Brunaulf POV:

I made my way to the office, not expecting Denise to be there after what happened last night. I had spent the whole day thinking about whether I was truly taking the right approach regarding this situation.

A part of me wanted to apologize to Denise and start over, while the other parts wanted to see this through to the end. Ultimately, I failed to reach a conclusive decision. I let out a sigh while I turned the corner.

‘!’

My eyes widened as I saw Denise standing next to the doorway again. I contemplated on whether I should turn back, pretending that I didn’t see her, but quickly decided against it.

‘I won’t run from you.’

I walked forwards, gradually shortening the distance between us. My feet stopped once her gaze shifted from the office to me. I felt my hands become clammy while I wondered what would be the best thing to say.

“...How are you feeling?”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she began to walk towards me. She didn’t say a word, and before I knew it, she had already reached my shoulder.

‘...’

My hand moved by itself, trying to hold on to her arm, but something beyond my expectations happened instead. Denise’s hand had grabbed the sleeve of my hoodie.

“Come with me.”

She tugged the dark fabric around my wrist but refused to look in my direction.

“...Alright.”

She let go slowly and walked on ahead. I followed after her from behind as we made our way down the floors of the main building.

We exited the building and headed towards the hospital wards located in Complex C. Denise grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer to her while she navigated through the floors of the hospital.

I wanted to ask why she had taken me here, but I decided to remain quiet. A few more minutes passed by, and we stood outside of the room she used to stay in.

She placed her hand on the door handle. Denise pushed it open, and we both stepped inside. She let go of my wrist as I closed the open door.

I watched her move in front of the window, standing in the moonlight while clasping her hands behind her back. Her indigo eyes seemed to pierce through the mask as we made eye contact.

“...Why did you bring me here?”

Denise’s slightly plump lips curved into a wide smile. Her cheeks turned a faint shade of red as her eyes narrowed with such allure; my body stiffened. I could physically see the softness of her lips while she emphasized the movement of them parting away.

“The location doesn’t matter. I just wanted to talk with you.”

I frowned at her nonsensical words. She had brought me all the way here just to talk for no reason at all? ...Denise was still recovering, so it wasn’t too far-fetched to think of her decision as an abnormality.

“Then what did you want to talk about?”

She unclasped her hands from her back, spreading them open wide as her face flushed.

“Come here.”

My heart pounded as I gazed at her enchanting figure. I tried peeling my eyes away, but she had already caught me under her spell.

“I... Don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Somehow I managed to give a rational response, but Denise didn’t seem the slightest bit deterred. Her long eyelashes fluttered while her hands slowly went to her face.

“Then... Take. It. Off.”

She bit her lip; her hands mimicking the action of removing a mask without missing a beat. The motion ended with a wink as her indigo eyes locked onto me. My pupils dilated; the blood rushed to my cheeks, and my back hit the door, unable to back away any further.

“You thought of me all day, yet you don’t want me to see your face?... I’ll do it for you then.”

I froze.

Time seemed to compress as I watched her approach me. It highlighted every motion of her curvy body as she stretched her hand forward.

“You shouldn’t.”

I lightly grasped Denise’s wrist. Her eyes widened, but she nimbly broke free from my grip and interlocked her fingers with mine.

“...Don’t be afraid.”

She whispered sweetly as she placed her hand over the mask. I wanted to stop her, but at the same time, I wanted her to see me.

Denise pulled the mask off slowly. Her eyes lit up as tears pooled within them. I felt her body tremble while she gently put the mask in my other hand.

Stolen novel; please report.

‘Denise...’

She turned her head as she pulled me towards the centre of the moonlight. I saw the tears rolling down her cheeks like an endless stream while her fingers tightened around mine.

“I missed you so much...”

The sadness in her voice made me bite my lip as my eyebrows quivered. She faced me directly under the light. My heart thumped so loudly I was certain she could hear it—I wanted her to.

“I missed you too, Denise... I never stopped thinking about you...”

I struggled to find the right words to express myself as I watched her go a darker shade of red. Denise smiled; her eyes refusing to leave me this time. We gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity.

‘!’

She abruptly turned her face away, slipping her fingers out of my hand. I watched her take a seat on the elevated bed while the tears splashed against her thighs.

“D-Denise... What’s wrong?”

I sat down on a chair in front of the bed and reached for her trembling hand. I stroked it lightly, but she didn’t answer right away.

“Let’s break up.”

“What...?”

My heart stopped as a sharp pain penetrated my chest. A wave of anxiety rushed over me, causing me to feel extremely nauseous. My head throbbed while the rate of my breathing rapidly rose.

“D-Denise... I-I’m sorry if I did anything wrong... No. I know it’s my fault I didn’t spend time with you. I know I didn’t act the right way. I can do better... I’ve changed. Please, don’t do this, Denise... I need you...”

I panicked at the thought of me losing her again. It frightened me. It ate away at me, robbing me of the ability to think clearly.

“This... is for the best, Brunaulf.”

I felt something inside me crack. My eyebrows curved inwards as my whole body quaked.

“Y-You don’t mean that...Right? L-Let’s stay together... Please... Give me one more chance... I can do better...”

