The Woman He Forgot Beneath the Ruins

Three years ago, I went to the old building site for Xavier. I pushed his brother out of the way and got trapped under the rubble myself.

My left leg was ruined, my lumbar spine injured, and my career destroyed.

But in these three years, all Xavier remembers is Mandy trembling whenever it rains. How she cried about nearly dying in that old building.

Meanwhile, dragging my injured leg, I became the "villain who torments people with the past."

She took my heating blanket, occupied my rehabilitation room, and even ruined the restoration plan I'd spent three years working on with a single glass of water.

I finally realized. There was no place for me in his heart anymore.

So I stopped waiting.

I put my wedding ring and house keys in an envelope. I slipped the family risk waiver among a pile of compensation documents and placed them in front of Xavier.

He signed.

Three days later, a car from the Rescue Research Bureau picked me up at 3 AM.

This time, I'm the one outside the rubble, watching him fail to catch up.

Charlotte's POV

Three years ago, Xavier was supposed to go to the old building site for final inspection.

Mandy called him, crying that the debts from her family were suffocating her, begging him to come over.

Xavier changed course at the last minute and called me, asking me to go to the old building in his place for one last check.

I went.

That building had been abandoned too long. Old materials were still stuck in the walls, and several workers were inside moving things.

I'd just noticed cracks in the west load-bearing wall when I ordered everyone to evacuate immediately.

But it was too late.

When the building collapsed a second time, Adrian was trapped near the most dangerous wall.

I rushed over and pushed him out of the way. I was the one who got crushed underneath.

When they pulled me out, my left leg was covered in blood and my lumbar spine was injured.

The doctors saved my life, but they couldn't save my future.

After that, I couldn't stand for long, couldn't run, couldn't go back to fieldwork.

When the weather turned rainy, my old injury felt like someone was hammering nails into my bones.

Mandy had only been on the outer perimeter that day, getting her arm scratched by debris.

But in these three years, what Xavier remembered was that Mandy trembles whenever it rains, that she cries about nearly dying in that old building.

Meanwhile, dragging my injured leg, I became the one who handled things improperly and traumatized people.

Another rainy day.

I sat on the single sofa in the living room, my left leg stiff and aching.

My support brace lay at my feet. I bent down to fasten the buckle, my fingers trembling with pain.

There was movement at the door.

The driver brought Mandy inside.

She wore my heating blanket draped over her shoulders and had on the soft slippers I kept by the entrance, leaning against Xavier's side.

"The rain outside is too heavy."

Mandy's voice was soft.

"Whenever I hear rain, I think of the sound of the old building collapsing."

Xavier immediately helped her sit down.

He turned and saw me still fastening my brace, his brow furrowing.

"Stop fussing with that leg of yours."

He said.

"Get Mandy some water."

I braced myself against the sofa to stand up. The moment my left leg took weight, my knee buckled.

I fell back onto the sofa, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead.

Xavier's expression darkened immediately.

"The doctor said long ago that you can live normally."

He stared at me.

"Don't use your leg as an excuse every time I need you to do something."

Mandy quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Xavier, don't talk to Charlotte like that."

Her eyes reddened slightly.

"She was injured that day too. Maybe she's really in pain."

Injured too.

Those four words from her mouth were as light as a speck of dust.

Three years of not being able to walk normally, reduced in her mouth to just "injured too."

I didn't argue.

I braced myself against the armrest and stood up again, not letting myself fall this time.

Xavier reached out as if to help me, but Mandy suddenly clutched her chest and drew in a sharp breath.

"I feel a bit suffocated... probably still afraid of the rain."

Xavier withdrew his hand.

He turned to help Mandy, his tone softening. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

I bent down to pick up the brace myself.

The strap scraped against my old injury and my vision went black with pain.

When Xavier looked back, he only saw me bowing my head, slowly tidying up. His voice grew colder.

"Mandy hasn't been able to sleep well whenever it rains these past few years. You should know that."

I looked up at him.

After a moment, I asked, "What temperature for the water?"

Xavier seemed blocked by my calm question and paused.

"Whatever. Just don't make a mess."

Mandy followed behind, wearing that heating blanket, softly reminding me.

"Charlotte, don't make it too cold. I can't drink cold water."

I walked toward the kitchen step by step.

My left leg dragged on the floor, each step heavy.

Steam quickly filled the kitchen.

I leaned against the counter for a long time, waiting for the shooting pain in my leg to pass before continuing.

Mandy stood in the doorway watching the water, then suddenly spoke.

"I still dream about that day three years ago."

I didn't turn around, just adjusted the temperature lower.

Mandy took a step forward, lowering her voice.

"I dream about the wall collapsing, dream about you not listening to advice and insisting on going in to show off."

My hand paused.

Mandy spoke again.

"Have you ever thought these past years that if you'd been more careful that day, I wouldn't have ended up like this."

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

Mandy immediately lowered her eyes, her fingers gripping the doorframe, looking like she'd just been bullied.

Xavier came in, first checking her expression, then looking at me.

He didn't ask what Mandy had said, only saying.

"Hurry up. Don't keep the patient waiting."

