While the two figures disappeared deeper into the villa, a lone person remained hidden within the shadows of the garden.
Harlan.
He had followed them quietly from the very beginning.
He watched them eat together at the dining table earlier. Watched the tension, the arguments, the soft moments between them. He stayed close enough to hear everything, yet far enough that nobody noticed his presence.
Not a single person asked about him.
Not one.
At first, Harlan tried convincing himself it didn't matter.
"They're just occupied with their own problems," he muttered internally. "After everything that happened, it's normal."
But the thought slowly became harder to believe.
Especially when everyone gathered together laughing, eating, talking, and teasing one another while his absence went completely unnoticed.
Almost like he had never existed there in the first place.
Harlan swallowed hard.
His chest tightened painfully.
It hurt more than he wanted to admit.
