The receptionist was sorting out the check-in, adding, "There was a huge pile-up today with over a dozen cars. The roads won''t be cleared for a while."


    ra nced around the lobby. It was warm enough here; she could probably crash for the night.


    But the receptionist seemed to sense her thoughts and sighed, "Ms. ra, there might be a power outage tonight. When that happens, it gets freezing in here. The rooms have old fireces, burn wood, and they''re quite cozy."


    With that in mind, turning it down would be like giving Dn a cold shoulder.


    She sneaked a look at Dn.


    He was in his wheelchair, head slightly tilted, not seeming to notice anything that had just happened.


    Quickly, she pushed his wheelchair. "Thanks. We''ll head to our room."


    When they reached the room, ra saw it was about 600 square feet. There was


    a firece, a chair, a bed, and a tiny bathroom. That was it.


    The bathroom was also cramped, barely 20 square feet.


    It reminded her of the time on the ind with Dn, where the bathroom was just as tight. They had to squeeze in shoulder to shoulder just to wash their hands.


    Back on the ind, Dn had...


    She couldn''t help but think of his outburst and quickly shook those thoughts away. "Mr. Dn, do you want to freshen up first? I''ll just text my boyfriend real quick." She sat on the only chair in the room.


    The chair was ridiculously small. She thought she could maybe sleep on it, but clearly, that was out of the question now.


    Dn slowly stood up, using the wall for support, aiming for the bathroom.


    But his steps were shaky. After just one step, he stopped and frowned.


    ra, who had been texting her editor Z, saw this and quickly put her phone down.


    "Is your leg still not fully healed?"


    Shouldn''t it be fine by now? Why did it still look so bad?


    He turned his head away, one hand lightly on the wall. "I''ve been dealing with insomnia, no time for rehab."


    ra suddenly remembered she had promised to help with his insomnia as a way to repay him. But with everything happening with Eden, she''d forgotten about it. Since Dn hadn''t reached out, she assumed he found a solution on his own.


    She held his arm, intending to tell him to take it easy, but the next second, he stumbled and fell against her.


    ra stumbled back, her back hitting the wall, their chests pressed together.


    She frowned, noticing his pale face, and quickly asked, "Are you okay?"


    He murmured, "Sorry."


    ra was momentarily speechless. Someone as proud as Dn probably hated showing vulnerability in front of others.


    "It''s okay, let me help you in."


    The tiny bathroom felt even smaller with both of them in it.


    She even turned on the faucet for him.


    Dn leaned over, sshing water on his face, his hair getting wet.


    ra stood by, unsure where to look, so she gazed into the mirror.


    Unexpectedly, he looked up, and their eyes met in the mirror. She quickly looked


    away, awkwardly scratching her cheek, unsure of what to say.


    Dn finished washing up and, with her help, returned to the bed.


    ra went to the bathro


    herself for a quick wash. With these conditions, a


    shower was out of the question tonight.


    The bed was small too. Once they bothy down, there was hardly any space left.


    ra closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, only to hear him ask, “Did you let your boyfriend know you''re safe?"


    "Yes."


    In truth, she hadn''t. Knowing Z''s jealousy, especially since he was already wary of Dn, she decided to deal with it once she was back.


    Dn moved a bit closer, and ra stiffened from the proximity.


    Now she was even more awake, so she decided to make conversation. "Mr.


    Dn, how far is that ce from here?"


    "Three hours, deep in the mountains."


    A manor deep in the mountains?


    Had she been there before?


    She turned to face him. "How did you find out about that ce, Mr. Dn?"


    "Just stumbled upon it."


    ra didn''t press further on that issue but switched topics. "What''s that ce used for?"


    "No idea."


    Dn was as tight-lipped as ever.


    Feeling a bit deted, shey back, about to drift off, when he asked, "ra, do you love your boyfriend?"


    ra snapped awake. Was Dn interested in her personal affairs?


    "Of course I do."


    "Have you thought about marrying him?"


    "I guess... I''m not sure. Lately, I''ve been having bizarre dreams. The reason I want to find that manor is because I received a time-dyed email from years ago, asking if I ended up with my senior. But I don''t even know who this senior is." She was so confused that she inadvertently revealed too much.


    Dn, eyes still closed, his face calm, said, "It could be someone you once loved deeply. If your senior returns, would you stay with your current boyfriend?"


    ra seemed to have opened a floodgate. After all, Dn was the only one who knew about that manor, a truly serendipitous connection.


    She temporarily set aside her grievances against him. "Mr. Dn, having lived in New York for so many years, have you heard of this senior of mine? I''ve tested Simon and others, and none of them know."


    His eyshes fluttered briefly as he slowly opened his eyes, staring nkly at the ceiling.


    "No."


    His voice was hoarse as he turned his back to her. "Nor do I want to know."


    It was a clear signal to end the conversation.


    ra wisely refrained from asking further questions.