I turned off the heat and poured the water into a cup.

The cup was too hot. My wrist trembled and water splashed onto the back of my hand.

My skin immediately turned red.

Xavier saw it and only frowned.

"You can even make a scene out of pouring water."

I pushed the cup onto the tray without touching the burn.

That night, I returned to my room, my leg hurting too much to sleep.

The brace lay beside the bed, the strap still stained with water from the kitchen.

My computer screen glowed with an email at the top.

A preliminary approval notice from the Rescue Research Bureau, sent three minutes ago.

They approved my post-accident field assessment report and required me to submit supplementary materials within three days.

Subsequent procedures involved long-term overseas deployment, communication restrictions, and family risk confirmation.

After reading the email, I took the heating blanket that Mandy had worn during the day from the chair back and placed it at the bottom of a cardboard box.

Then I dragged out the file folder from the old building accident three years ago and placed it on my desk.

Rain still hadn't stopped outside the window.

I filled in the first line in the supplementary materials section.

Outside the door, Xavier's footsteps as he walked Mandy upstairs gradually grew closer.

Charlotte's POV

Early the next morning, I went to the hospital alone.

My left leg had been hurting since last night, and I couldn't straighten my back.

Someone passed by outside the examination room pushing a wheelchair. The sound of wheels rolling over the floor made me briefly lose focus.

The doctor looked at the scan and pushed the report in front of me.

"The old injury hasn't worsened, but there's no room for improvement either."

I looked up.

The doctor continued. "Normal daily life is fine. But standing for long periods, running, entering dangerous sites, or high-load walking. None of that is suitable."

He paused, then added. "If the Rescue Research Bureau wants you doing rear analysis and route assessment, you can manage. But if you want to return to fieldwork, this leg won't allow it."

I picked up the report, my fingers pressing against the paper's edge.

"If I persist with rehabilitation, is there any chance of recovering enough to enter field sites?"

The doctor didn't respond immediately.

He rehung the scan on the light board, the white light illuminating the bone shadows clearly.

"Miss Charlotte, don't gamble with this leg."

I folded the report and stuffed it into my bag.

As I left the examination room, I steadied myself against the wall, but quickly stood on my own.

When I returned to the house, no one was in the living room.

I wanted to put the report back in my room first. Passing the walk-in closet, I found the door open.

My usual robe was gone.

The braces in the drawer had been rifled through, spare support bands tossed on the floor.

I bent down to pick them up, a sharp pain shooting through my side.

Mandy's laughter came from upstairs.

I held the stair rail and went up. The bedroom door was half open.

Mandy stood in front of the mirror wearing my robe, the sleeves casually rolled up.

My brace sat on a chair beside her, pushed aside like some eyesore.

Mandy saw me and looked surprised at first, then said softly.

"Charlotte, you're back? I couldn't sleep last night and grabbed a robe without realizing it was yours."

I walked over and reached for the brace.

Mandy immediately clutched her chest and stepped back half a step.

"Don't come in so suddenly. I just calmed down and you're scaring me."

Xavier came from the other end of the hallway, first steadying Mandy.

"What's wrong?"

Mandy shook her head. "It's nothing. I took the wrong robe and Charlotte might be upset."

I held the brace in my hand.

"This is my rehabilitation equipment. It can't be touched carelessly."

Xavier glanced at the brace, his face already showing impatience.

"The house is so big. Mandy just moved in and isn't familiar yet. It's normal to take the wrong thing."

His voice turned cold. "You don't need to corner her in the room over something so trivial."

I said. "The support band is deformed. It'll affect my walking."

Xavier's eyes swept over my leg.

"You're not going out to run projects anymore anyway. Going one day without it won't hurt."

One sentence, reducing my three years of rehabilitation to useless struggling.

Mandy lowered her head to unbutton the robe, her eyes reddening first.

"Then I'll take it off right now and give it back to Charlotte."

She moved slowly, as if being forced to humiliate herself in public.

Xavier pressed down on her hand.

"Keep wearing it."

After speaking, he turned to look at me.

"You wear something else."

I looked at that robe.

It was what I often wore when my old injury flared up, fabric that had pressed against my numb leg countless times.

Now on Mandy's body, it was as if even my last trace in this house had been tried on by someone else.

I said nothing more and went downstairs with the brace.

There were already two suitcases outside the rehabilitation room door.

I pushed the door open. The handrails were still inside, along with the equipment I used every day to practice walking.

Documents from the old building accident were scattered on the desk. Supplementary materials I'd been organizing last night.

I put the brace back in place and opened my computer to continue writing.

The Rescue Research Bureau required me to supplement details of my on-site assessment from three years ago.

When I wrote "before the second collapse, cracks had appeared in the west load-bearing wall," my hand paused.

That day before I pushed Adrian away, I did hear Mandy screaming on the outer perimeter.

But Mandy was far from the collapse point.

Footsteps sounded at the door.

Mandy had already changed back into her own clothes and stood at the doorway.

She saw the words "old building accident" on the screen and her expression immediately changed.

"Why are you still digging through these things?"

I closed the computer.

"My materials."

