The night had really settled in. Sophie was lounging against the bed, waiting for Colby to return after washing up. But instead ofing right back, the sound of the shower echoed from the bathroom. It was a while before Colby finally emerged. His hair was still a bit


    damp, and his robe hung loosely over his body, showing off his toned muscles and a perfect V-line.


    The dim glow of the bedsidemp took Sophie back to the dinner party earlier that evening. Her cheeks warmed with a blush, and she instinctively reached for the light switch to break the moment, but Colby gently caught her wrist. There was aforting warmth in his touch, and under the soft light, his deep eyes glimmered with a hint of longing.


    "I''m all cleaned up," Colby murmured, his voice low and husky. He had scrubbed himself over and over to get rid of the blood''s scent. In fact, he''d even changed his jacket before they got in the car to the castle, afraid Sophie might catch a whiff of the nauseating smell. "I, I know..." Sophie stammered, though she thought to herself that seven times seemed a bit excessive. But she couldn''t bring herself to say it out loud. Colby now smelled of a fresh, clean fragrance, a stark contrast to his usual tobo scent, pure and untainted. "Sophie, don''t hurt yourself anymore." Colby leaned closer, ying with her hair before nting a soft, fleeting kiss on her eyelids, like a dragonfly touching down on water. His kiss moved slowly to the corner of her lips. But just as she closed her eyes, Colby''s mind was hit with scenes of him wielding a gun, taking down one target after another earlier that night.


    The kiss stopped suddenly. Despite being physically clean, he couldn''t wash away the stains on his soul. Those people were right; he was a madman. How could someone like him ever be worthy of her love?


    Colby''s voice was rough as he said,


    ???


    "I know you''re exhausted today, get some rest." With those words, he gently tucked the nket around Sophie. She was indeed worn out. Pulling Colby''s arm close, she


    leaned her head against it andContent protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    whispered, "Colby, you must be tired


    too. Stay with me, okay?"


    "Of course," he replied softly. Colbyy beside her, gently caressing her cheek, letting her hold his hand until morning light.


    Lov


    A whole day had slipped by. In the Pord family''s basement, Kiran showed no signs of erratic behavior. He was sitting quietly at the edge of the bed, Recovering from the exertion of pounding on the door the day before. Watching from the surveince room, the butler remarked, "Sir, I think the young master hase back to his senses. Maybe it''s time to let him out."


    The surveince room was almost entirely transparent, with cameras capturing every possible angle, leaving no corner unchecked, whether during bathroom breaks or while sleeping. Caelum sat in front of the monitors, his brow furrowed. He didn''t want his son to suffer, but what was in the surveince room now was more of a trapped beast than a person.


    Suddenly, the screens flickered with white static. Caelum jumped to his feet. "What''s going on?" he demanded.


    "Sir! Someone''s breached the perimeter!" A security guard burst in, clearly shaken. The static on the screen flickered away, and Kiran''s face appeared, looking directly into the camera, a mysterious smile ying on his lips.