Silence gradually filled the hospital corridors. Visitors left with heavy, grief-stricken steps, leaving behind their loved ones and friends, until the stillness took over, broken only by the hushed voices of nurses at the reception as they exchanged the night-shift schedules.
But that stillness was shattered by the sound of slow, steady footsteps echoing down the hallway. The nurses all turned to see a young man with silver hair and pale skin, his handsome features frozen, his icy blue eyes carrying a deep sorrow.
After a brief exchange of glances, the young man continued forward, indifferent to their stares, striding confidently toward the patients' rooms. One nurse, however, stepped forward, grasping his wrist to stop him.
"Excuse me, sir… visiting hours ended a long time ago. You can't go in."
Leonid raised his gaze to her. His voice was barely audible, yet sharper than any shout:
"Step aside."
The nurse stiffened, shaking her head stubbornly.
"I won't. These are the rules. Please turn back."
The air between them grew tense, until it was broken by a weary, commanding voice:
"Enough… let him through."
An elderly doctor appeared, walking with calm steps, his tone carrying an authority that allowed no argument.
"But Doctor…!"
The nurse muttered in shock, her eyes widening when she realized the man speaking was not just any physician, but one of the hospital's most senior directors,
and one of the very few who knew the truth of what had happened, and the truth of Leonid.
The doctor lowered his gaze to Leonid's back and murmured softly:
"He is not someone you should try to stop."
The nurse trembled, swallowed her protest, and stepped aside.
Leonid then continued walking at his slow pace, as if in a heavy dream, his once-bright blue eyes now hollow, fixed on nothing, his feet alone carrying him to the room where Charlotte lay.
At last, he stopped in front of the glass, pressing his forehead against it in silence, his gaze clinging to her still features, as if she were asleep in some distant world his hands could never reach.
"Why do you stand here?"
The old doctor's voice came from behind him, calm but deep.
"You know you're allowed to go inside."
Leonid did not turn. He only whispered hoarsely:
"I can't… not after what happened to her."
The doctor came closer, standing beside him, his eyes holding a touch of hidden kindness behind their sternness.
"Do not burden your heart with what is not your fault. These are destinies, Leonid… and you must learn to accept them."
Leonid lowered his head slightly, whispering in a weary tone:
"I know that… and yet, all I can do is blame myself."
The doctor sighed, his gaze heavy upon him.
"I've never known you to be this miserable."
A faint smile flickered on Leonid's lips, reflected dimly on the glass before him.
"Oh, you have… Have you forgotten my mother's death? I've lived in misery for years. And this hair…"
He touched a silver strand between his fingers.
"…is the clearest witness to what happened to me, the day she was killed before my eyes."
Konstantin closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the painful image of the past.
the child who had witnessed his mother's death by seven stab wounds from a stranger.
Later, when the murderer was caught, it became clear he had simply harbored a grudge against the boy's father, and so chose to kill the helpless woman instead.
From that shock, the child's black hair lost its color, and worse still, he lost his ability to express himself.
The pain forged his heart and mind into something like a glacier.
He underwent therapy, but no matter how many attempts, the child never responded, shutting himself within his walls.
And yet, in time, he managed to express himself again, though cold and sharp-tempered. He had become a federal agent, one to be proud of yet the past still clung to him.
Leonid was silent for a moment, then raised his gaze toward the doctor, his voice hushed, as though revealing a hidden secret:
"Konstantin… am I cursed?"
The doctor's brow furrowed. He answered with rational firmness, though tinged with hidden compassion:
"What nonsense is this? Don't brand yourself or your life with such superstitions."
Leonid let out a hollow, bitter laugh, clutching his silver strand so tightly his fingers trembled, then letting his hand slide to cover his face.
"Seriously… but I find no other word. My entire life feels like a curse."
"Leonid."
Konstantin placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it gently.
"Pull yourself together, and breathe. Where has your rational mind gone?"
Leonid's lips quivered, fighting the weakness in his heart, but he could not resist.
"I can't… I can't lose someone I love."
Konstantin replied firmly yet calmly:
"Stop blaming yourself. Accept what is beyond your control, and give yourself the chance to heal."
Leonid did not answer, but he took a deep breath, letting calm seep into his chest. His icy blue eyes, heavy with grief and sorrow, drifted helplessly toward Charlotte, where she lay.
"Go in now. Sit beside her."
Konstantin gently urged him toward the door, adding:
"I'll allow you to stay with her until she wakes."
