Chapter 37: I am sorry

The ride home was mostly silent.

Jean noticed that Kai kept stealing glances at her, yet he hadn’t even tried to hold Elara once.

She looked down at his trembling hands, still stained with a thin layer of crimson. Seeing him like this troubled her. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but she couldn’t bear to watch him distance himself from their daughter.

Shifting Elara onto her lap, Jean reached over and gently took Kai’s trembling hand.

He immediately turned toward her.

Jean’s expression was resolute as she asked, "Are you not feeling well?"

Kai nodded, about to say something, but she quickly continued, "Because I don’t think you are. Are you actually regretting hurting the people who made Elara cry?"

His expression hardened, and he answered without hesitation, "Not even for a moment."

Jean’s expression softened.

"Then why are you avoiding us? Can’t you see it? Elara wants to be with her father."

Kai finally let his gaze settle on his little girl.

Elara looked up at him with open curiosity, her big eyes reflecting his own image.

He drew in a slow breath before murmuring, "...I was scaring her, Jean. I could feel it."

His eyes lifted to Jean.

"I terrified you too."

Jean nodded. "Yes, you did. But that’s a natural reaction when someone has always known you as the person who smiles and treats everyone with kindness."

Her gaze shifted to Elara.

"And Elara? She’s just a child who wants to be close to her Dad...to be held by him."

She tightened her fingers around his hand.

"But that doesn’t mean I hate what you did. You protected us, Kai, and that’s what matters. They said such horrible things about Elara that...now that I think about it, I feel nothing but satisfaction knowing what you did to them."

Kai’s shoulders finally relaxed at her words.

Jean looked directly into his eyes and said, "So never regret what you did. You are still Elara’s father and my..."

She paused, her gaze dropping for a moment before she quietly added, "...my friend."

A faint smile appeared on Kai’s face.

"Finally, you admitted that we’re at least friends and not rivals."

Jean faintly smiled and shook her head. She then reached into her pouch and handed him some sanitizer and tissues.

Kai washed his hands thoroughly before cleaning them with the sanitizer, making sure not a trace of blood remained.

Only then did he slowly reach for the little one, who had remained quietly nestled in her mother’s lap.

The moment his fingers touched her, his heart melted.

He carefully lifted her into his arms and held the little life against his chest, hugging her with a tenderness that made the final thread of tension inside him finally snap.

When he had first sensed the distress coming from his daughter, his mind had gone completely blank. A storm of disturbing thoughts had immediately flooded his head, each one more frightening than the last.

But now, with her safely in his arms, he could finally breathe.

She was here.

She was safe.

That was all that mattered.

....

By the time they reached home, Jean paid the bill and opened the door for them, since Kai was far too occupied with the little princess in his arms. After crying so much, Elara had apparently fallen asleep on the way.

Her tiny fists remained tightly clenched around his shirt, as though even in sleep she refused to let him go.

They made their way inside quietly, both smiling as Jean unlocked the door.

Kai stepped inside and carefully settled into a chair, still cradling Elara.

"Were all the reports fine?" he asked.

Jean nodded as she poured a glass of water for herself and another for him.

"Yes, everything appears to be fine. But we need to stop carrying her around all the time. She needs to learn that she has to move around on her own."

Kai groaned and looked down at the adorable little girl nestled against him.

"How am I supposed to stop when my baby is this cute?"

Jean could only smile helplessly. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to resist either.

She extended the glass toward him. Kai reached for it with his left hand, but before he could take it, Elara let out a soft groan in her sleep and shifted slightly.

He immediately abandoned the glass and wrapped both arms around her, adjusting her until she was comfortable again.

Jean shook her head. "You are spoiling her way too much."

Kai gave her a sheepish smile. "There might be a few straws in the cabinet."

Jean stood there for another moment before unexpectedly stepping closer and bringing the glass to his lips.

Kai’s brows rose when he realized what she was doing.

The tips of Jean’s ears turned red as he parted his lips and she tilted the glass further.

His eyes remained fixed on her from beneath his brows, and the attention only made her grow more self-conscious.

"Just drink it."

With her free hand, she covered his eyes and continued helping him drink.

The corners of his lips curled upward, but he didn’t tease her for long. He simply drank the water in a few large gulps.

As she lowered the glass, he said, "Did you mix sweetener in it? Because it tasted a little..."

"Stop. Don’t say it."

Jean cut him off immediately, shaking her head as she tried desperately to hide the stubborn blush spreading across her cheeks.

She quickly made her way toward the kitchen and took a few hurried sips of water herself.

Meanwhile, Kai settled more comfortably into the chair, Elara still sleeping peacefully in his arms.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The warmth of the earlier moment gradually faded as the events of the day returned to their minds, and an uneasy tension began to settle over the room.

Jean was naturally worried. Whatever had happened, dozens of people had witnessed it.

And those two people appeared to be Awakened, possibly hunters. Whatever organization they belonged to, there was little doubt that they would report the incident and file a complaint against Kai.

Kai had already considered the same possibility.

"Don’t worry, Jean," he said quietly. "I’ll deal with this soon. Then we’ll leave this place for good."

He turned his head and looked at her.

"I won’t let anything happen to either of you again."

His gaze softened as he added,

"I promise."