Leena ignored him.
The mop moved steadily across the wet floor.
Bleach burned through the air.
The restroom was empty except for the two of them.
"Stop doing that."
Sami's voice echoed against the tiled walls.
Leena didn't react.
Didn't even glance in his direction.
The mop continued moving.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
As if he wasn't standing there.
As if his words meant nothing.
Something inside Sami tightened.
For days he had been drowning in problems.
For days he had been trying not to think about her.
And now she was right in front of him—
acting like he didn't exist.
His fist slammed against the metal stall door.
The bang echoed through the restroom.
Leena finally stopped.
The mop stilled.
Slowly she turned.
Her expression was empty.
Calm.
Almost frighteningly calm.
She stepped closer.
The yellow cleaning gloves were still on her hands.
Her eyes met his.
"Why?"
The single word was quiet.
But sharp.
Sami stared at her.
Leena tilted her head slightly.
"You can't see the consequences of what you did?"
No accusation.
No anger.
That somehow made it worse.
She gestured around them.
The bucket.
The chemicals.
The mop in her hand.
"This is my job."
A small pause.
"I'm trying to be professional."
The corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
Not a smile.
Something colder.
"My previous boss seemed to think I wasn't professional enough."
The words landed directly where she intended them to.
Then she turned away.
Picked up the mop.
And continued cleaning.
Like the conversation was over.
Sami stood there.
Silent.
Watching.
For the first time in days he didn't know what to say.
Leena eventually removed her gloves.
Tossing them into the cleaning cart.
And that was when he saw it.
Her hands.
Red.
Swollen.
The skin irritated from chemicals.
Small burns across her knuckles.
His expression changed immediately.
Leena didn't seem to notice.
Or maybe she was simply used to it.
She picked up a cloth and started cleaning the sink.
Sami stepped forward.
Before thinking.
Before stopping himself.
His hand closed around her wrist.
Careful this time.
Not forceful.
Just enough to look.
Leena froze.
He turned her hand slightly.
The skin looked worse up close.
"You need a doctor."
For a moment—
she simply stared at him.
Then she pulled her hand back.
A short laugh escaped her.
Without humor.
Without warmth.
"Oh."
She shook her head.
"Now we're back to this?"
Sami frowned.
"What?"
"The wise man act."
Her eyes held his.
"The 'I'll help you' act."
The words hit harder than she knew.
Leena looked down at her hands.
Then back at him.
"I have no shame doing this work."
Her voice softened slightly.
Not weaker.
Just tired.
"The worst part isn't the job."
Something flickered in her eyes.
Pain.
Gone almost instantly.
"You threw me back where I started."
The restroom fell silent.
Leena swallowed.
"You have any idea how hard I worked to leave this behind?"
Sami didn't answer.
Sami's words hung in the air.
"I'll give you money."
For a second, Leena simply stared at him.
Then she laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
A sharp, broken laugh escaped her.
Once.
Then again.
Sami's expression shifted immediately.
Regret.
Instant regret.
But the damage was already done.
Leena shook her head slowly.
"Money?"
The word sounded almost unbelievable.
She looked down at her swollen hands.
The chemical burns.
The red skin.
Then looked back at him.
"You really think that's what I want?"
Money is this last thing I want from Sam .
Sami opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Leena took a step forward.
Then another.
The distance between them disappeared.
Not intimate.
Confrontational.
Painfully close.
"You think I want Sam's money?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From anger.
From exhaustion.
From weeks of swallowing things she wanted to scream.
A hollow sound escaped her throat.
"Tsk."
She shook her head.
"Unbelievable."
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.
The smell of bleach lingered around them.
Leena spread her arms slightly.
As if presenting herself for inspection.
"Look at me."
Her voice cracked.
Just a little.
"My hands are burned."
She held them up.
"My clothes smell like bleach."
A bitter smile appeared.
"Can you smell it?"
Sami lowered his eyes.
Leena didn't let him.
"Look at me."
The words came sharper this time.
"Really look."
His gaze lifted.
Slowly.
Meeting hers.
"Do I look like someone trying to seduce anybody?"
The question wasn't cruel.
That made it worse.
Because there was genuine hurt beneath it.
Months of it.
Sami felt something twist in his chest.
Leena laughed again.
A broken sound.
Then suddenly reached up and pressed her hand lightly against his cheek.
Not affectionate.
Not gentle.
A challenge.
Forcing him to face her.
"For once," she whispered.
"Stop looking away."
Their eyes locked.
The anger in hers was fading now.
Replaced by something far more dangerous.
Disappointment.
"I worked so hard."
The words came quietly.
"So hard."
Her voice broke.
Just enough for him to hear it.
"I begged for opportunities."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She ignored it.
"I accepted insults."
Another tear followed.
"I accepted humiliation."
Sami stood frozen.
Unable to interrupt.
Unable to defend himself.
Because every defense sounded pathetic now.
Leena slowly lowered her hand from his face.
"You know what's funny?"
Her smile returned.
Small.
Fragile.
Heartbreaking.
"You never actually wanted to know me."
Silence.
"You decided who I was the first day."
A tear finally escaped the corner of her eye.
Then another.
She laughed through them.
The sound somehow sadder than crying.
"And the worst part?"
Her gaze met his again.
"I kept hoping you'd prove me wrong."
The restroom fell silent.
Completely silent.
Even the anger seemed gone.
Only hurt remained.
Sami's hands clenched at his sides.
Because for the first time—
he couldn't escape the weight of what he had done.
And for the first time—
Leena wasn't asking him to understand.
She was simply showing him the damage and walking away from it.