2025-09-13 23:48:00
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Ethan’s grip tightened hard on the steering wheel.“…Damn.”The car behind him sped up again.Fast.Too fast.Elsa’s voice came through the phone sharply.“…Ethan?”He looked at the mirror again.Red eyes.Four of them.Maybe more.“…I’ve got company,” he said quietly.“What?”“Demons.”Silence.Then—“…You’re joking.”“I wish I was.”One of the black cars suddenly swerved closer and slammed into the side of Ethan’s car.BANG.The whole vehicle shook violently.Elsa cursed loudly through the phone.“ETHAN!”“I’m fine.”“You always say that right before something horrible happens!”Another hit.Harder this time.Ethan fought to keep control of the wheel.The demons inside the other car laughed loudly.One lowered the window slightly.A pale face appeared.Smiling.“…Stop the car, Ethan!”Ethan ignored him and drove faster.Elsa heard everything now.The crashes.The engine.The laughter.“…How many?” she asked quickly.“Too many.”“That is not a number!”“Four cars maybe.”“…You’re inj
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Ethan hesitated for one second longer.Then nodded once.“I’ll come back later,” he said quietly. “I still need to check on you properly… and see how the pregnancy is going.”Norka’s expression softened almost immediately.Even after everything—The blood.The injuries.The chaos.He still remembered.Still cared.“…Ethan—”But before she could finish, he stepped closer.Carefully.Like he was afraid even breathing too hard near her might hurt her.His hand lifted slowly and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.“You should rest,” he murmured. “You’re pale.”Norka let out a weak scoff.“And whose fault is that?”Ethan actually looked guilty for a second.“…Fair.”“You disappeared for hours,” she continued softly. “Came back covered in blood. Half-conscious. And now you’re leaving again.”“I have to.”“I know.”That was the problem.She understood him too well.For a moment neither of them spoke.The quiet between them felt strangely fragile.Then Norka looked down briefly
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Because she understood what he really meant.Not duty.Not obligation.Ethan carried people.Always.Even when it was destroying him.“…And who takes care of you?” she asked quietly.Ethan looked down for a second.Then gave a tired shrug.“No one has to.”“That’s not an answer.”“It’s the only one I’ve got.”Silence settled between them again.Heavy this time.Norka studied him carefully, her fingers resting lightly against her stomach.“…You look exhausted,” she murmured.“I am.”“Then stop moving for one night.”“I can’t.”“Because of her?”The question came softer than expected.But Ethan still froze slightly.Norka noticed immediately.And suddenly—Everything clicked together a little too neatly.The urgency.The blood.The exhaustion.The refusal to stay.Her eyes sharpened carefully.“…Something happened to Karpeta.”Ethan looked away.That alone answered her.Norka’s chest tightened slightly.“…How bad?”He stayed silent for a second too long.“…Bad enough.”Norka leaned back
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Norka’s question hung in the room like a blade.Ethan didn’t answer immediately.Because where would he even start?With the Watsons?With the attack?With the fact that Karpeta almost died tonight?Or with the growing feeling that everything around him was beginning to collapse at once?Norka watched him carefully.And the longer he stayed silent, the more worried she became.“…Ethan.”He finally exhaled slowly.Ethan finally exhaled slowly.Then rubbed a tired hand down his face like he was trying to wipe the entire night off with it.“…It’s nothing you need to stress about.”Norka’s eyes narrowed immediately.“That answer alone tells me it’s serious.”“It’s handled.”“That’s not what I asked.”Ethan looked away briefly.Thinking.Carefully.Because the truth would only make things worse.And right now, with the way Norka held her stomach protectively every few seconds without realizing it—He couldn’t put that weight on her too.So he lied.Smoothly.“…The Watson family caused prob
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The night air hit Ethan hard the moment he stepped outside.Cold.Sharp.His body was already reaching its limit, but he kept moving anyway.Norka’s message stayed in his head the entire time.Come immediately.Something was wrong.It had to be.Norka never sounded urgent unless it mattered.Ethan moved faster.⸻Back inside the house, silence returned.Elsa stood in the middle of the living room for a few seconds, arms crossed tightly.Then sighed.“…I hate all of this.”Upstairs, the floor creaked softly.Elsa glanced upward immediately.“…And I especially hate demons.”She grabbed the remote again and dropped back onto the couch.The TV kept playing quietly, but she barely watched it.Her mind kept replaying everything from tonight.Ethan covered in blood.The Watson family.Karpeta crying.Norka.Always these demons.Elsa rubbed her forehead tiredly.“…What a disaster.”Another creak upstairs.This time louder.Elsa frowned.Karpeta shouldn’t even be awake.After a few more second
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No explanation.Just that.Ethan’s expression tightened instantly.Elsa noticed.“…What now?”He didn’t answer right away.His thumb hovered over the screen for a second.The message was short. Too short.But the second he saw Norka’s name, something uneasy twisted in his chest.She was pregnant.Anything could have gone wrong.For a brief moment, real worry crossed his face before he pushed it back down.Then he put the phone away.“…I have to go.”Elsa sat up slightly.“Go where?”“…To Norka.”That name shifted the air.Elsa’s expression sharpened immediately.“…That pregnant demon again?”“Yes.”Elsa let out a slow breath, clearly irritated now.“Of course it’s her.”Ethan already started toward the door.But Elsa stood up.Fast.“After everything tonight you’re still running off for her?”Ethan stopped.Not fully turning yet.“…It’s not like that.”Elsa laughed once.Cold.“Then what is it like?”He finally turned to face her.Tired.Bleeding.Barely standing.“…She needs me.”Tha
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