KAYLA'S POV (Continuing):
I paused for half a second, then went right back to removing my bracelet like the question meant nothing.
"Nothing," I said casually. "Just checking whether they were alive or not."
Theo blinked.
Even in the mirror, I could see the disbelief on his face.
"You went there for that?"
I shrugged.
"What? Curiosity is a normal human emotion."
His expression didn't change.
I turned away from the mirror then, crossing my arms and leaning back against the dresser.
"Okay, fine," I said. "Maybe not curiosity."
Theo waited.
I let out a slow breath.
"I wanted to make sure no one was saying anything stupid."
His brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
I tilted my head.
"I mean," I said flatly, "you have to keep an eye on your victims before they suddenly decide to grow a spine and get you in trouble."
Theo looked at me for a second, then gave me that look, the one that said he knew I was joking, but also knew I wasn't entirely joking.
"They're not exactly worth the effort," I added with a small shrug, "but still. I just wanted to make sure nobody opened their mouth and made things worse for you."
For a moment, Theo said nothing.
The room went quiet again.
Then his face softened.
"Is that all?"
I frowned.
"Yeah, of course. What else would it be?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he smiled.
Not one of his usual careless or teasing smiles.
A gentle one.
The kind that made him look far too sincere for my liking.
And suddenly I hated that he was looking at me like that.
Because I knew what that look meant.
He knew.
He knew I'd gone there for something else.
And I hated being predictable.
Theo took a small step away from the door.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
I blinked.
"For what?"
"For dragging you into my mess today."
I looked away.
The softness in his voice made it harder to brush off.
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated with himself.
"I really don't know what got into me," he admitted. "I wasn't thinking. Everything just… happened so fast." He exhaled. "But I'm really sorry, Kayla."
I stayed silent.
His gaze dropped for a second before he added, "And I promise, it won't happen again."