As they hid in the shadows, Dnie saw a car slowly coming toward them. Her heart started racing. She couldn't tell who was inside, and that made her nervous.
She was scared—not just for herself, but because Mark was with her.
David had warned her clearly before leaving the house:
"Don't let Mark go out tonight. It's too dangerous."
He said it more than once. But Dnie had looked at Mark—how quiet he'd become, how his eyes never left the window—and she couldn't ignore the guilt that pressed on her. He had been locked away for three years. He wasn't free.
She hadn't taken him out because he begged—he never did. She took him out because she felt sorry for him… because, for once, she wanted him to breathe, to feel alive again.
But now, as the car rolled closer, that small act of kindness was turning into a mistake.
The car stopped just ahead. Her heart nearly stopped, too.
A man stepped out. Tall, serious, familiar.
One of David's men.
That's when Dnie knew—they were caught.
Back at the house, the maid had gone to deliver Mark's dinner. When she found his room empty, she didn't hesitate. She told the bodyguard, who called David right away.
David gave a direct order.
"Find them. Bring them back home now."
Dnie comes to understand that the gunshot they heard before they ran wasn't meant for them at all. It hadn't come from the men who were trying to hurt them, it came from David's men.
The shot had been fired intentionally, as a warning meant to scatter the danger closing around them. It was a signal, a distraction, a shield in the form of sound. She spoke silently, he was still protecting us, even from a distance, after disobeying him.
And that truth hit her harder than the gunshot ever could.
The bodyguard stepped forward, his voice cold and authoritative. "You have orders to follow us back home. Both of you."
Before he could finish, Dnie cut him off, her tone sharp, her eyes scanning for any opportunity to deflect. "Distract him," she whispered, a quiet command. "I understand. Let's go home."
Inside the car, Mark's body trembled as he processed everything. The fact that David's men had found them meant only one thing—David was already aware they'd left the house. The weight of that truth pressed on him, suffocating. He had never felt so small, so helpless.
His mind raced with regret. The decision to leave the house had been his. And now, they were in deeper trouble than he could have ever imagined. He glanced at Dnie, his heart sinking. She hadn't signed up for this. She shouldn't have been dragged into his mess.
He wasn't even sure what had happened tonight. Who were those people chasing them earlier? What did they want? There were so many unanswered questions swirling through his mind, pulling him under.
Then, he felt her hand on his arm, a gentle yet firm touch.
Dnie's voice was soft, but her words hit hard. "It's okay. Whatever happens tonight, I'll take the blame for it. I'll face the consequences alone."
Mark stared at her, a mixture of guilt and disbelief clouding his eyes. "No," he replied quickly, shaking his head. "We both made this decision. In fact, I was the one at fault. I should've stopped us. I should've stopped you."
He took a shaky breath, his words heavy with regret. "I just... I just hope David's judgment is fair enough."
Dnie looked at him, her expression steady, though her voice carried a quiet strength. "Everything's going to be fine," she said, though even she couldn't entirely believe it. She just wanted to reassure him, to give him something to hold onto in the face of the storm they were about to face.
When they arrived back at the house, the tension still hung thick in the air. The silence between them said everything: the fear, the guilt, the weight of what had just happened.
At the door, Dnie turned to Mark, her voice low but gentle.
"Go and rest for now," she said. "David won't be back until tomorrow. Until then, try to calm your mind."
She could see it in his eyes, the questions he hadn't asked yet, the storm turning behind them.
"I know a lot is running through your head right now," she continued. "But I also know the biggest thing haunting you is how David will react to all of this."
Mark didn't say anything, but his silence was loud enough.
Dnie reached out, touched his arm softly. "Don't worry too much," she said. "He's not as cruel as you think. Not with you."
She paused, offering him the smallest smile she could manage. "Please, Mark… just rest. We'll face whatever comes in the morning."
And with that, she turned away, leaving him in the quiet hallway alone with his thoughts and the long night still ahead.