"Yeah," she replied, her voice calculated and nonchalant, as if the pain were nothing more than an inconvenience.
A careful smile played on her lips, masking the lie.
She hated it.
Lying to Zero.
But it was necessary.
She nodded, gesturing towards the healing wound on her lower ribs, a subtle but calculated diversion.
"I'll be fine, though," she reassured, her fingers delicately tracing the outline of the mending injury.
Zero's gaze lingered on Ophelia, his dark brown eyes penetrating, searching for the hidden depths beneath her stoic façade.
There was a tension in the air, as if an unspoken secret hung between them, waiting to be unravelled.
He could sense that something was off.
A heavy sigh escaped Zero's lips as he ran a calloused hand over his shorn head.
"There's a scheduled break coming up, few weeks to recoup before things get serious," Zero finally spoke, breaking the silence.
His shoulders rolled in a rhythmic motion as he began to stretch, attempting to release the tension that lingered in the room.
Ophelia nodded in acknowledgment, her eyes fixed on the floor as if trying to avoid the truth.
"You gonna head home?" Zero inquired, his voice carrying a touch of concern as he continued his stretches.
Ophelia winced visibly, her gaze darting around the room to ensure that no prying ears were listening.
"Yeah, but I'm not seeing my parents," she confessed, her voice stiff, the discomfort evident in her tone.
The mental image of her small apartment and the suffocating silence that enveloped it flashed in her mind.
Going home was a prospect she dreaded, a reminder of a life she wished to escape.
Zero's brow furrowed in response to her revelation.
"They still don't approve?" he asked his tone light but with a genuine confusion lingering in his eyes.
Ophelia shook her head, a mixture of frustration and resentment etched on her features.
Sitting up she wrapped her arms around her knees.
"Every time I'm home, they introduce me to one of their friends' sons, try to get me to change, settle down and waste away as a wife somewhere," she explained, her face scrunching up in disgust at the mere thought.
The bitterness in her words hung heavy in the air.
Zero couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing through the room.
His gaze remained fixed on Ophelia, a mix of amusement and understanding in his eyes.
"Not what you want?" he asked softly, his laughter fading.
Ophelia's reaction was immediate – a sudden stillness, a flicker of hurt and pain that traversed her features.
Her eyes, once avoiding Zero's, now held a profound sadness as she grappled with the emotions churning within.
Of course, she wanted that.
Love, dedication, a family and a life different from the one she currently knew.
But reality had a way of dashing hopes, and some people didn't get to have what they wanted.
Especially when you can get shot on the job.
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The Mouse and The Monarch
قصص الهواة~She embodied the essence of his world, a captivating masterpiece sculpted with the strokes of both his fervent passion and haunting despair~ Ophelia Moreau. Otherwise known as Mouse. A French Sergeant turned KorTac Operative who has major temper i...
