Chapter 79: Dad’s room

Jean was making her way through the upper floor of the house with Elara nestled securely in her arms.

The baby girl had been remarkably attentive throughout their little tour, her eyes wandering from one unfamiliar sight to another as she took in her new surroundings.

The house itself was fascinating. Every corner offered a different view, and each room seemed to have been furnished with everything it needed, giving the place a strange sense of readiness, as though someone could simply walk in and begin living there.

Jean had decided not to check the attic while carrying Elara. Instead, she entered another room and quickly realized she had probably wandered into Kai’s room.

He must have slept here last night.

His clothes were still hanging nearby, and even the bedsheets were different from the ones in the other rooms.

Jean was about to leave when Elara suddenly let out a delighted giggle.

"Hehe!"

The little girl stretched both hands toward the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Hmm?"

Jean raised an eyebrow at her sudden enthusiasm.

An idea came to her.

She carefully lowered Elara to the floor.

The baby sat there for a moment, looking up at her mother with wide, curious eyes.

Jean folded her arms and gave her an encouraging nod.

"Go on. Explore your Dad’s room."

She felt a little guilty about wandering through Kai’s room without permission. Still, she could always apologize to him later.

"Mm..."

Elara mumbled something that only she could understand before suddenly leaning forward and crawling across the floor.

She supported herself steadily on her knees and palms, moving with surprising speed.

For a brief moment, Jean panicked when it looked like Elara might crawl straight into the wall. Fortunately, the little girl stopped just in time and reached up toward the curtain instead.

Jean couldn’t help but smile.

"Are you sure that’s what you want?"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out Elara’s favorite wooden sugar dispenser, holding it up where the little girl could see.

Elara immediately lowered her hand.

Her eyes locked onto the familiar wooden toy resting in her mother’s grasp.

For a moment, she seemed to weigh her options.

Then temptation won.

Elara turned around and began crawling back toward her mother.

Jean hummed happily as she watched her beloved daughter explore the unfamiliar house with such enthusiasm.

"Ma-maaaa!"

Elara reached Jean’s feet and immediately grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling herself closer.

Jean looked down at her with an amused smile.

"Should I give it to you or not, I wonder?"

She tapped the wooden dispenser lightly against her cheek, deliberately teasing the little girl.

Elara’s thin brows drew together.

Her lips curved downward.

Then she began tugging at Jean’s dress even more insistently.

"Ma-maaaaa!"

"Okay, okay. Geez, talk about a short temper."

Shaking her head, Jean knelt down and handed the wooden toy to her daughter.

"Mm-hmm."

Elara hummed with obvious satisfaction as she immediately clutched the dispenser tightly in both hands.

Jean could only shake her head helplessly.

Of course Elara would be attached to the very first toy her father had ever given her.

The toy Jean had given her was probably lying forgotten in some corner by now.

’I should start working already.’ While playing with her daughter, Jean inwardly muttered.

Jean had been thinking about preparing lunch, though she had already procrastinated for quite some time. Since Kai wouldn’t be returning until evening, she had allowed herself to get a little too comfortable exploring the house.

Then her phone suddenly rang.

She expected it to be Naomi or Lyra.

She hadn’t contacted them after she returned home yesterday. She also had to ask them about the situation with the authorities as well since the other residents seemed a little bothered about something that had happened recently.

But to her surprise, it was Kai.

Jean immediately stood and accepted the call.

"Hey."

{Where are you right now?}

Jean blinked.

Only then did she realize she had gotten a little too comfortable in his room.

Wait... Had he actually seen her through a hidden camera? It was so very possible considering how cautious he is.

She slowly placed a hand against her head and answered, "I... I’m actually in your room, but I can explain myself..."

{That’s great. Is Elara with you too?}

Still confused by his response, Jean hummed.

"Yeah. But what happened?"

{Could you please take a pair of my clothes and come downstairs? I’m outside the house. And please don’t bring Elara downstairs.}

Jean’s confusion immediately turned into concern.

He was asking her to keep Elara away from him?

That sounded worrying.

"Kai, are you okay?"

{Yes, I am. Don’t worry.}

His voice was so calm that the knot forming in Jean’s chest gradually loosened.

She reached the wardrobe with the call still connected and opened it.

The first thing she saw was his underwear, neatly placed in the front section.

{Ah, sorry. My underwear would be in the front.}

"Too late. I saw them."

The moment the words left her mouth, Jean’s cheeks turned crimson.

Silence came from the other end.

Apparently, Kai was embarrassed too.

Jean decided not to dwell on it and began picking out his clothes instead. She grabbed a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a towel, just in case.

She then glanced toward Elara.

The little girl was sitting on the floor, happily waving the wooden dispenser above her head, seemingly lost in her own little world.

Jean decided to leave her there. Putting her on the bed while unattended would be too risky.

She stepped out of the room and carefully closed the door behind her. The stairs were dangerously close to the room.

Then she hurried downstairs.

When she reached the main entrance, she found exactly what Kai had told her.

He was standing on the other side.

Click.

Jean pulled the door open and immediately froze.

"What... happened to you?"

Only Kai’s face was visible. The rest of his body was covered in some sort of dark green fluid that clung to his clothes and skin.

Kai smiled awkwardly.

"Nothing. Just a rough day at work."

Jean stared at him.

"Come inside. You need to wash up immediately."

She had no idea what the fluid was, but it certainly didn’t look harmless. Worse, the sleeve covering his right arm was visibly burned.

"But I reek," Kai said, almost sheepishly. "Just leave the clothes somewhere and go back upstairs."

Jean didn’t respond.

She simply stood there, staring at him.

Kai waited.

When it became obvious she had no intention of moving, he sighed and stepped toward the entrance.

"I should warn you. The stench is pretty strong."

Jean shook her head.

"Doesn’t matter. I want to know exactly what happened. You’re injured and covered in what looks like creature blood."

Kai gave her a sheepish smile.

"Should I tell you the whole story now, or do you want to join me in the bath?"

Jean flinched.

Her heart skipped at the unexpected words.

"J-Just freshen up already."

Kai chuckled and quickly stepped inside.

°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading and all the support. Please leave a comment or a review if the story has been entertaining thus far.