Kiss me if you dare [ENGLISH]

Chapter 15

Fleur

The irritation that struck Fleur at the sight of the mirrored 's' was indescribable. How hard could it be to engrave a letter on a gravestone? Certainly, she could contact the funeral home and have it fixed, but she didn't have the energy.

Fleur hadn't had the energy to do anything for the past two weeks, except occasionally check on James's grave. The mere thought of spending time in her apartment filled her with dread, fearing that the police might decide to knock on her door. The hours that gradually passed had no meaning and served no purpose at all. She had more or less isolated herself from the outside world and had no plans to reach out to anyone for help. The risk of being charged with murder was too great. If the truth came out, it would ruin her entire life, and she strongly doubted that even the best lawyer could persuade the judges of her innocence. Fleur still had trouble understanding how it had all happened—whether it was stress, fear, or sheer anger that had fired the shot. Perhaps there was enough evidence to suggest that Mella had provoked the instinct.

Whenever she thought of her, her body ached. Fleur's greatest wish, of course, was to forget everything related to the incident, but in the moments when she tried to fall asleep, the terrifying thoughts returned to her. She had often done her best to piece together the vague memories of what had happened afterward but to no avail. Most likely, Mella had somehow driven her home, but she must have disappeared afterward, considering she hadn't made contact for several days.

An older couple passed her as Fleur finally decided to leave the cemetery.

No matter how she twisted and turned it, she had a hard time understanding that he was dead - Urban. Wasn't that what she had wanted from the beginning? Yet it felt as if she still wasn't entirely satisfied.

Suddenly, she stumbled at the stairs to the parking lot and scraped her palms in the process. Fortunately, the injury was only superficial, but the blood that slowly seeped through the skin was enough to lead her back to that evening, the car, the weapon, and the dead men in the corridor. The more Fleur thought about it, the stranger it became. She and Mella had never really had a deep conversation about any kind of plan. Everything had happened by pure chance - if these now turned out to be random coincidences. What troubled Fleur the most, however, was not all the puzzle pieces that didn't fit together and Gabriel's lack of knowledge about her existence. No. What puzzled her the most was that Mella hadn't sought her out afterward.

Fleur had been busy keeping all the emotional chaos separate, so she hadn't had time to reflect on what felt most natural. Perhaps Mella just wanted to give her time to heal on her own, but she could have at least called or sent a message. It didn't add up.

The red bus that stopped at the bus stop finally made her decide where to go. There were simply too many unanswered questions that would haunt her if she didn't get to the bottom of what was going on.

***

The architect-designed apartment building that towered on the hilltop was more majestic in daylight when the sand-colored facade and decorations captured the sun's rays in an enchanting way.

Fleur paused at the entrance and considered whether to take the stairs or the elevator but ultimately forced herself to climb the marble steps, which must have cost a fortune. It occurred to her that Mella might not be home due to the circumstances, but her doubts gradually diminished when she glimpsed light through the keyhole. She also noticed that the door was freshly painted, and the lock had been changed.

As always, she politely knocked and took a step back, waiting. Nervousness increased gradually as she realized that she hadn't planned where to start. She wanted anything but to interrogate her, but at the same time, she hoped for fruitful results. Something was not right.