corpse, but she is still moving.