[137 Days Left to Live]
The soft click of the apartnt door closing behind them marked their quiet return. It had only been a week, but it felt like they’d been away for much longer. Kendrick walked slowly, his back a little straighter than usual but still clearly recovering. Zephany followed behind, clutching her small bag, both of them noticeably more reserved than they used to be.
As soon as they stepped inside, their movents turned brisk. Without exchanging a word, they both rushed toward their rooms.
"Phone, phone, phone," Zephany muttered under her breath as she flipped through the scattered contents on her desk. Her fingers finally wrapped around the device, and she sat on the edge of her bed, unlocking it quickly.
Kendrick was doing the sa in his own room. He grabbed his phone from the top drawer of his nightstand, already swiping up to launch The Archive.
The mont the app loaded, both of them frowned.
"Still no new mission?" Zephany mumbled softly, scrolling through the mission log. "Level 4..."
On the other side of the wall, Kendrick had a similar expression. His jaw tightened slightly. "It’s the sa as before," he muttered, setting the phone down on his desk. "Stuck."
The Archive showed nothing beyond their current level. No updates. No access. No clues.
Zephany sighed and leaned back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "So what now? Just wait for the contract to be fulfilled?"
Her eyes drifted toward the calendar on the wall. Only one month had passed since she signed the contract to marry Kendrick. Eleven more to go. Yet in that short ti, they had already been hospitalized, faced physical breakdowns, and nearly died.
She turned to her side, clutching a pillow. "Why does it feel like so much has already happened?" she whispered to herself.
Kendrick, on the other hand, suddenly rembered sothing important. His eyes widened slightly as he rushed to the back corner of his room. With a soft chanical hum, a hidden door slid open as he unlocked the secret room. Without hesitation, he stepped inside, walking straight toward it, revealing a concealed, high-tech monitoring chamber.
He entered quickly, the lights flickering on as the monitors booted up.
"Co on," he said under his breath, tapping on the screen, bringing up the surveillance feed. He clicked through the footage one by one.
But Barmon was gone.
All recent activity on Barmon had disappeared. No new footage. No location ping. No logs.
Kendrick’s brows furrowed, and his fist clenched tightly. "Damn it," he hissed, slamming his hand lightly on the desk. "He moved while I was in the hospital."
It was a bitter pill to swallow. He had promised himself that Barmon wouldn’t slip out of his sight again. And yet, here they were.
anwhile, Zephany sat on the edge of her bed, still scrolling through her phone.
No ssages. Not even from Pia.
She raised an eyebrow. "Weird... Pia always spams , even when I’m sick."
She bit her lip slightly. Even Reynold hadn’t ssaged her. No one from the office. Not even a single check-in from her brother.
"What did Cassius tell them?" she wondered aloud. "He must’ve made up sothing convincing... but still. Not even Pia?"
Her phone buzzed lightly. She checked it quickly, but it was just an old app notification.
Zephany hugged her knees to her chest. There was a quiet sadness in her expression. The kind that builds up when you start to feel invisible.
Back in his room, Kendrick leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. He needed to recalibrate his systems and find another way to track Barmon. But first, he had to make sure Zephany was okay.
Kendrick’s thoughts were heavy with guilt. It might be a contract marriage, valid for only a year, but still, he was her husband. And he had failed her. He hadn’t taken care of his wife. Worse, he had failed Reynold too. He had promised to look after Reynold’s sister, to protect her.
But things had gone wrong. He’d ended up hospitalized—and so had Zephany.
He should have taken better care of his health. He should have been there for her.
Instead, he’d been too focused on monitoring Barmon, so obsessed with the mission that he hadn’t even noticed how overworked Zephany had beco.
He should have paid more attention. He should have seen the signs.
He stood up and quietly walked out of the hidden room, closing the panel behind him.
At the sa ti, Zephany also got up from her bed, stretching slightly. Her body still felt a little sore, but at least she was moving now.
They both t in the hallway at the sa ti.
"Oh," Zephany said, startled. "Sorry... I was just going to—"
"I was about to check on you," Kendrick said with a small smile.
They paused awkwardly. Then both chuckled quietly.
"I guess we’re both worried," Zephany said, pushing her hair behind her ear.
Kendrick nodded. "Yeah... how are you feeling?"
"Better. You?"
"Sa."
They stood there for a mont, not quite sure what to say next.
"You... you didn’t get any ssages either, right?" Zephany asked.
Kendrick shook his head. "None. They probably handled everything while we were out. Cassius must’ve told them sothing convincing."
Zephany nodded slowly. "Yeah. Still feels weird though."
Kendrick looked at her for a mont. "I’m just glad you’re okay."
She looked away quickly, cheeks turning a bit pink. "You too."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Zephany glanced at the living room. "Want so tea?"
Kendrick nodded. "That’d be nice."
As they moved toward the kitchen, there was still a cloud of uncertainty hanging over them. But in this mont of quiet recovery, it felt manageable.
For now.
Kendrick then took a seat at the dining table, watching quietly as Zephany moved about the kitchen, preparing the tea with calm, practiced motions.
Soon, the two of them were settled in the dining room, both feeling a rare sense of peace as they quietly sipped their tea.
But it wasn’t until they started receiving ssages from their family and friends that they nearly spilled their drinks, only then realizing what Cassius had told everyone.
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