While exhaling deeply, I collapsed beside her on the damp, rumpled bed, enveloped in the lingering warmth and slick sheen of what we had just shared.
Her voice echoed in my mind:
"Elish… there's something I didn't tell you..."
Tsk. There it was. Another secret.
But I masked my reaction, eyes tracing the ceiling — the mute witness to all our confessions and sins.
"What is it?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.
"The police department called two days ago. They offered their condolences but… if you can't return to active duty within the next five working days, they'll forcibly retire you," she murmured.
"Ohh! So that's what you were hiding?" I let out a breathy chuckle.
"You foolish girl… why burden yourself with guilt over something so far beyond your control?"
Relief washed over me — grateful that the weight she carried wasn't rooted in something darker.
The last thing I wanted was to lose my virginity to someone draped in hypocrisy.
"Don't sweat it," I added with a reassuring smirk.
"As you've clearly witnessed — I'm still as fit as a stallion and hit like a charging bull. I'll be back in uniform before you know it."
She nodded, her cheeks tinged a soft crimson.
Then, with a hesitant pause, she asked,
"So… what am I now? Am I… broken?"
I paused, absorbing her vulnerability.
I understood. This wasn't shame — it was uncharted territory. A part of her just beginning to bloom, raw and undefined.
I sat upright, resting my back against the headboard.
Yeah, I was drained — not just from the hours of relentless passion, but from the emotional gravity that anchored us.
We hadn't just made love. We had surrendered — wholly, wordlessly — from dusk until nightfall wrapped around us like a blanket.
I glanced at her, then back up at the ceiling.
Searching the cracks for answers.
Searching myself.
"Rez," I began softly.
"You're not broken. And neither am I. What you felt… what we shared… that's a part of you. Own it.
When I called you a slut earlier — that wasn't aimed at you. It was for the moment, the madness. A name for the feeling, not the soul.
I respect you… just as much as I respect myself."
I turned toward her, my voice low, sincere.
"What happened here — this was real. Consensual. Intimate. Sacred, in its own twisted way.
It doesn't give me any right to shame you. Or make you feel less than whole.
You wanted it — just like I did. That's all it is.
Our little secret.
And no one finds out… unless we decide they should.
Alright?"
I reached for her hand.
"So, love… no, you're not broken. You've just discovered a side of yourself — one that doesn't need to hide."
A gentle smile touched her lips, and she nodded.
But it wasn't just relief.
It was the soft comfort of being seen. Of being accepted.
Maybe… maybe I was the same.
Maybe all the disdain I'd carried toward the world… stemmed from never being accepted myself.
Still, there were lines that needed to be drawn — spoken truths that couldn't be buried beneath passion.
My voice turned firm.
"Love… you know how I see that accident?
Like I was born again.
Forget the man I used to be — let him die.
Because there are lines I won't allow anyone to cross now. And hypocrisy… is one of them. I despise it.
So if you speak — let it be from both your lips and your heart. I'll do the same.
We face problems together.
We solve them together.
But no more hiding. Understand?"
She sat up beside me, her eyes clear, unwavering.
"I won't hide anything from you — ever.
And I'll keep my word… even if it kills me.
You were there when I was on the edge.
Maybe I would've taken my own life if not for you.
So yes — I accept you. All of you."
Her gaze followed mine to the ceiling.
As though we were both staring into the same canvas… seeing different shadows, different stories… but still trying to understand what it meant to feel whole again.
---
Ah yes… she once managed a five-star hotel.
Fell for the CEO — classic.
But the bastard? A venomous serpent.
Illegal dealings — forgivable in some crooked circles.
But pimping underage girls to high-ranking politicians?
Worse — planning to sell his own daughter?
That wasn't crime.
That was rot.
Left a foul, acrid taste in my mouth.
He got caught in the act.
I was assigned the case.
Not by choice.
My predecessor? A coward in uniform.
Backed out. Got himself shot — died like a dog.
And I?
I was dragged in.
---
My thoughts were broken by the soft weight of her head against my shoulder.
"Love… your affection saved me, truly."
Then with a grin I added,
"But if I don't eat soon, I won't have the energy to repeat today's performance."
I smirked. "There's something in the fridge," she said, giggling.
"Then go on ahead. I'll be right behind you…"
---
Once her footsteps disappeared into the hallway, silence returned.
I sank deeper into my thoughts.
Detective, huh?
That call… it was too deliberate.
Even I had been sure I'd never walk again.
Thank whatever twisted god's system didn't crash on me this time.
Still, why the exact seven days?
Were they giving me time to salt my own wound?
Did my predecessor piss someone off?
Doubtful.
Good guy? Yes. Gentle? Absolutely.
But not the kind who'd speak up if there was trouble on the side of the road.
Not if there was even a slight chance it'd come back to bite him.
I tapped my fingers rhythmically on the side table.
So… someone wanted him dead.
And my gut screamed it wasn't random. It was personal. Planned. Fueled by hate.
How do I know?
Because shooting someone in the chest to kill — that's one thing.
But crushing my legs after the fact?
That wasn't tactical.
That was rage.
Clues… I needed more clues.
Suddenly, a call from downstairs broke the silence.
"Honey!"
"Coming, love!" I called back with a chuckle.
Time to shelve it — for now.
Just a man of the house… taking care of what needs taking care of.
But truth be told —
It didn't feel half as bad as I expected.
Maybe… just maybe…
I don't need to be the recluse I always was.
Maybe I should give this — us — a chance.
Maybe… it'll actually work out.
---
-[End of Chapter 6]-
Right time or Right company
Can
Heal thousand broken piece
To a
Whole soul.