Chapter 289: Chapter 289
Silence settled between them.
Their eyes remained locked, and an indescribable tension flowed quietly through the room.
Suzy gazed steadily at Liam. He looked back at her without blinking. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, his eyes became glossier. Redder.
Seeing that expression, Suzy’s heart skipped a beat.
Then another.
She could tell his emotions were in complete turmoil. Gratitude, guilt, relief, fear... so many feelings were tangled together that even she couldn’t sort them apart.
What she cared about even more, however, was something else.
How much did his affection increase?
After everything that had happened, surely it had risen.
If she were lucky... Maybe she’d completed the conquest. That would be perfect.
But reality was rarely that generous.
She waited.
One second. Two. Three. The system remained silent.
No notification chimed in.
A flicker of disappointment crossed her heart.
As expected... it wasn’t enough.
There had to be one final push.
Still... Looking into Liam’s eyes, she couldn’t help thinking:
It has to be close now.
Very close.
She had seen that same look before in Derek’s eyes. Not long afterward, his affection had reached its maximum.
"All better." Suzy withdrew her hand with a faint smile.
The warmth disappeared from Liam’s palm. His fingertips twitched almost involuntarily.
Lowering his gaze, he quietly buried the emotions threatening to surface before moving to sit beside her.
Suzy glanced at him in surprise. It was the first time Liam had ever chosen to sit so close to her on his own. Normally, he always maintained a careful, almost subconscious distance.
Is it because I’m injured...?
Or did his affection really increase?
If that was the case... Then getting shot had almost been worth it.
...Though she wasn’t sure she’d want to test that theory a second time.
Before either of them spoke again, a bedroom door creaked open, and a small head cautiously peeked outside.
The instant Noah spotted Suzy and Liam in the living room, his face lit up.
"Liam! Suzy!"
Before leaving earlier, Liam had specifically instructed him that if he heard shouting or fighting outside, he was absolutely not to leave his room. Noah had obeyed without question. He’d heard everyone arrive earlier but had stayed quietly inside.
Only after the apartment had fallen silent again—and after waiting several extra minutes just to be safe—had he finally ventured out.
The little boy practically ran toward them.
Then his footsteps stopped. His eyes landed on the coffee table––several blood-soaked bandages were piled there, stained a vivid crimson.
He froze. Someone had been hurt.
His gaze darted between Suzy and his brother. Both of them looked pale.
Had they both been injured?
Then he noticed the thick bandages wrapped around Suzy’s shoulder.
His eyes widened.
"Suzy... Were you hurt?"
He rushed over, staring anxiously at her shoulder.
Suzy’s heart softened immediately. She couldn’t help feeling touched.
At least all the care she’d shown him hadn’t been one-sided. The little boy genuinely cared about her, too.
"I’m okay," she said gently, ruffling his soft hair. "It’s only a minor injury. Don’t worry. I’ll recover soon."
She wasn’t lying. With the spirit spring water in her storage space—and an abundance of medicine—a gunshot wound, though serious, would heal much faster than normal.
Unfortunately... Coming from someone whose face was deathly pale, the reassurance carried little weight. She looked as though a strong breeze might knock her over.
To everyone else... It sounded more like she was forcing a smile.
Especially to Liam.
His eyes darkened. A suffocating heaviness settled in his chest. Too many emotions collided at once, making it difficult to breathe.
He pressed his lips tightly together, silently getting angry with himself.
Meanwhile, Noah looked from Suzy to the mountain of bloodstained gauze covering the table.
His small lips trembled.
"...Really? But... There was so much blood..."
His voice shook before the sentence was finished. It was the first time he’d ever seen that much blood. Knowing every drop had come from Suzy made his chest ache.
His delicate little face was drawn with worry. Then he suddenly remembered something. Turning toward Liam, he frowned.
"Big Bro... Why didn’t you protect Suzy?"
He had noticed that Liam wasn’t injured at all. Only Suzy had been wounded.
For the first time in his life... Noah thought his older brother was completely useless.
Hadn’t he promised he’d protect her?
Liam’s face turned even paler. "...It’s my fault."
His voice was barely audible.
And he was right. He had failed to protect her.
Instead... She had protected him. A young woman had stepped in front of a bullet meant for him.
His hands slowly clenched together until his fingers hurt. He’d never felt so useless.
"Noah, that’s not what happened." Suzy smiled gently despite her exhaustion. "Your brother did everything he could. The situation happened too quickly. And I wasn’t careful enough. That’s why I got hurt."
As she spoke, she reached out and lightly patted Liam’s arm in reassurance.
He looked at her, too, and his eyes trembled.
Noah, however, wasn’t convinced. He puffed out his cheeks unhappily.
"Hmph." A moment later, he muttered, "If it had been me... I would’ve never let Suzy get hurt."
"Suzy... I want to grow up faster. Then I can protect you like a man!"
His earnest declaration instantly brightened Suzy’s mood.
There was simply something irresistibly adorable about a sweet little boy solemnly promising to grow up so he could protect her.
Unable to resist, she gently pinched his soft cheek.
"Alright. Then hurry up and grow big. I’ll leave my future safety to you."
Noah nodded with absolute seriousness.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"That should be them." Liam rose to answer it. After taking a few steps, he glanced back at his younger brother.
"Noah. Go back to your room."
Reluctantly, the boy released Suzy’s hand. He nodded obediently before walking away.
"Bye, Suzy."
Even as he disappeared into his room, he kept looking back over his shoulder.
Suzy smiled and waved.
The little boy understood that the adults had important matters to discuss. He behaved remarkably well.
Still... He couldn’t help wishing, once again, that he would grow up sooner.
Liam opened the front door. Thomas, Leonard, and Derek stood outside. Behind them were Aaron and the others.
Now, everyone had gathered.
It wasn’t the first time Aaron’s group had visited Liam’s apartment.
Without hesitation, they found seats in the living room as though they were already familiar with the place.
Aaron glanced toward the hallway before asking, "Where’s your little brother?"
