At the Riverdale estate, in the deep of the night, sothing happened.
Justin, who had just managed to fall asleep, received a call from Lana. The mont he heard what she said, he stord out of bed and rushed downstairs.
In the drawing room, he found Noah already out of the guest room and speaking with Lana.
"What do you an you don’t know where she’s gone?" Noah raised his voice at her.
Justin reached them. "Did you search carefully?"
"She left on her own, Mr. Aiden," Lana said as she handed him a note. "She left this behind."
Justin and Noah read the note while Lana explained, "She was sleeping soundly the last ti I checked, before I dozed off. She showed no signs of what she was planning."
-----
The note read:
Dear Brother,
I’m sorry for leaving like this, and I’m sorry for becoming your weakness when I’ve been no help to you.
I know you’re marrying that woman because of , but I don’t want you to. She’s not a good person.
You’ve been a good brother to , so I wanted to be a good sister to you and this is the only way I found.
By the ti you’re reading this, I’ll already be gone. Don’t worry about . I’m a master at sneaking out.
This ti, I won’t be caught. I’ll leave this place and go far away, sowhere no one can find .
Please don’t waste your ti searching for . Just imagine sowhere, happy and free, watching my favorite view of the starry sky.
Though we’re not related by blood, I will always think of you as my real brother, my only family. Thank you for letting experience the care and love of a family, even if just once in my life.
I wish you all the happiness in the world.
Take care, Brother.
—ira
-----
Justin understood why she was gone and sighed deeply.
"When was the last ti you saw her?" he asked Lana.
"About an hour ago, just before I fell asleep. But I’m sure it hasn’t been long since she left. She must have waited until I was fully asleep," Lana replied.
Justin humd in response and stepped outside to question the guards on duty. None of them had seen ira.
"Show the security footage," he ordered sharply, then sent a few n to search the estate grounds.
anwhile, Noah was still staring at the letter in his hand. One particular line had struck him—and suddenly, his expression turned grave. He hurried to one of the guards nearby.
"Where on this estate can you see the view of the mountains?" Noah asked, clearly anxious.
"It’s at the rear end of the estate," the guard answered, pointing in that direction.
Noah didn’t wait. He took off at a run.
Inside the security room, Justin stood watching the footage. In it, they saw ira sneakily making her way through the estate, carefully avoiding patrol guards.
"Where does that path lead?" Justin asked, eyes sharp on the screen.
"To the rear boundary of the estate," the guard replied. "There aren’t many patrols there because it ends at the valley. The mountains are beyond it."
Justin suddenly recalled the question Noah had asked earlier about the mountain view. At the ti, he hadn’t thought much of it, assuming Noah was just doing things his own way while Justin preferred a more structured search.
"Sir," Lana spoke up, "when we walked around that area the other day, Ms. ira really wanted to go toward the boundary to see the view. But a guard stopped us."
Justin’s jaw tightened. He turned and strode out of the room.
"Bring the car around," he ordered one of the guards.
It was a long way to the edge of the estate—and he wasn’t going to waste a single mont.
Justin sat in the electric vehicle used to move around the estate. The silence of the night was broken only by the soft whir of its wheels. After fifteen minutes, the vehicle ca to a halt.
"Sir, the path ahead is a walkway only," the guard inford him.
Without wasting a second, Justin got out. His sharp gaze scanned the darkened path. Two guards followed closely behind as he began to walk briskly toward the rear boundary.
----
anwhile, Noah had taken the inner shortcuts and already reached the far edge of the estate. His breath ca in heavy gasps from the sprint, but his eyes locked onto a fragile figure standing atop the boundary wall.
There she was—ira.
And she was standing at the edge... looking down.
His heart nearly stopped when he saw her take a step forward. She wasn’t just admiring the view. She was going to jump.
Noah didn’t call out. One wrong move—one startled flinch—and she could fall for real. So he ran.
Faster.
Closer.
Just as ira lifted her foot into the air, ready to take that final step into the void, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. With a powerful jerk, she was yanked backward off the ledge and landed hard—but safely—against soone’s chest.
"Are you crazy?!" he shouted, furious, still panting heavily as he clutched her tightly. The two of them were on the ground now—he beneath her, holding her close, his voice trembling with equal parts anger and relief.
ira was shocked at what had happened. Her tightly shut eyes fluttered as she felt no pain. Before jumping down, she had shut her eyes, ready to experience the deadly pain by falling sowhere deep in the valley and being smashed against so rock and then dying, but it didn’t happen.
Instead, all she felt was the warmth of a strong chest rising and falling beneath her, and arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly as if he refused to ever let go.
She opened her eyes and found her face pressed against the heavily panting chest of a man, and the strong arms surrounded her firmly as she lay on him.
For a mont, her senses went numb to think how it ended up like this. There was silence for a mont before they heard the worried voice of a man.
"Are you alright?" It was Justin.
Justin, who was hurrying to the place, had witnessed how Noah had saved ira.
Noah imdiately let go of ira, who moved away from him and looked at Justin. Noah also sat up on the ground, still catching his breath.
Justin asked those guards to leave.
Once they were gone, he knelt in front of her and asked her again, "Are you alright?"
Her eyes turned moist as she didn’t know how to answer him. She was going to take her life, but it didn’t happen. What must he think about her now? She didn’t know whether to apologize or say sothing else.
"I..." her words choked in her throat, and tears started to roll down her eyes.
As Justin was there, Noah preferred to be quiet. He was glad he managed to stop her before it was too late. Just a mont delayed, they would have lost her already.
Justin patted her head gently and said, "It’s alright."
"I... am... sorry..." she said between her sobs. "I didn’t... want to... be a bother to you..."
"You are not a bother," he said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks gently. "You are my sister. You are not my weakness as well."
She continued to cry while Justin said, "Whatever I am doing, I have my own reason. It has nothing to do with you. So don’t think you are the reason for anything. I have my own plans."
She finally managed to et his gaze. "Then... that marriage..."
"It’s not because of you," he assured. "And I am already married."
She was surprised to hear it. "Then why are you..."
"I told you I have my reasons, which I can’t tell you," he said, keeping his calm.
ira didn’t know what to say now. She was utterly embarrassed that she caused them worry in this way.
"I... am sorry..." she said and lowered her gaze, tears still rolling down her eyes.
"Let’s go back. Lana is worried for you," Justin said as he stood up and offered her his hand.
She nodded and looked at Noah, who was still sitting on the ground.
"Mr. Noah, I am sorry," she said, feeling guilty inside.
He looked at her but said nothing. One could feel the horror he felt at that last mont.
"Noah, let’s go back," Justin said.
Noah registered his words and stood up.
ira accepted Justin’s hand and stood up as well, but winced a little in pain.
"Are you hurt?" Justin asked as he followed her gaze to her left foot.
She shook her head to say it was fine and walked again, but she limped a little.
Justin lifted her in his arms and carried her towards that electric vehicle parked at a certain distance. Noah followed them behind.
ira held onto Justin and looked at the man walking behind them quietly. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he angry with her? Must be, right? Just in the afternoon they talked nicely and now... She felt guilty the more she looked at him.
They reached the residence where Aeldric was awake and waiting for them. He saw ira in Justin’s arms and frowned.
His cold gaze fixed on the girl, he said, "If you were planning to die, you should have succeeded."
ira hid her face against Justin’s shoulder and didn’t dare look at the old man.
Justin glared at the old man. "Just go back to sleep. It’s none of your business," he said and walked towards ira’s room, leaving the old man sulking with anger.
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