Alone in the corridor, standing outside Daiyu's apartment door, Daiyu and Ivan quietly gazed at each other. Daiyu felt utterly devastated, realising that she was the one who had let down her partner. Ivan, on the other hand, felt a complex mix of relief and pity for Daiyu.
'How will she deal with this? How do I deal with this? How do we progress from this point?' Ivan wondered.
"We are here, aren't we?" Ivan sighed, finally breaking the heavy silence.
Before Daiyu could even formulate a reaction, Ivan leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. Daiyu was utterly dumbfounded, her throat suddenly dry. She gazed fixedly at the floor, too deeply ashamed to meet Ivan's gaze.
"Let's go into your living room and talk," Ivan said.
Daiyu was so consumed by shame that she barely registered Ivan's words.