A faint light flickered in Leonid's eyes before he lowered his head, standing still for a moment to gather his composure.
Then he opened the door softly and stepped inside, moving toward Charlotte who had become his everything.
Konstantin watched in silence, then quietly turned away and left, leaving Leonid alone with the silence of the room.
Leonid approached slowly, careful not to wake Charlotte, even though every fiber of him longed to see her open her eyes right away.
He stopped for a moment, then knelt beside the bed, resting his head gently near her injured arm.
His eyes narrowed unconsciously as he lifted his hand to touch the stiff splint. His trembling fingertips barely brushed its surface before he jerked his hand back.
He bit his lower lip and covered his face with both hands, drowning in shame, guilt, and pain.
Silence filled the room, broken only by the steady sound of Charlotte's heartbeat on the monitor.
Flashes of the morning crossed his mind her sleeping on him, her drowsiness, her annoyance, that shy look she gave him.
Leonid lifted his head and looked at her sleeping face, then bent closer. Strands of his hair swung forward and settled near her forehead.
"I'm sorry…"
he whispered, his voice hoarse, almost breaking his throat.
"Because of me, all of this happened to you… I failed you… I admit it."
His eyes tightened on her, emotions overflowing inside him. He lowered his head, resting his forehead on her shoulder, his uneven breaths brushing against her neck.
"Wake up… please… Charlotte…"
Leonid sobbed softly, unable to hold back his emotions.
The ice mountain that had always held together was gone. It had melted completely, like snow under the warmth of the sun.
"My love…"
His voice was raspy, his emotion choking him. His arms wrapped around her tenderly; one hand holding her body, the other gripping the bedsheet like a drowning man.
His eyes overflowed, his warm tears dripping onto her hospital gown, their damp heat seeping into her skin.
"I'm sorry… for not being there… for not understanding the burden you carried alone…"
His throat closed as he pressed his lips together, silently holding within him all the guilt, love, and fear of losing her.
Only moments passed, but to Leonid they felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, a faint movement in her left hand's fingers, then her eyelids fluttered open slowly.
The dim light reflected in her pupils, the pain that had knocked her unconscious now lighter but still leaving a heaviness on her right shoulder.
Or so she thought at first.
From the scent and the view slowly forming around her, Charlotte realized she was in a hospital, that her life had been saved.
She didn't think about how; she just tried to smile and cry out of gratitude, but her exhausted body couldn't.
Despite the urgent desire to push away the heavy, damp warmth on her shoulder.
"Can you forgive me, Charlotte…?"
Suddenly, a voice slipped into her ear as though someone was whispering right beside her.
The warmth, the sound… all of it was real, making her heart respond.
Especially the moisture seeping into her skin.
"…Tears?"
Charlotte's voice emerged faintly, breaking Leonid's sobs and the unconscious tremor of his shoulders.
After a moment of silence, she called out with a tired, joyful tone:
"Leonid?"
When she first woke up, she didn't recognize who it was. But now she knew.
Leonid had been the bothersome weight on her right shoulder,
but suddenly, it was no longer bothersome.
"Charlotte…"
Leonid's voice echoed in her ears again.
She should have recognized him from the start, how had she not?
Carefully, Leonid raised his head, his eyes meeting hers under the dim hallway light. He didn't know what expression he was wearing at that moment smiling with joy, or frowning with pain.
But he also didn't bother wiping the wetness clinging to his thick lashes beneath his silver hair.
"You're really awake? Do you feel pain anywhere? I'll call the doctor, just stay calm."
But before he could stand, he froze as soon as she grabbed the edge of his coat.
"Why…?"
Charlotte asked, her black eyes glimmering under her lashes.
She clenched her left hand despite its heaviness.
"Why, what?"
Leonid asked as he slowly sat on the edge of the bed beside her, his eyes fixed on her trembling features, her pursed lips and the tears she tried in vain to hold back.
"It's not your fault…"
Charlotte murmured, raising her hand weakly, her fingertips gently brushing his cheek before sliding down to dry his wet lashes. She couldn't see clearly, but the warmth of his tears betrayed his sorrow, and her heart trembled as she, too, could no longer hold back her own tears.
"Don't leave me alone… Leonid."
Her voice came out broken, pleading between her sobs.
"I'm fine… I don't feel pain. Just stay with me… please."
Leonid leaned closer, pressing her trembling hand against his cheek as though it were the most precious thing he had, and said in a hoarse voice:
"I'll stay."
Before he promised sincerely:
"I won't move from here."