Chapter 193 Letting Him
SOPHIA’S POV
For a moment, I couldn’t move.
My mind went completely blank the second I saw Zade standing inside my room.
I had water was still dripping from my hair, sliding down my shoulders and back. The only thing covering me was a towel wrapped tightly around my body.
The air suddenly felt colder and my skin burned with embarrassment. My heart jumped so fast that it felt like it might burst out of my chest.
“Zade- what are you doing here?” I blurted out.
He didn’t answer immediately. He just stood there, looking at me. He was clearly caught off guard. I could see the moment he realized what was happening. I saw the way his expression shifted from urgency to something else entirely. That only made my embarrassment worse.
What was he doing here anyway??
“Turn around!” I snapped quickly. “Don’t look at me!”
That seemed to wake him up. Zade immediately turned his back to me.
“I’m not looking,” he said.
“Hurry up and face the wall,” I added, gripping the towel tighter around myself as I rushed toward the wardrobe.
“I said I’m not looking,” he repeated, but he still moved, facing the wall completely this time.
I didn’t waste another second. My hands moved quickly as I grabbed the first set of clothes I could find. My fingers shook slightly as I dressed. My mind still struggled to process what had just happened.
When I was finally done, I let out a slow breath and straightened my clothes. My face still felt warm, but at least I wasn’t standing there half-exposed anymore.
“You can turn around now,” I said.
Zade turned slowly. His expression was serious again, though there was a small hint of awkwardness in his eyes. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence felt heavy.
Then my frustration took over.
“Do you always sneak into people’s rooms like this?” I asked, crossing my arms as I stared at him. “Or is this just a habit you’ve developed for me?”
Zade didn’t look guilty. If anything, he looked completely unbothered now.
“The door was too slow,” he said simply.
I blinked at him “Too slow? So your solution is to climb through my window in the middle of the night?”
“You weren’t answering your phone,” he added, as if that explained everything.
“That doesn’t give you the right to break into my room!” I shot back.
Zade stepped closer “Ken told me what happened. I wasn’t going to wait.”
The seriousness in his voice made me pause.
“I’m fine,” I said “You didn’t have to come here like this.”
“You’re not fine,” he replied immediately “Don’t lie to me.”
I looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes.
“I said I’m fine,” I repeated, though my voice wasn’t as strong this time.
Zade didn’t respond right away. Instead, he studied me quietly, as if trying to see through everything I was hiding. That only made me more uncomfortable.
“Come with me,” he said suddenly.
I frowned. “What?”
“Let’s go out,” he said. “You need to clear your head.”
I let out a small laugh. “It’s the middle of the night. Where exactly do you think we’re going?”
“The moon market,” he replied without hesitation.
I stared at him, confused. “The what?”
“The moonlit wolf market by the forest edge,” he explained, “They release wish lanterns there at night. It’s quiet. No one will bother you.”
I hesitated.
Part of me wanted to refuse immediately. It sounded ridiculous, sneaking out in the middle of the night after everything that had happened. But another part of me... felt tired. I felt tired of thinking, tired of staying in one place, tired of everything weighing on me.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said slowly.
Zade stepped closer again. “You’re not going to feel better staying here. Come with me.”
I looked at him, searching his face for something. There was no pressure in his expression, no force.
And somehow, that made it harder to say no.
“...Fine,” I said finally, letting out a small breath. “But just for a little while.”
Zade’s expression softened.
“That’s enough,” he said.
I glanced at the door, then back at him. “We’re not going out through the front, are we?”
“No,” he replied.
Of course not.
Before I could ask anything else, he walked toward went wide as I realized what he was planning.
“You’re joking,” I said.
He secured the rope quickly and tested it with a firm pull.
“We’re going down from here,” he said.
I walked closer to the window and looked down.
The ground felt impossibly far. My stomach dropped instantly.
“I can’t do this,” I said quickly, stepping back. “No. Absolutely not.”
Zade looked at me with a calm expression
“You can,” he said.
“I can’t,” I insisted, shaking my head. “That’s too high. What if I fall?”
“You won’t fall,” he replied.
“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered. My heart already raced just from looking down.
Zade sighed softly, then stepped closer to me.
“I’ll go first,” he said. “Then I’ll help you down.”
I hesitated, still unsure.
But before I could change my mind, he had already climbed out the window. His movements were smooth and confident, like this was something he had done a hundred times before.
I stood there, staring after him. My heart pounded.
A few seconds later, his voice came from below. “Come on.”
I swallowed hard. This was a bad idea.
But somehow, I still found myself moving toward the window.
“Don’t look down,” he added.
That didn’t help. Carefully, I climbed onto the edge, gripping the rope tightly. My hands trembled almost immediately. My body froze as I felt the height beneath me.
“I can’t do this,” I said again. My voice shook.
“Yes, you can,” Zade replied calmly from below. “Just trust me.”
I closed my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath.
Then, slowly, I started climbing down.
Every movement felt terrifying. My grip tightened so much that my fingers started to hurt. I didn’t dare look down, focusing only on the rope and my own breathing.
“Zade...” I whispered. I heard the panic creeping into my own voice.
“I’m right here,” he said.
That helped a little but it wasn’t enough.
At some point, my foot slipped slightly. I gasped loudly as my body jerked. It felt like I was going to fall to my death. My heart dropped to my stomach.
Before I could panic further, I felt his hands on me.
Zade caught me easily. His arms were steady as he helped me the rest of the way down.
The moment my feet touched the ground, my legs gave out.
I dropped slightly. My body shook as the fear finally caught up with me.
“I-” I tried to speak, but my voice broke.
Without warning, tears filled my eyes.
“I was so scared,” I said. My voice shook as I clung to him. I couldn’t help it.
Zade froze for a second, clearly surprised.
Then his arms wrapped around me.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. His voice was softer than I had ever heard it. “I shouldn’t have made you do that.”
I shook my head slightly, even as the tears continued to fall.
“I thought I was going to fall,” I admitted, my grip tightening.
“You didn’t,” he replied gently. “I had you.”
I stayed there for a moment, holding onto him. My emotions came out in a way I hadn’t expected.
For once, I didn’t push him away. I let him.
And for once, he didn’t let go.