Chapter 144

In the middle of the night, Zinnia woke up parched. She had left her room earlier to get some water, but never got around to drinking it.

She opened the door and walked toward the kitchen island. Just as she finished pouring a glass of water and turned around, she suddenly spotted a figure by the floor-to-ceiling window. Her drowsiness vanished instantly.

Setting down her cup, she hurried over, calling softly, “Yannis?”

Sure enough, the figure by the window was Yannis. Huddled in the corner, he stared blankly out the window, his usually sharp eyes now so dark that no glimmer of light remained. He neither spoke nor moved.

Zinnia crouched beside him, calling softly, “Yannis?”

Yannis showed no reaction whatsoever, his gaze unfocused as he stared blankly out the window.

Zinnia followed his gaze out the window but didn’t see anything unusual, just ordinary lights. She called again, “Yannis?”

Zinnia grew worried about his condition. Afraid the alcohol might be making him unwell, she gently reached out to feel his forehead, then his cheek. The sobering soup worked. His skin felt cooler now, and the feverish heat had faded.

Perhaps Zinnia’s touch had roused him slightly, as broken, barely audible murmurs escaped his lips: “Don’t leave me. Please, don’t leave me.”

Yannis’s forehead rested against the cold glass window, with city lights outside casting shifting patterns across his face. A corner of the sheer curtain fluttered, scattering mottled shadows.

His hair hung limply over his brow, adding an unguarded vulnerability to him. If one looked closely, his whole body was trembling slightly.

Zinnia’s heart clenched at the sight. She had never seen Yannis look so broken, as if abandoned by the whole world. “Yannis,” she murmured, alarmed by his condition. She reached out and held his hand, his knuckles white from gripping too hard.

As soon as Zinnia touched his hand, a sudden force pulled her into a tight embrace. A faint whiff of alcohol lingered around her. Zinnia froze, too stunned to react.

Yannis rested his head on Zinnia’s shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, like a wounded lion cub seeking comfort and protection.

Zinnia froze for a moment, then slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, gently patting his back.

Yannis’s broken, pain-choked whispers reached her ears: “Let her go, take me instead. I’m begging you. Don’t leave me.” Each word was laced with unbearable anguish.

Seeing Yannis so dependent and vulnerable pained Zinnia. An inexplicable tightness settled in her chest. She thought, ‘He shouldn’t be like this.

‘As the golden boy he is, the word “beg” would never have crossed his lips. Yet now, out of his mind, he pleaded.’ Zinnia could sense the profound anguish laced in his low whispers.

Zinnia knew Yannis was at his most vulnerable now; she mustn’t trigger him, or his psychological trauma would only deepen. Maybe that was the root cause of his chronic insomnia.

Gently patting his back, she coaxed him softly, “I’m not leaving. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”

Yannis’s arms tightened around Zinnia. His eyes unconsciously reddened. A single tear fell from the corner of his eye, landing hot against her neck, while an aura of anguish and desolation radiated from his entire being.

Zinnia felt a searing sensation on her neck, igniting an odd, indescribable feeling she couldn’t quite place. She lowered her head to look at Yannis. She found his eyes were rimmed red, his usually dark, impenetrable gaze shimmering with unshed tears.

Zinnia thought, ‘He’s in so much pain. It turns out that behind his ever-present smile, he is hiding a profound suffering no one else could see. Suddenly,’

Chapter 144

she recalled what Sofia had told her that afternoon: Yannis had a hard life.

Realizing this, even Zinnia’s usually slow-to-react heart ached with belated sympathy for him. “I won’t leave you,” she murmured, gently stroking his back.

She wasn’t particularly good at comforting others, so she tried to recall how she’d seen people do it before.

Once, when Zinnia and Maisie were walking around the school track, they saw a boy and a girl.

The girl was crying her eyes out, and the boy gently stroked her hair. Zinnia didn’t catch what the boy said, but whatever it was, it stopped the girl’s crying.

Zinnia thought, ‘I hope this trick will work on Yannis. Wish I’d heard what that boy said back then; then I could’ve used it to comfort Yannis now.’

Perhaps her words had finally taken effect; Yannis fell silent. He simply held her, saying nothing, making no other move.

“Yannis, would you like me to help you back to your room to rest?” Zinnia asked gently.

Zinnia’s legs were going numb from crouching. Now that Yannis had stopped crying, she thought about helping him back to his room.

She thought, ‘It is the dead of night, and the living room is getting chilly. If we stay out here any longer, we will both risk catching a cold.’

Zinnia wondered how Yannis ended up here. Jackson had texted her before bed, saying he’d put Yannis to bed and told her not to worry. But when she came out, she found Yannis crouched in the corner by the window.

Yannis remained silent. Zinnia tried to pry his arms from around her waist, but after struggling for what felt like ages, his grip was ironclad. She couldn't budge him an inch. Zinnia sighed in frustration.

Perhaps sensing her discomfort from crouching, Yannis suddenly straightened his legs. Caught off guard, Zinnia lurched forward, and in an instant, found herself sitting squarely in his lap.

Zinnia felt something soft and cool brush against her forehead. Instinctively, she straightened up, her eyes darting to Yannis’s lips. Her ears burned crimson; her hands fluttering helplessly as she struggled to figure out what to do.

Yannis’s gaze remained vacant and lifeless.

Noticing his dazed expression, Zinnia felt a faint sense of relief. She thought, ‘This is just like a scene from that TV drama Maisie and I had watched the other day.’

Maybe it was because she was distracted, but Yannis frowned slightly. He released his hold on her waist and guided her hands to his waist, silently urging her to hold him.

Zinnia was already fidgeting nervously on his lap. When he suddenly pulled her closer, she toppled right onto his chest, her face instantly burning with embarrassment.

She didn’t expect Yannis to become incredibly clingy when drunk. He stopped muttering about being abandoned anymore, just holding on to her for dear life. She tried to wriggle free, but he wouldn’t let go.

With a pitiful, almost pleading tone, Yannis murmured, “Hug me.”

Yannis looked up at her, the corners of his eyes still red and glistening with unshed tears. He looked utterly pitiful. In a hoarse, wounded voice, he said, “Are you going to abandon me too? None of you ever keeps your promises. You’re all liars.”

Seeing him like this, Zinnia simply couldn’t bear to refuse him anything. “I’m not going to abandon you,” she said, meeting his gaze.

As Zinnia finished speaking, a flicker of clarity briefly lit up Yannis’s dull, vacant eyes. His arms around her slackened for a moment, only to tighten again almost instantly.

Zinnia didn’t notice this subtle change. By now, she had grown used to Yannis clinging to her. She thought, ‘Fine, hold me then. As long as it makes him feel better.’

Chapter 144

“Don’t lie to me,” Yannis said, sounding like a toddler who needed constant reassurance.

Zinnia said softly, “I won’t lie to you.” Even though she knew he wasn’t in his right mind, she meant every word. Just then, a chilly draft swept in from the window, making her shiver.

“I want to sleep,” Yannis murmured weakly.

“Then let me help you to bed,” Zinnia said. She stood and reached out to guide him.

With Zinnia leaving his embrace, a sudden pang of emptiness washed over Yannis. But then, his hand was held.