The street became silent again after Juson's car disappeared.
Only the distant hum of traffic remained somewhere beyond the neighborhood.
Yokina pushed open the front door and stepped inside with Herik resting weakly against her shoulder.
The exhaustion in his body had become heavier after the MRI.
Even his breathing sounded slower.
Yokina didn't stop in the living room.
She carried him directly toward the kitchen.
"I'll bring your food first," she said softly.
Herik remained outside the kitchen entrance while Yokina moved around inside.
The refrigerator light spilled across the dark floor as she pulled out a bottle of water.
Then she reached for the bowl of dinner resting on the dining table.
Behind her, Herik stood silently.
His eyes remained fixed somewhere ahead.
Not exactly watching Yokina.
Not exactly awake either.
His eyelids lowered.
Opened again.
Then slowly, without saying anything, he walked away from the kitchen.
Yokina finally grabbed the bowl and turned around.
Herik was gone.
"Herik?"
She stepped into the corridor while holding the bowl carefully.
The hallway remained dim except for the faint yellow light coming from the kitchen behind her.
Then she saw him.
Sitting on the floor.
His back pressed weakly against the wall.
Almost asleep.
Yokina's expression immediately softened.
The MRI had exhausted him more than she realized.
She hurried toward him and gently touched his shoulder.
"Come on," she whispered.
Herik barely responded.
Without waiting longer, Yokina lifted him into one arm while balancing the bowl carefully in the other.
She carried him toward the bedroom.
The room remained quiet.
Dark curtains covered most of the windows, leaving only a thin line of city light near the edge of the wall.
Yokina carefully laid Herik onto the bed.
Then she placed the bowl beside him on the small table near the bed.
As she stepped backward toward the door, something sharp pressed beneath her foot.
She immediately flinched.
A pin.
Yokina looked downward.
The floor still contained small scattered objects left from the afternoon.
For a moment she simply stared.
Then her eyes slowly lifted toward the clock hanging above the wall.
It ticked normally.
Steadily.
As if nothing unusual had happened inside the house before.
Yokina exhaled quietly.
She grabbed a wiper and began pushing the scattered items into a corner.
"Maid will clean the rest tomorrow…" she muttered under her breath.
But immediately after saying it, she stopped.
The maid's face flashed briefly through her thoughts.
Yokina frowned at herself.
Then silently bent down.
She gathered the scattered objects with her own hands and dropped them into the dustbin beside the table.
Only after cleaning the floor completely did she return to the door.
She closed it gently.
Then suddenly realized something.
The water bottle.
She had left it outside in the corridor.
For a second she considered going back.
But exhaustion weighed heavily behind her eyes.
Instead, she returned toward the bed.
Herik had already fallen asleep.
Yokina climbed carefully onto the mattress beside him.
"Herik," she whispered softly.
No response.
She lightly shook his shoulder.
"You need to eat something first."
Herik muttered weakly.
"I don't want to…"
The words were barely audible.
Yokina stared at him for a few seconds.
Then slowly leaned backward against the bed.
Her eyes remained open.
She only wanted to rest for a minute.
Just one minute.
But the exhaustion spreading through her body was stronger than she expected.
Her breathing slowed.
The room became quieter.
Outside, distant traffic faded further away into the city.
Within moments, Yokina closed her eyes.
Mother and son fell asleep without touching the food.
The bowl remained untouched beside the bed.
The bottle of water stayed forgotten in the corridor.
And somewhere beyond the dark streets outside, Juson continued driving toward Hakiten's house.
---