Chapter 9

Aria POV

When I finished tidying the housing room, a box still sat against the wall. Inside were old items I planned to send back to the villa.

Ethan rushed to the old town that afternoon without bringing Sofia or having his driver follow inside.

He stood outside the project site. I wore my work badge, verifying restoration progress with the project manager.

After I finished working, Ethan spoke. "Let's have a proper talk tonight."

I didn't refuse.

At the restaurant, Ethan didn't mention Sofia's fear of the dark again or explain about the master bedroom. He said, "I've already had Sofia move out. The master bedroom will be restored to its original state."

I asked, "Where is she now?"

"Another apartment in the city. Someone's with her, and a doctor will visit."

I nodded. "Very thorough arrangements."

That tone sounded too much like an outsider's. Ethan's expression darkened. He pulled property transfer documents from his bag and pushed them toward me. "The villa can be transferred to your name. If you don't want to live in the original house, I'll help you pick a new one."

I didn't take them. "I need to enter the closed site tomorrow morning." I said, "I'm not handling the house matter right now."

Ethan stared at me. "Are you not planning to come home anymore?"

Before I could answer, his phone rang. The call was from the housekeeper taking care of Sofia.

The housekeeper sounded panicked, saying Sofia had disappeared. She left only one sentence. That she was going back to look at the old building where the incident happened.

Ethan's expression changed drastically. That old building had long been abandoned, with unsafe stairs and wiring. He hung up, his first reaction to stand up.

I looked at him and said, "Go."

Ethan seemed about to explain. "This time is different. She might really be in danger."

"I know."

Ethan picked up his car keys. "Go back to your place first. I'll come find you after I handle this." He left right after speaking.

I sat in the restaurant, closed the property transfer documents, and placed them back on the table.

The project manager sent a message. Tomorrow morning's assembly time had been moved up to six o'clock.

Later the project van happened to detour near the old building to pick someone up. Through the car window,

I saw Ethan's car parked outside.

The housekeeper and security surrounded the building's base while Ethan had already rushed inside.

Screams came from upstairs.

Someone shouted, "She's on the third floor in the old storage room! The door's jammed and there's no light inside!"

Project personnel got out to examine the old building's structure.

I also followed to the stairway entrance. I'd only wanted to confirm whether the site needed the restoration team to assess the risks.

Suddenly an old wooden board came loose from above. Sofia had just been pulled from the old storage room by Ethan and stood trembling at the landing.

Ethan barely hesitated before pulling her into his arms and backing toward the wall with her. The board hit the handrail, its shattered edges falling toward the other side.

I stood right there.

My shoulder and back were struck, my palm cut by rusted metal when I braced myself on the ground.

I knelt at the bottom of the stairs and looked up to see Ethan lowering his head to check Sofia. He asked her, "Are you hurt?" Sofia clung tightly to him, shaking her head while crying.

Ethan finally saw me, his face going white, immediately wanting to come help me. Sofia gripped his clothes. "Ethan, my legs are weak..." Ethan's movements paused for an instant.

I braced myself against the stairway railing to stand, letting a project colleague help me outside. Ethan explained urgently, "The situation was too sudden just now. She was closer to me."

I didn't respond to that statement. I only said, "Get her out first. The old building isn't safe."

I had my palm and shoulder treated at a nearby clinic. The project manager asked if I needed to notify family. I said no. Ethan's calls came continuously. I didn't answer.

That evening, I returned to the villa. Some of Sofia's things had been moved away, but traces of her still remained in the master bedroom.

I didn't tidy up. I pulled out the last box, placed the keys on the nightstand.

The access card pressed beside the keys. The old keychain also lay nearby, still stained with dust that hadn't been wiped clean.

I placed Ethan's property transfer documents at the very bottom. I didn't sign.

The housekeeper saw me dragging the box downstairs and froze. "Mrs. Hart, are you going back to the old town?"

I stopped walking. "You don't need to prepare my things anymore or keep a room for me. If he comes back, have him look at the master bedroom nightstand." The housekeeper said Ethan would be back soon.

But I didn't wait.

As the car door closed, Ethan's call came through again.

I watched the screen light up and turned it off. The car drove toward the old town.