After the scene, have Noelle asking to be sent home as she wants to rest and suggest that Ren do the same, seeing that he's mentally exhausted. He wanted to push but decided against it.
Noelle sat beside him on the bed, close enough to feel the heat of his arm through his shirt. The air smelled faintly of coffee and rain.
She glanced at him, watching the way his eyes seemed to drift somewhere distant. "You were on the phone for a while earlier," she said gently. "Everything all right?"
Ren gave a small nod, his tone calm. "That was my lawyer."
She hesitated, uncertain. "Lawyer? About what?"
He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Seraphina. She was caught taking money from the café tills." His voice didn't waver as if he were recounting something routine. "When we confronted her, she said I'd harassed her."
Noelle straightened slightly, surprise flashing across her face. "She said that about you?"
Ren met her eyes for the first time that night. His expression was steady, almost too steady. "Yes. But we have CCTV covering the tills and the staff area. The footage shows everything. There's nothing to hide, nothing to worry about."
He leaned back against the headboard, letting out a slow breath that wasn't quite a sigh. "It's unpleasant, sure. But I know the truth. The rest will sort itself out."
Noelle searched his face, trying to read what he wasn't saying. He spoke with such quiet control that it made her chest ache. There was no anger, no bitterness, just a tired kind of acceptance.
"Ren," she said softly, reaching for his hand. "That's a horrible thing to go through."
He glanced down at her hand before turning it over gently, his thumb tracing her knuckles. "It is," he admitted. "But you can't stop people from doing what they'll do. She panicked, made a choice and now everyone has to live with it."
For a while, they just sat like that, their hands resting together between them. The room felt suspended as if the noise of the world had receded.
Noelle shifted closer, pressing herself lightly against him. Her fingers threaded around his waist, holding him steady, while the other hand rested over his arm, warm and grounding. Her head settled against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, letting the sound and the warmth of him anchor her.
"You're not alone, you know," she murmured, her voice low and steady, carrying reassurance and quiet strength. Ren's chest loosened against the tension he'd been carrying, the tight coil of worry and anger unfurling little by little. The simple pressure of her hands, the way her fingers clung gently to him, reminded him he didn't have to bear it all alone.
For a while, they stayed like that, unmoving, letting the silence fill with their shared presence. Her touch was soft but deliberate, a constant reminder that he was seen, understood, and not alone in carrying the weight of the world. With each slow breath, the tightness in his chest eased, replaced by a quiet warmth that spread outward from where she held him.
Eventually, he shifted slightly to press back against her, letting her comfort sink in, letting himself lean into her steadiness.
"I'm glad you told me," she whispered.
He smiled faintly, though it was more in his eyes than his mouth. "I didn't want to. But I didn't want to keep it from you either."
Noelle stayed there a moment longer, listening to the rhythm of his breathing. It steadied her own. The rain outside had softened to a quiet patter against the windows, the kind of sound that made the world feel smaller, safer.
When she finally spoke, her voice was low. "You should rest, Ren."
He gave a quiet hum, somewhere between agreement and dismissal.
"I mean it," she said, sitting up a little to look at him.
"You've been running on fumes since yesterday. You can't keep pushing through everything like it doesn't wear you down."
Ren's eyes lifted to hers, faintly amused. "You sound like you're giving me homework."
"I'm serious," she insisted, though a smile tugged at her lips. "Let yourself stop for a bit. Just tonight."
He looked at her for a long moment before nodding, the resistance in him easing. "You're probably right."
Noelle brushed a strand of hair from her face, glancing toward the door. "Can you drop me home? I think I need to crash too."
Ren hesitated, then reached for his phone on the nightstand. "I'll have my driver bring you."
"You don't have to," she said softly. "I can grab a cab."
He shook his head. "It's late. I'd rather know you got home safe."
There was no room for argument in his tone so Noelle exhaled, accepting. "All right."
He typed a brief message, then set the phone down. "He'll be here in a few minutes."
She rose, smoothing her pants and turned back to him. "You should lie down when I leave. Promise?"
Ren's lips curved faintly. "Promise."
At the door, she paused. "Ren?"
He looked up.
"You did the right thing," she said. "Even if it doesn't feel like it right now."
His expression flickered: something tired but grateful passing through it. "Good night, Noelle."
Ren insisted on calling the driver for her that night, despite Noelle's quiet protests.
"I'll feel better knowing you got home safe," he said simply, leaving no room for argument.
She gave him a small, tired smile as she stepped into the car, and he stood by the curb until the taillights disappeared down the street.
The next day, the rain had cleared. Sunlight spilled over the city in pale gold, and the streets buzzed with the lazy calm of a weekend morning.
When Ren's phone buzzed with a message from Noelle, he half expected another question about the café or Seraphina. Instead, her text was short and unexpected:
"Lunch today? My treat. You could use some cheering up."
He couldn't help but smile. Cheering up, she said, as if she hadn't been the one carrying half his weight the night before.
Still, he found himself typing back before he could think twice.
"You're treating? I can't say no to that."
They met at a small, tucked-away bistro tucked into a corner of the mall, the kind of place that felt hidden from the usual foot traffic. From the outside, it seemed like a quiet refuge but stepping inside revealed a different story. The space was alive with people snapping pictures of their food, posing for selfies, and laughing over lattes and pastries. Noelle looked lighter today, dressed in soft colors, a hint of gloss on her lips.
Ren noticed it in the way she laughed when the waiter handed them menus. "You look surprised," she teased.
"I am," he admitted, lips curving. "You don't usually take me out. I feel spoiled."
"That's the point," she said, grinning. "You've been dealing with too much. Let someone else take over for once."
He shook his head slightly, but there was warmth behind the gesture. "Thank you, Noelle."
Afterward, they decided to walk off the meal, wandering through the mall's upper floor where sunlight poured through the glass ceiling.
They were passing a boutique when a familiar voice called out, bright and full of delight.
"Noelle? Oh my god, it is you!"
Noelle turned, eyes lighting up. "Mei Ling!"
The two women met halfway, hugging tightly. Their laughter drew a few curious glances from passing shoppers.
When they pulled apart, a tall man stepped forward beside Mei Ling, smiling wide. "Wow, it's been a while, huh?"
Before Noelle could answer, he leaned in slightly, his tone warm, casual. "You look great, Noelle. Still hanging around the same bookstores?"
Noelle blinked, startled. "Ethan?"
He grinned. "Guilty."
The familiarity in his voice hung just a shade too long and when Noelle glanced sideways, she caught Ren's raised brow. His expression went still, quiet and precise, that subtle tension that surfaced whenever something felt off to him. His eyes flicked between her and the man across from her, tracing the smallest shifts; the tilt of the other guy's head, the way his smile lingered, the subtle ease in his posture. Every tiny movement set off a spark in Ren's awareness, his body coiling slightly, senses sharpening, as if cataloging every detail in real time.
Noelle felt it, too. the way Ren's gaze lingered, precise and unyielding, like a storm barely contained, noting everything she might not have even realised. In that moment, Ren wasn't just looking; he was reading, assessing, reacting, and it made the air between them taut with a quiet, undeniable intensity.
"Oh!" Mei Ling cut in quickly, looping her arm through Ethan's with a smile that was maybe a touch too bright. "Ren, this is my boyfriend, Ethan. Ethan—Ren."