Liora left Camille's chamber with more questions than answers.

  The corridor seemed longer as she walked down it, the estate's quiet wrapping around her. The house looked the same—dim lights, faint sounds of doors and footsteps in the distance—but something inside her had changed. Camille's words lingered, not solving anything, just showing her reflections she hadn't expected.

  One more thing to face.

  Noa.

  Her steps took her to the short distance of the western wing without thinking. That part of the estate always felt different, calmer, like the air moved slower there.

  She stopped at Noa's door.

  She hesitated for a second.

  Knocking felt heavier than it should. She'd stepped into fights without blinking, faced people who could crush her easily, but this door made her pause.

  She knocked anyway.

  The door opened right away, like Noa had been close by.

  Noa stood there in her blue wrap, hair down around her shoulders. When she saw Liora, her face softened naturally.

  "Hi."

  Something in Liora's chest rexed.

  "...Hi."

  They stood there a bit, not rushing to say more.

  "Want to come in?" Noa asked softly.

  Liora nodded and stepped inside.

  The room felt cozy and real. A mp lit up a chair by the window, and a book sat open on the nightstand. Nothing fancy, just comfortable.

  Liora took a couple steps in, then turned to Noa.

  "I asked you this before," she said.

  Noa nodded. "Yes."

  Liora breathed out, pulling together the words she'd carried down the hall.

  "...What is it about you?"

  Noa blinked, a little surprised.

  "I'm not sure I understand."

  Liora moved closer.

  "I've been here weeks now," she said, her voice even but thoughtful. "I didn't know any of you when I got here. And I've let people in faster than ever before."

  Noa listened without cutting in.

  "Marisol helped me get my body," Liora went on. "Celeste helped me breathe again."

  She paused.

  "But you..."

  Noa waited.

  "You never asked for anything from me."

  Noa said quietly, "You weren't ready to give anything."

  Liora shook her head.

  "That first night, after the shower... you stayed." Her voice got softer remembering. "I had no idea what this pce was. I didn't know what anyone wanted. My life was falling apart, and I felt dropped into something I couldn't figure out."

  She looked up at Noa.

  "And you didn't take advantage. You didn't try to cim anything. You just id with me."

  Noa looked down for a moment, then said, "You needed someone who wasn't pushing you to be something else."

  Liora stepped right up to her.

  "My whole life," she said low, "when I was vulnerable, someone always thought that meant I owed them."

  She let that sit, then added, "You didn't."

  Noa looked back up.

  "I was scared that night," Liora continued. "Not of the house, but of what came next. Everything felt too fast, like I was losing control."

  Her hand came up slowly, resting on Noa's cheek.

  "But whatever was next, I wanted to face it with you."

  Noa's calm slipped a little.

  "That's why I left the note," Liora said.

  Noa's voice warmed with feeling.

  "I was already coming the moment I finished reading it."

  The silence between them felt easy now, not tense or unsure.

  Liora leaned in and kissed her.

  Noa kissed back gently. Her hand rested light at Liora's waist, not pulling, just there.

  After a bit, Noa pulled back and rested her forehead against Liora's.

  "Look at me."

  Liora opened her eyes.

  "You're not running to me, are you?" Noa asked soft.

  Liora breathed in and steadied.

  "No," she said.

  A moment ter, she added quietly, "I'm not drowning tonight."

  Her voice was calmer.

  "I'm standing."

  Noa looked at her face for a long beat. Then she kissed her again, slower, and when it ended, she held Liora's hand lightly.

  "You're exhausted," she said gently.

  "I'm not tired," Liora shot back without thinking.

  Noa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  "You're emotionally wiped out."

  Liora didn't argue.

  Noa linked their fingers.

  "Come here."

  She led Liora to the bed.

  They sat down first, no hurry. Noa leaned back against the headboard and nodded for Liora to join.

  Liora paused a second, then y down next to her.

  They didn't touch at first, just y there in the quiet.

  After a while, Liora shifted closer, resting her head on Noa's shoulder.

  Then Noa put an arm around her.

  They stayed like that a long time before Liora spoke.

  "Why did you stay with me that night?"

  Noa's fingers traced slow circles on her arm.

  "You were trying so hard to look strong," she said. "Strong for everyone else. But it was clear you were overwhelmed."

  Liora let out a small ugh.

  "That obvious?"

  "To someone who was paying attention."

  Liora thought about it.

  "I thought you didn't want me," she admitted quiet.

  Noa's arm tightened a bit.

  "I wanted you," she said. "I just didn't want you because you were hurting."

  That hit with real weight.

  "My mom dragged me here like I was a bargaining chip. Even back home..." she trailed off, then finished, "...being useful was the only way to stay safe."

  She breathed out slow.

  "So when you didn't take anything, I didn't know what to do with it."

  Noa turned a little to see her face.

  "You don't owe me anything," she said.

  Liora looked at her.

  "What if I want to give something?"

  "Then I'll know it's real," Noa answered.

  A quiet moment passed.

  "When I left that note," Liora said, "I almost tore it up."

  "Why?"

  "I thought you wouldn't come."

  Noa smiled a little.

  "As I said, I was mentally halfway down the hall before I finished reading it."

  Liora ughed softly.

  After another beat, she asked, "Are you afraid of The Room?"

  Noa thought it over.

  "I respect it," she said. "But I'm not afraid."

  "I am," Liora admitted.

  "Of what happens in there?"

  "No," Liora said. "Of who I might be in there."

  Noa ran her hand through Liora's hair gently.

  "You'll still be you," she said. "Just louder."

  Liora went quiet for a bit.

  "When I first got here," she said slow, "none of this was my choice."

  Noa listened.

  "But tonight is."

  She took a breath.

  "I'm not here because someone brought me anymore. I'm here because I chose to stay."

  Noa kissed the top of her head softly.

  They kept talking after that, shifting to smaller things. Liora talked about her first night at the estate, the fear she'd hidden with anger, the mix of strength and vulnerability she was still figuring out. Noa listened, only speaking when it fit.

  At some point, Liora's words started to slow.

  Her sentences got shorter.

  Then stopped.

  Noa looked down and saw Liora had fallen asleep mid-thought, her fingers still loose in Noa's hand.

  Noa didn't move.

  She pulled the bnket up gently and settled back, letting Liora rest against her.

  Outside, the estate kept its quiet pace, not noticing the small change inside.

  For the first time since coming to the house, Liora slept without worrying about what morning would bring.