Cold sweat trickled down my neck as I stood up in a frenzy. I tried to convince Denise. I begged her desperately not to do this—not to leave me.

“...”

Denise got to her feet and placed her hand on my chest as the moonlight shone more vibrantly than before. She moved it upwards, resting it against my cheek.

“Silly... Don’t you know how much I love you?...”

The trembling of her body was significantly worse than before as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“...You are my… everything.”

“!”

She tilted her head and pressed her soft lips against mine. My eyes popped wide open at the pleasant warmth that wrapped around my body. The sweetness of her lips captivated me, while the feeling of her moderate breasts pressing against my chest made my mind go blank.

My arms hung by my side as I stood there inexperienced with what I should do next. Denise’s shaky arm grabbed mine, lightly placing it on her hips.

My instincts woke up.

“Mm...”

My hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her in closer as a soft moan escaped her lips. Her hot breath brushed against my cheek while we looked into each other’s eyes briefly.

We kissed passionately under the moonlight.

The temperature in the room continued to rise the deeper we kissed. Denise pulled me over to the bed, and I got on top of her while her head fell against the pillow; her hair sprawling out all over the bed sheets. A deep shade of red ran across the bridge of her nose as we made eye contact once more.

She bit her lip and stretched out her hands. The supple skin of her nimble fingers caressed my cheeks, sending out ripples of love and care across my body. Denise pulled me in close while her dreamy eyes dared me to kiss her again.

I gave in.

I wanted to give in.

My lips were centimetres away from hers when she winced in pain.

“Denise...”

I placed my hand against her head lightly. Her eyebrows curved upwards as her whole body shivered intensely. She smiled at me, ignoring the pain she was in.

“...Did you think... That wearing a mask and changing your voice would make me not recognize you?... Silly... Brunaulf...”

Her breathing became erratic as she kissed my hand softly. I bit my quivering lip while I struggled to hold back the tears threatening to break out at any moment.

“It’s my fault... I’m sorry, Denise...”

Denise shook her head slowly.

“...Brunaulf... I’m moving to the outskirts... Of District 4... I won’t be... Getting involved with the Organization... anymore...”

The light in her eyes flickered. I stroked her cheek as I racked my brain trying to come up with a solution.

“...Don’t come and find me... Next time...”

“D-Denise...”

My throat went dry as I trembled. Would the outcome always be the same no matter what I tried? I couldn’t lose her like this.

“Margaret! Margaret!!”

I yelled for Margaret, the nurses and even Holder, but no one came. Denise turned my face towards her and smiled brightly.

“For you... I could go through... This... Again and again... But... I refuse... To forget you...”

Her voice grew weaker as blood started to trickle out of her nose.

“...Brunaulf... You... Deserve happiness too... In this life... I can’t be... The one... To give it... To you... But I... Will love you... Forever...”

Her face went pale while her eyes became unfocused. She mustered up what little strength she had left and gripped my hand.

“Please... Don’t forget me... And please... Be happy... I love you, Brunaulf...”

“...I love you too, Denise...”

Her eyes widened and blood gushed out of her nose. I had to tell her. I needed her to know just how much she meant to me.

“...You... Said it... Thank you... And goodbye, Brunaulf...”

Her eyes closed, and the vicious trembling of her body came to a halt. Her hand slipped out of my grasp, flopping to the side of the bed lifelessly.

“D-Denise...? P-Please... Open your eyes...”

I placed my forehead against hers as the dam inside me finally burst. The sound of crackling thunder boomed while dark clouds blocked the moon.

I sobbed loudly as I held her limp body close to my chest. Once again, I caused someone else to suffer, to be in so much pain.

I rocked back and forth with her in my arms, occasionally kissing her forehead. The tears refused to stop. They splashed against Denise’s cheeks before running down them. Time continued to pass by, but Denise continued to sleep.

I had no choice but to let her go.

I placed her head back down against the pillow and kissed her forehead one last time.

My hand rested against the door handle. I glanced back at the motionless Denise and bit my lip. I opened the door and saw Margaret standing outside with her back to the wall.

“...Leave the rest to me.”

“...”

I walked past her and made my way out of the building. I stood in front of the entrance as heavy rain poured down, causing everybody to hurry inside.

I stepped out of the shelter and peered up at the dark sky. The rain crashed into me relentlessly while I dragged my feet down the street.

Some people offered me umbrellas, and others beckoned for me to come inside till the rain died down, but I somehow signalled to them I was fine.

I continued on like this until I eventually found myself in front of my apartment. I lifted my arms up, forcing my hands to tap against the door gently.

My hair clung to my forehead as the rain dripped down my lips. My vision a blur; eyes so unfocused I had reached home purely on muscle memory alone. I had no real thoughts in my head—it was empty.

I was empty.

The door flung open immediately. Belle’s eyes gradually grew wider as she saw the pathetic state her brother was in. She pulled in her trembling lip and lunged forward. She wrapped her arms around me, ignoring the downpour of rain that smashed against the estate as we stood like this for a long time.

Belle eventually let go and clasped my hand. She looked up at the sky with a sad expression before closing the door behind us.