Chapter 1695:

Corrine let out a soft, incredulous laugh. “So you’re lumping every man into the same basket—and including yourself in the mix?”

It was ironic, really. Leif had just delivered a sharp critique of men as if he wasn’t one himself. She took a long look at him. Time had reshaped him subtly but surely. His hair, once kept short, had grown out, and the ever-present white coat he used to wear was nowhere in sight. His features were sharper now—more defined, more mature.

But the traces of the boy he used to be still lingered beneath it all. His eyes hadn’t changed. Still warm. Still kind. Still filled with a quiet, unwavering affection for her.

She found herself drifting back to her time at the Red Flame organization, to how everyone around her had cared for her. Each person she had known there left behind a distinct feeling. And with Leif, it had always been comfort. With him, she’d share pieces of herself she rarely gave to anyone else. He had been her confidant. He was always there, like an older brother, to protect and spoil her.

Leif pressed his lips together, his gaze never leaving her. “Has he been good to you?”

Corrine raised an eyebrow, giving him a knowing look. “You, of all people, already know the answer to that.”

Back when Vulture and Hawk had claimed Corrine was dating Nate, no one took them seriously—until Leif saw it for himself, blown up all over the internet. It had felt… off. Out of character. Corrine had never been the type to display affection publicly.

Back at Red Flame, she’d always been the last one to open up—cautious, guarded, sometimes oblivious to what others felt unless someone spelled it out for her.

Even when something weighed on her, she kept it buried. If no one asked, she’d say nothing. And even when they did, she’d only give away pieces, never the whole.

Cⲟntent ⲟriginally frⲟm gⲁl𝓝𝑜ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⫸𝒸𝗈𝗺

So when she boldly made a public declaration of love, it caught everyone off guard. There was no denying the sincerity of her feelings for Nate. That picture—her kiss with Nate beneath the glowing tower lights, a red heart-shaped balloon floating skyward, surrounded by soft neon glow and whispered promises—was burned into Leif’s mind. A memory impossible to forget.

He was genuinely happy for her. He was. But something tight coiled in his chest every time he thought about it. A strange weight he couldn’t explain. The girl he had cared for—protected, cherished—was now someone else’s.

He exhaled slowly. “Is he the reason you haven’t come back to see us?”

Corrine faltered for a second, then gave a small shake of her head. “It’s not about him,” she murmured. “I’m just… not ready yet.” She wasn’t ready to face them.

Her sudden departure had rippled through everyone—Vulture, Hawk, even Kinsley had taken it hard. Once, she had lived as if she answered to no one. But that freedom had come with a cost—shouldered by her aging grandfather, who could no longer bear it alone.

He had shielded her, made it possible for her to live that way. Now, the roles were changing. It was her turn to carry the weight, to step up and give him the peace he deserved in his final years.

But what truly held her back was her fear—fear of the longing that might come rushing back if she returned to Red Flame. That untamed wilderness had once been her freedom, her escape. A place too easy to fall back into. And if she went back, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to leave again. That temptation was too strong.

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