Molly had a dream.
In the dream, she seemed to return to her proud fourteen-year-old self—dressed in layers of elegant gowns, her silver hair tied into twin ponytails, holding a parasol as she stood on a narrow path flanked by cliffs on both sides.
She lifted her head.
At the other end of the path, she saw him.
That boy—with soft brown hair and matching eyes—wearing the Namimori Middle School uniform, looking at her with a gentle yet timid gaze.
For some reason, in that moment, the real her—hidden beneath her dazzling exterior—felt completely exposed.
Her beautiful dress vanished.
Looking down, she realized she was wearing a tattered gray dress instead.
She didn’t want him to see her like this.
Panicked, Molly turned and ran—but misstepped and slipped, crying out as she fell off the cliff.
Someone grabbed her hand.
She looked up.
The brown-haired boy holding her had already become a man.
She saw the worry on his face, his lips moving as if calling her name—but she didn’t want to hear it. She just wanted to escape.
So embarrassing. So humiliating.
Why did he have to appear before her?
She didn’t want to see him. Not at all.
So she pried his fingers loose—
and let herself fall.
But to her surprise, he jumped after her without hesitation, catching her hand again and pulling her into his arms.
Together, they plunged into the sea.
Clinging to each other, entangled, sinking deeper and deeper.
Because of him, even the icy seawater became warm.
Like soaking in a gentle hot spring.
Warm… and tender.
All the unwillingness, pain, despair, and sorrow in her heart seemed soothed by that warmth.
She even forgot who she was—
and only wanted to keep sinking like this forever.
…
So bright.
Sunlight fell across her face.
Molly frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes. Through her blurry vision, she saw that the curtains hadn’t been fully drawn.
A beam of sunlight slipped through the gap, disrupting her dream.
She felt exhausted—every part of her body ached with fatigue. She wanted to sleep a little longer.
Turning her head to avoid the light, her cheek brushed against something soft and fluffy.
Half-asleep, she opened her eyes and saw a head of tousled brown hair.
It looked… familiar.
…
…Wait.
That’s someone’s head?!
Molly instantly woke up.
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she was being held in a man’s arms. His arm rested around her waist, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin.
They weren’t wearing anything.
She could clearly feel his body heat… and his heartbeat.
“!!!”
Her whole body went rigid. She held her breath, not daring to move.
And then, once she started remembering—
Last night came flooding back.
Reuniting with her ex-boyfriend—the one she had once deceived—only to find out he had become the Tenth Boss of the Vongola family. Her instinct was to run, but she fell miserably into the bushes… and then, because of him, she drank the drugged wine that was meant for him…
And then—
The moment she recalled what happened afterward, her entire body flushed.
She… actually slept with him.
There was no doubt—she had been the one to push him down first. If she hadn’t taken the initiative, none of it would have happened.
This was too embarrassing!
It was all because of that drug—otherwise, how could she have said those things, done those things?!
Her whole body trembled, mortified to the point of tears. Thinking about what would happen once he woke up made her feel like she might explode.
And worse—
She had no idea how he, now the head of the Vongola family, would deal with her.
He had said he had a fiancée. A wedding was approaching.
A woman engaged to someone of his status was likely from a powerful family herself—perhaps even a leader or the daughter of one.
If news of this kind of scandal got out, it could seriously damage the Vongola family’s reputation—and affect alliances.
Putting herself in his shoes, if she wanted to minimize damage, the simplest solution…
would be to silence the other party.
She was doomed.
From what Butler William had said, the Phoenix family was just a small, ordinary family—nothing compared to the Vongola.
If he really wanted to get rid of her, the moment he woke up would be the perfect chance.
She couldn’t let that happen.
She had to act first—throw him off balance.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
She had a plan.
If she used it, not only could she catch him off guard, but she also wouldn’t have to admit what she did last night.
Perfect.
So—
When Tsunayoshi Sawada, the Tenth Boss of Vongola, woke up, the first thing he saw was his former girlfriend—the woman who had spent the night entangled with him—lying in his arms, her green eyes trembling with tears as she stared at him.
