Sky didn’t stop walking until he reached the quiet rooftop of the Mechanical Engineering building.
The afternoon breeze swept across the campus, but it did little to calm the storm inside him.
His breathing was uneven.
The little girl’s innocent hug had awakened memories he had spent years trying to bury.
“You’re the reason your mother died!”
“Don’t touch him!”
“Children only bring pain!”
The harsh words echoed in his mind.
Sky closed his eyes tightly and gripped the railing until his knuckles turned white.
“No…”
“Not again…”
A few minutes later, the rooftop door opened.
“President?”
It was one of the Student Council members.
“The Dean is looking for you.”
Sky took a slow, deep breath.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
The student hesitated.
“Are… are you alright?”
Sky opened his eyes, his expression once again calm and unreadable.
“I’m fine.”
The student nodded and quietly left.
As always, Sky hid his emotions behind the mask everyone knew.
Meanwhile…
Nani couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened.
Even after returning to the Architecture studio, he found himself staring blankly at his unfinished model.
“You’ve erased the same line three times.”
His classmate leaned over his shoulder.
“Something bothering you?”
Nani sighed softly.
“I think I accidentally hurt someone.”
“What happened?”
Nani explained everything, from Noah finding the ribbon to the little girl’s hug.
His classmate frowned.
“Maybe it reminded him of something painful.”
“I wish I knew.”
That evening, Sky returned to the Wongravee Mansion later than usual.
As he stepped into the house, he found Nani sitting in the living room with Noah asleep on his lap.
“You waited for me?” Sky asked.
Nani smiled gently.
“I thought we could have dinner together.”
For a moment, Sky was speechless.
No one had ever waited for him to come home.
“I… had Student Council work,” he said quietly.
“I know.”
“I wasn’t upset.”
“I was just worried.”
Those simple words struck Sky harder than he expected.
I was just worried.
It had been years since someone had worried about him.
During dinner, the atmosphere was quieter than usual.
Nani noticed that Sky barely touched his food.
Without saying anything, he placed a piece of grilled fish onto Sky’s plate.
“You should eat.”
Sky looked at him.
“I’m not very hungry.”
“You still need to eat.”
There was no pressure in Nani’s voice.
Only gentle concern.
After a brief pause, Sky picked up his chopsticks again.
“…Thank you.”
Later that night…
Nani stepped onto the balcony outside their bedroom.
The city lights sparkled in the distance.
A few moments later, Sky joined him, carrying two cups of warm tea.
“I thought you might like this.”
Nani accepted the cup with a smile.
They stood side by side in comfortable silence.
Finally, Nani spoke.
“Can I ask you something?”
Sky nodded.
“You can ask.”
“What happened today?”
Sky’s grip on the cup tightened.
“It was because of the little girl… wasn’t it?”
For a long moment, Sky said nothing.
Then he looked up at the night sky.
“When I was a child…”
“My mother died giving birth.”
Nani’s eyes widened.
“Some relatives blamed me.”
“They said I was the reason she never came home.”
His voice remained calm, but the pain beneath it was impossible to hide.
“My father never said those words himself…”
“But after she died…”
“He became distant.”
“I grew up believing that children only brought loss.”
Nani’s heart ached.
Without thinking, he gently placed his hand over Sky’s.
“Sky…”
“You were only a baby.”
“It was never your fault.”
Sky looked at their hands.
For the first time in years…
Someone had spoken those words to him.
His eyes grew warm, though no tears fell.
“…Thank you.”
Neither of them noticed Noah quietly curling up between them on the balcony.
Under the peaceful night sky, the distance between two strangers grew just a little smaller.
The fake marriage was still just an act.
But the trust between them…
Was becoming something real.