Charity stood by the window with her arms crossed, her faint reflection shaking in the glass.
Leon lingered near the door, turned half ways towards her, his thoughts loud enough to drown out the sound of the wind coming through the windows.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Charity let out a slow sigh and finally broke the silence.
"Are you going to tell me why you pulled me in here like this" she asked quietly, "or should we just pretend you didn't just blow up dinner for everyone?"
Leon turned slowly. His face was unreadable. "I didn't ruin anything. It was already ruined."
"You're not even making any sense."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, tossed it onto the table between them. "Then explain this."
Charity glanced down. On the screen was Isabel's message—short, cruel, and straight to the point.
"Even if I can't post them, I can still ruin you and you know I can.
Charity lips parted slightly. "What does she mean by that? What happened?"
"You tell me. You were the one who said she was gone. You said you handled it."
She read through the message again. "She's bluffing," she said too quickly. "This isn't something new. She has always been desperate for attention."
Leon stepped closer, his voice low. "That's not what it seems like this time around. She's never threatened me like this. And if she still has those videos—"
"Videos?" Charity's head snapped. "What videos?"
Leon froze for a split second, and instantly regretted the words the moment it came out of his mouth. "Hold on. Hold on. It's not what you think."
Her laugh was short and sharp. "Of course it's not." She took a step towards him, her heels clicking against the floor. "You've been talking to her again, haven't you?"
"No." Leon said firmly. "I haven't. Isabel said that out of nowhere."
"Then why is she threatening you?" Charity's tone climbed, the calm cracking into something wild. "People don't just threaten for fun, Leon. What did you do?"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "You're not listening. There's nothing between us anymore. It's old—"
"Old?" she cut in, eyes blazing. "You mean like the night before you decided you were done with me?"
He exhaled sharply. "We weren't together then."
Charity gave a bitter laugh. "Oh right. You and your convenient timing. We weren't "official" but I was still there every night making excuses for you while you chased every distraction that made you feel alive."
Her voice shook now, fury turning into hurt. "And now she's got you by the balls. Now you want to be mad at me? Me?! For your wrong doings?"
Leon took a slow breath, trying to steady the ground between them. "I'm not angry at you. I'm angry that she even has the leverage to do this."
Charity's jaw set, her eyes narrowing. "You think I haven't noticed what is happening or what has been happening all this while? You've been distant for weeks. Always somewhere else. You don't even treat me the same."
He opened his mouth to speak, but his phone buzzed again on the table.
Both of them glanced at it AT THE SAME TIME.
The name flashed across the screen but only Leon caught it in time.
Felicity.
Before Charity could see the message, he moved—snatching the phone and turning it face down.
Charity's eyes widened. "What was that? Why did you react like that?"
"Nothing." Leon responded quickly, sliding his phone into his pocket.
"Nothing?" her voice climbed. "You grabbed it like it was about to explode."
"It's not what you think," he said again, a little too sharply this time.
She took a step towards him, close enough that he could see the hurt flicker behind her anger. "Then tell me what I'm supposed to think, Leon. Because from where I'm standing, It sure looks like you're hiding something—again."
"It's complicated."
Her laugh came out dry and cracked, more hurt than amused. "You always say that when you're lying." She shook her head slowly, disbelief clouding her eyes. "Unbelievable. After everything—after what I've risked for you—you still can't stop sneaking around?"
"I'm not—"Leon began, but she cut him off before he could finish.
"You're not?" she shot back, her voice sharp. "You really want to look me in the eye and say that while another girl's name is flashing on your screen?"
Leon dragged a hand over his face, exhaustion and frustration bleeding into his voice. "You don't understand, Charity. It's not like that."
"Then what is it like?!" she demanded, stepping closer, her anger trembling just beneath the surface. "Go on—explain it to me. Because from where I'm standing, I look like the villain in all your stories."
He didn't respond. The silence between them thickened, every word he wanted to say was pressing against his throat.
When Charity spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper. "Do you even remember how I've been there for you?" I've lied to everyone Leon. For you. I've been carrying this…this secret like a shield just to protect you from the world. And this is how you repay me?"
Leon's hand curled into fists at his sides. "You didn't do it for me." He said quietly. "You did it to keep me."
Her face hardened. "And you're acting like you didn't let me. Like you didn't play along every step of the way. Don't you dare pretend like you're innocent."
Leon swallowed, trying to find the right words. "Charity…..whatever we had, it's already falling apart. And lying about it won't fix anything."
Her lips trembled, the anger slipping for just a second. "You think I don't know that? You think I can't feel you slipping away?"
She turned abruptly, pacing towards the window. "You were never mine. Were you?" she said softly, almost to herself. "Not really I was just convenient. The one who didn't walk away."
"That's not fair" Leon said, voice low.
She faced him again, her eyes glossy but burning. "Fair? You want to talk about fair? You get to play the tortured prince while I'm left alone holding the pieces of your mess."
Leon's shoulders tensed. "You're not the victim here, Charity."
Her laughter cracked in the middle "Maybe not. But I know how to make people think I am."
Leon's gaze snapped up. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." She said coldly, grabbing her coat from the chair. "I hope it's worth it."
"Char—" he started, but she was already moving.
She reached for the door, "I'm done trying to save you if this is what I get as a thank you."
The door slammed behind her.