Elara stayed still after the door closed behind him.
Her eyes was resting on it as if she could still feel his presence in the room. Then.. she slowly closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, her gaze moved to the door on the left side of the room. From the way it was placed, she guessed it was the restroom. So without wasting any more ti, she walked toward it quickly.
She thought he might co back in at any mont and she did not want to be standing there like that if he did.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, moving straight to the sink. She turned on the tap gently, letting the cold water run over her fingers before splashing it onto her face. The sharp chill helped her clear her head even if only a little.
When she finally lifted her head, her eyes t her reflection in the mirror. Her own face was staring back at her as if asking a question she could not avoid.
Whose fault is this.
Her mind moved through everything slowly as she stared at herself.
She could not deny the truth no matter how she turned it.
She had been drunk. She was the one who moved first. She was the one who held onto him. And she was the one who said things she would never say if she was fully aware.
All of that was true and she could not pretend otherwise. But even with all that, she knew he was not free of bla either.
He had not stopped her, nor did he step back. He had not drawn the line he was more than capable of drawing.
Because if there was one thing she knew about him, it was that he was always in control. Yet last night, he had chosen not to be.
Even that night at the Vale’s mansion, he hadn’t gone all the way.
So what does that make it.
Her fault.
His fault.
Both.
Neither.
She did not know.
She turned off the tap slowly. But the mont the water stopped running, a sudden wave of nausea rose in her chest.
She quickly turned and rushed to the toilet, bending over it as she threw up. When it finally passed, she stayed there breathing slowly, before pushing herself back up.
She walked back to the sink again and rinsed her mouth, then splashed more water on her face. After that, she stood still, staring into the mirror with a much calr expression.
Pull yourself together.
The thought ca to her mind.
It was the specific instruction she had given herself without hesitation, because breaking down was not sothing she allowed herself to do. Not now. Not here.
Her eyes moved downward and she noticed a toothbrush still in its packaging under the sink. She picked it up, opened it, and used it without thinking too much. Then she washed up properly before stepping out of the restroom.
Back in the room, she walked straight to the locker and picked up the bag placed on top of it. She took out the cloth and got dressed imdiately.
She had already decided not to dwell on anything that had happened the night before. She had things to do.
Ziva must be waiting at Voice already so she could not stay here for too long.
She moved toward the door. But just as she was about to leave, her eyes caught sight of sothing through the half-open door of the study. She stopped without aning to.
There was a painting on the far wall.
From where she stood, she could still see it clearly.
Her feet moved before she decides to move them. She walked toward the study, pushing the door open wider as she stepped inside.
She walked straight to the painting and stopped in front of it, her eyes resting on it for a long ti as her thoughts slowly began to gather.
Why is this here again.
Her mind drifted back to the staircase lined with paintings at the Vale mansion.
She had seen her picture there. And now here it was again. In Adrian’s apartnt. In his study.
"You’re done."
Adrian’s voice ca from behind her suddenly.
Elara’s thoughts paused, then she turned slowly.
He was standing by the doorway with his usual composed expression. She had not even heard him co in.
She stared at him calmly, then she lowered her eyes a bit before turning back to the painting.
"Who’s she?" she asked.
The question slipped out before she could stop it. Even, she was a little surprised she had asked, because she already knew he was not the type to answer.
Her question was t with silence.
She turned her head and looked at him again, noticing how quiet he had beco. His gaze was resting on the painting, and that second, she wondered if she was imagining it, but his jaw seed to tighten a little as he stared at it.
He stayed like that for a long ti. Long enough for her to believe he would ignore her completely. Just as she had expected.
But he suddenly spoke.
"My sister."
The words were simple, but they made her pause. She lifted her brows and turned back to the painting again, her mind reacting faster than she could control. Her thoughts began to overlap one another as she tried to process what he had just said.
His said this girl was his sister.
The girl she had seen in her dreams over and over again.
Her gaze stayed on the painting, trying to make sense of sothing that did not make sense at all.
And before she could finish forming a conclusion, his voice ca again.
"Lia." He muttered, in what seem almost like a whisper.
Lia?
The na echoed in her mind again and again. The girl in her dreams had said her na was Aurelia.
Lia.
Aurelia.
Lia.
Aurelia.
The connection ford so quickly that it left her unsettled.
Why?
Why had she seen her?
She had never t her before. She did not even know she existed.
So why?
The thoughts about what had happened last night and what she was hearing now mixed with everything else, making her discomfort grow stronger. Until she suddenly turned away.
"I’m leaving," she muttered.
She walked toward the door, or rather toward him, since he was standing right there blocking the way.
When she reached him, she turned to the side to pass through the small space beside him. She had almost gone past him when his voice ca again.
"Wait."
She did not stop imdiately. She walked past him before finally stopping with her back facing him.
He stayed quiet but she still waited to hear him out.
"The housekeeper is making breakfast." he said after a while.
Elara’s expression froze, then it quickly returned to normal like she’d heard nothing.
"I’m leaving," she said again, and walked out of the study without wasting any second.
When she finally got to the sitting room, she saw the housekeeper standing quietly in the kitchen area, watching her without saying anything.
Elara did not stop or even spare her a second glance. She only moved straight to the entrance, opened the door and walked out without hesitation.
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