CHAPTER 98: HOOK, LINE AND SINKER

Yelena stiffened when she felt it—the gentle, steady rhythm of his hand stroking across her back. Her breath caught, and for a moment she thought she had imagined it.

But no, it was real. He was actually holding her, actually soothing her. Her eyes widened, and she pulled back just enough to see his face.

A confused, almost disbelieving smile spread across her lips, as though she had been caught in a dream.

"You...of all people are actually comforting me? Stroking my back, like you mean it?" She whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. "That’s a sight I never thought I’d see. I never would have expected this from you, Mika."

Mika arched a brow at her, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

"What in the world are you talking about? Why are you acting like I’m some sort of emotionless monster?"

"...Do you seriously think I’m a heartless demon who can’t even pat someone’s back after they pour their heart out?"

Hearing this, her expression sharpened, her eyes narrowing dangerously as though his words were a challenge.

"Don’t you even dare, Mika. Don’t you dare say that."

Her grip tightened on his shirt again, her voice rising with raw, bitter intensity.

"You have no right to act surprised about this. Do you even know how many times I came to you in the past, hugged you, smothered you, showed you everything inside me?"

"And every single time you pushed me away. Every. Single. Time. You told me to get off, as if I was a burden, as if my love was too much. And not once, not once, did you ever hug me back."

Mika flinched slightly at her words, her accusations cutting deeper than he’d expected.

"That’s why I’m suspicious now." She pressed on, her voice low, dangerous, trembling with emotion.

"Why are you suddenly hugging me back tonight? Why are you stroking my back like this? You never used to. It’s strange. It’s suspicious. It makes me think something’s wrong."

Her eyes bored into him, sharp and unyielding and Mika actually felt a shiver run down his spine. She had caught it, caught the difference instantly, like she’d been waiting for this single crack in his armor all along.

And it was his fault. He knew it. For years, he’d always pushed her away whenever she hugged him. Not because he hated it. No, because he loved it too much.

Because every time she wrapped him up, she never held back. She smothered him completely, her whole body pressed against his, her breasts flattening against him until he thought he’d combust.

His face would flush, his chest would burn, and his body would betray him. He had no defense against it. So he always did the only thing he could, push her away coldly, retreating behind his walls before she could see how much it was affecting him.

But now...now he’d let himself hug her back. And the fact that he had, the fact that he’d stroked her back, was enough to set every alarm in her mind ringing and he knew he had to ease her doubt, so he exhaled, shaking his head slowly, trying to sound calm.

"There’s no need to get suspicious. There’s nothing for me to trick you about. You’re overthinking, Yelena."

"I mean, come on, if someone suddenly starts showing affection out of nowhere, yeah, it usually means they want something. But what in the world could I possibly want from you that would make me fake this?"

Her suspicion flickered for a moment, her brows furrowing as she thought.

"...That’s true." She admitted reluctantly. "There really isn’t anything I could give you that you couldn’t just take yourself. If there’s something you want, you wouldn’t hesitate."

But just as quickly as her face softened, her eyes narrowed again, suspicion flaring once more.

"Unless...this is your way of trying to escape. What if you’re only acting sweet so I’ll lower my guard and let you slip out of this house early?"

Mika let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "No. You’ve got me for a while now. I’m not running. So, there’s no need to worry about that."

She let out a soft sigh of relief at this, her shoulders sinking slightly. But the doubt in her gaze didn’t vanish.

"Then why?" She pressed, her voice almost pleading now. "Why are you so...accepting tonight?"

"If this were before, you wouldn’t have listened to me. You wouldn’t have let me hug you for this long. You’d have run off before I even finished a sentence."

"And if you did stay, you’d look like you wanted to escape the whole time. At the very least, your face would be reluctant. But tonight..." She leaned closer, her eyes shimmering with confusion. "...you don’t look reluctant at all. You’re hugging me back. Stroking my back. Smiling at me. What’s wrong with you?"

"...Wait—"

Her voice then cracked as the thought struck her, her face suddenly draining of color. She gasped, her hands flying to grip his shoulders tightly.

"Don’t tell me..." She whispered, horror creeping into her tone. "Don’t tell me you’re dying. Or that you’ve caught some incurable disease. Is that why you’re acting like this!? Is that why you’re being so kind to me tonight!?"

Her eyes widened, panicked, her breath quickening as she shook him lightly, desperation pouring out of her.

"Mika, answer me! Tell me you’re not dying!"

Hearing this absurd statement, Mika blinked at her, utterly baffled.

"Of course not, Yelena! There’s no way I’m going to die. Do I really look like a man about to drop dead right here in your arms?"

"Yes...Yes, you do." Yelena’s reply came sharp and dry. "You look pale as a corpse all the time. Sickly. Like an anemic patient."

Mika groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

"That’s not the point! You’re letting your imagination run wild again. I’m not passing away, Yelena. I’m fine. Completely fine. Well...mostly fine." He shrugged lightly, trying to ease her nerves. "They even ran tests on me today, remember? Everything came back clear. No issues. No sickness. Nothing wrong at all."