Her entire body flushed pink, still trembling.
She looked like she had finally remembered everything.
Tsunayoshi knew her well—she was prideful and stubborn. He had already prepared himself for her to lash out.
Instead, she spoke in a trembling, cautious voice:
“…Who are you? Why am I in the same bed as you?”
…Huh?
Pretending amnesia?
Not what he expected.
Molly noticed that instead of being shocked, the man beside her actually started laughing.
His brown eyes softened with amusement, the corners of his lips lifting. They were so close she could even feel the vibration of his chest.
As expected—he didn’t believe her that easily.
But she wasn’t about to give up!
Blushing furiously, she pushed against his chest, trying to shove him away.
Damn it—her body was too weak, and he was holding her too tightly!
“Idiot! Don’t get so close! Do we even know each other?!”
He blinked, then asked meaningfully, “Don’t we? Last night—”
“I DON’T KNOW! I DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING!!”
Flustered and furious, Molly grabbed a pillow and pressed it over his face.
Tsunayoshi let go of her, catching the pillow, still smiling. “Then why are you so embarrassed right now?”
“Anyone who wakes up naked next to a stranger would react like this, okay?!”
She was about to die from frustration. He had always been shameless, but now he had reached a whole new level!
“Stop laughing! Be serious! And don’t take that pillow off—don’t look at me!!”
“Alright, alright,” he relented. “I won’t look.”
“Not enough—turn around!”
Only after he actually turned his back, still holding back laughter, did she breathe a sigh of relief and begin frantically searching for her clothes.
Where were they?!
Not a single piece in sight!
“They’re in the bathroom,” he said from behind her. “But they haven’t been washed—probably not wearable.”
“…How did you know what I was thinking?!”
More importantly—what was she supposed to wear now?!
“Get up and find me something to wear!” she snapped, completely forgetting her “amnesia” act. “Brand new—unopened!”
“I can, but I only have men’s clothes…”
“What?! Don’t you have a fiancée?!”
“I thought you had amnesia—how do you know that?”
“….”
She froze.
So that’s what he was waiting for!
“I guessed,” she huffed. “I have sharp intuition.”
“Very accurate guess,” he chuckled. “But no, I don’t have women’s clothes here. I’ll have someone bring some later. For now, you’ll have to make do.”
…Fine.
She had no choice.
Hearing him get up, she quickly wrapped herself in the blanket, covering her eyes.
Her heart pounded as she listened to the rustling of him getting dressed.
If he had a fiancée, yet no women’s clothes in the house… could it be that last night was his first time too…?
She vaguely remembered—
At first, he had been a bit awkward… but only at the beginning. After that, he—
Her face flushed again.
Before she could spiral further, a shadow fell over her.
Tsunayoshi stood in front of her, now dressed, holding a white shirt.
“This is the only new clothing I have. Want it?”
Better than nothing.
Blushing, she snatched it. “Got a problem with that?”
“Not at all.”
After kicking him out of the room and putting on the shirt, she finally understood his earlier hesitation.
—Why does this feel more embarrassing than wearing nothing?!
The shirt was huge on her—long enough to reach her thighs, like a short dress.
The sleeves kept slipping down no matter how she rolled them up.
Worst of all—
She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
This was way too awkward.
But there was no way she’d borrow underwear from him!
Fortunately, her long silver hair provided some coverage as she pulled it forward.
Once dressed, she got out of bed, eager to leave—
But the moment her foot touched the floor, sharp pain shot through her ankle.
“Ah—!”
She collapsed onto the floor.
It hurt—badly.
Her body was already sore from last night, and now it was worse.
Just as she struggled—
The door opened.
“Molly, are you okay?”
Tsunayoshi froze at the sight.
She sat on the wooden floor, knees bent, feet tucked to the side. The oversized shirt slipped off one shoulder, exposing her skin.
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at him, clutching her chest, her voice unconsciously soft and pleading:
“It hurts… I twisted my ankle…”