Yelena blinked, her lips parting slightly as her shoulders eased.

"That’s...true. You did have tests today." Slowly, she nodded, some of the panic draining from her eyes. "So...you really are okay. Nothing’s happened to you." A faint smile of relief touched her lips. "Thank goodness..."

But then her brow furrowed again, curiosity seeping in where fear had been moments before. She leaned closer, searching his face intently.

"Then why?" She whispered. "Why are you so...accepting tonight? Why are you letting me hold you like this? If it isn’t because you’re dying, then what is it? Why do you suddenly not mind me smothering you?"

Her expression softened with genuine worry, her voice trembling.

"Mika, what’s wrong with you?"

Seeing the way her concern bled out so openly made his chest ache. He knew, it was his fault she thought like this. His coldness, his refusals, his distance, they had carved these insecurities deep into her.

But at the same time, he thought, maybe this was the moment. The perfect moment to change everything. To make her understand that he wasn’t the old Mika anymore, the one who pushed her away at every turn.

If he handled this right, she’d never grow suspicious again, even if he showed her affection tomorrow or the day after.

So, with that in mind, he drew in a slow breath, his face setting into a steady, determined expression. Then he softened it, letting his eyes take on a faint sadness, his lips curving into something pitiful, ready to put on a act of a lifetime.

"...To tell you the truth, Yelena." He said quietly. "I’ve been regretting things. A lot."

Her entire body stiffened at once, and her motherly instincts surged. She cupped his face with both hands, eyes wide and searching.

"R-Regretting? What? What are you talking about? Mika, what do you regret? Tell me. If there’s something weighing you down, tell me."

Her desperation was palpable, and he let it wash over him before continuing, voice soft, almost confessional.

"Recently...just like how you said you’ve been struggling to sleep without me...I’ve been struggling too."

She gasped, her lips parting, eyes shimmering with surprise. He pressed on before she could speak.

"Not because I’m lonely." He said quickly. "But because...I can’t stop thinking about how I’ve treated you. How I’ve treated everyone. How cold I’ve been. Every night, when I close my eyes, I remember pushing you away. Ignoring you. Acting like I didn’t care. And it keeps me awake. It eats at me."

Yelena’s expression softened, trembling, as if the ground beneath her had shifted. She had never expected him to admit something like this.

He then lowered his gaze briefly, then looked back at her with quiet honesty.

"It’s true, I had my reasons. Very important ones. From that day on, I had to act differently. I had to push you all away. It wasn’t spite. It wasn’t because I hated you. It was because I couldn’t let myself..." He trailed off, then sighed. "But even if I had reasons, it doesn’t erase the fact that I hurt you. That I made you cry alone in this house."

Her lips trembled as understanding dawned across her face. He saw the burden lifting from her, saw her realize he hadn’t hated her, hadn’t truly rejected her, it had been something else entirely.

And seeing that it was working, he leaned closer, his gaze filled with warmth tinged with sorrow.

"Especially you, Yelena. I know how much you love me. How much you care. How lonely you’ve been without me. I know because I thought of all the times we spent together."

"Cooking side by side, cleaning, running errands. Whenever you left the house, I was there. Whenever I wanted to go out, you begged to come along. We did everything together. And I knew...without me there, you’d be unbearably lonely."

Her eyes softened with nostalgia, memories flickering in her gaze, her lips trembling as she whispered, "Yes...yes, we did everything together..."

"That’s why." He went on gently. "I’ve been thinking...maybe it’s time to make up for it. To bring back what we once had. To restore what I threw away."

Her eyes widened, glowing with giddy hope, her lips curving upward in disbelief and joy. "Mika..." She whispered.

But his expression shifted, his smile fading into something sorrowful.

"But then...I think about how I treated you. About how badly I hurt you. And I wonder...do I even deserve that? Do I deserve to go back to those days after everything I’ve done?"

"Even if I tried, even if I begged, would you even want me back? Or would you turn away? After all, why should you forgive me?"

"Mika, no!" She cried, clutching his face in both hands again, shaking her head fiercely, tears welling in her eyes. "No, don’t you dare say that! Don’t you dare think I wouldn’t take you back—"

But he cut her off, voice low and weighted.

"I can’t help it, Yelena. I’ve spent so many sleepless nights convinced it’s useless. That no matter what I do, I can’t undo the pain I caused. That even if I said I’m sorry...it would never be enough."

He looked at her then, eyes brimming with pitiful longing, a lonely curve to his lips.

"Even now...I wonder. If I say sorry right now, would you accept it? Would you really forgive me and let us return to what we had?"

His voice cracked at the end, the picture of a man broken with shame and regret.

And the moment his words sank in, Yelena broke.

Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks, her voice cracking as she shook her head frantically.

"No! Don’t you dare say that! Don’t you dare think that way! I’d never turn away from you, Mika, never!"

And as her tears fell, as her emotions burst open, Mika allowed himself the faintest hidden smirk, buried deep in his chest where she couldn’t see.

’Got her.’ He thought. ’Hook, line, and sinker.’