Mandy stepped back, her voice trembling.

"Are you determined to drag everyone back to that day? You know I feel terrible when I see these things."

Xavier was quickly called over by her.

Mandy leaned against him, her hands still shaking.

"I just came to apologize to Charlotte, but I didn't expect to see these old building materials. When I saw them, I thought of the wall collapsing that day, thought about how I almost died."

I stood by the desk, the computer already closed.

I looked at Xavier.

"She was on the outer perimeter at the time."

Xavier's expression darkened.

"Are you still distinguishing who was inside and who was outside?"

I said nothing.

Xavier took a step forward, his voice heavier.

"No wonder Mandy hasn't been able to move on these years. You were injured too. You should know better than anyone how terrifying that day was."

Mandy tugged at his sleeve, saying softly. "Xavier, stop it. I don't mind being wronged a little."

Xavier didn't stop.

"She just took the wrong robe and touched your brace, and you put on this attitude."

He stared at me, saying word by word. "You owe Mandy for what happened at the old building."

I stood leaning against the desk edge without responding.

The computer screen went black, reflecting my left leg hanging at my side.

Charlotte's POV

I'd been working on an old building restoration plan for three years.

After the accident at that old building, the barriers were never removed.

The cracks in the walls remained, and families of injured workers never truly dispersed.

Some moved away, some demanded compensation, and some still brought flowers to the ruins every year.

Unable to return to fieldwork, I sat in the rehabilitation room, bit by bit organizing old blueprints, lists of injured people, compensation gaps, and subsequent renovation plans.

I wanted to convert that ruin into a rehabilitation center.

Xavier didn't know about this.

Whenever he saw the words "old building," he would frown and say I was dredging up old accounts to provoke Mandy.

That morning, I printed out the plan, preparing to mail it to the head of the Rescue Research Bureau.

I went to the kitchen to heat some water. When I returned, the rehabilitation room door was open.

Mandy stood at the desk, her water glass tipped over beside her.

My printed plan was completely soaked.

The pages stuck together in a clump, ink bleeding out. The injured persons list and renovation diagrams were blurred beyond recognition.

I stopped in the doorway.

Mandy frantically grabbed tissues to wipe it up, her voice trembling first.

"Charlotte, I was just trying to tidy your desk. I didn't expect the glass to tip over... I start shaking whenever I see anything about the old building."

I walked over and picked up the top page.

The paper had gone soft, the logo in the bottom left corner completely ruined.

Tears quickly fell from Mandy's eyes.

"I really didn't do it on purpose. You know I'm most afraid of the old building, yet you spread these things all over the house."

I looked at her. "Why did you come into the rehabilitation room?"

Mandy's crying paused for a moment, then became even more aggrieved.

"I just wanted to get the shawl I left here last night."

The shawl was on a chair by the door, far from the desk.

When Xavier came in, I was peeling apart the soaked plan page by page.

The pages were stuck too tightly. The slightest touch would tear them.

Mandy went to him first.

"Xavier, I've caused trouble... I saw the old building materials and my hand slipped, knocking over the water glass. Charlotte seems really angry."

Xavier swept his eyes over the desk full of wet papers, his brow furrowed.

He didn't ask what those papers were, only asking me. "Why did you take out old building materials again?"

I said. "The restoration plan. I've been working on it for three years."

"Three years?"

Xavier's expression grew worse.

"Instead of properly resting your leg these three years, you've been clinging to that accident every day. No wonder there's no peace in this house."

I set aside the torn diagram.

"That ruin can't just sit there rotting, and the people injured that year still haven't been properly settled."

Xavier cut me off directly. "Don't use those words to pressure people."

He shielded Mandy behind him, his voice cold and hard.

"Mandy gets scared just seeing old building materials. You spread this stuff around the house, frighten her like this, and still want to lecture people?"

Mandy said quietly. "Xavier, I can't repay Charlotte for three years of hard work."

Hearing this, Xavier became even more impatient.

"It's just some worthless papers. You don't need to repay her."

I looked up at him.

"Do you know how many injured families are in this plan?"

Xavier paused, then quickly looked away.

"If you really want to compensate those people, first learn not to keep provoking the living person in front of you."

My hand still pressed on the wet paper, my fingertips covered in spreading ink.

I didn't ask anything more.

Xavier said. "Apologize to Mandy."

Mandy immediately tugged his sleeve. "Forget it, Xavier, I'm fine..."

Xavier looked at me.

"She just moved in. Her physical and emotional state are both unstable. You can't keep scaring her with old matters."

I looked down at that pile of ruined plan.

"I'm sorry."

My tone was flat.

Mandy froze, as if she hadn't expected me to back down so quickly.

Xavier also frowned, the reprimand he'd prepared stuck in his throat.

I turned to get a garbage bag and loaded the soaked papers in stack by stack.

Xavier stood in the doorway without leaving.

Mandy tugged his sleeve, saying she felt dizzy. Only then did he help her leave.

After the door closed, the rehabilitation room grew quiet.

I sat back at the desk and opened my computer.

There was still a backup in the cloud.

I redownloaded it and checked the attachments. Then I packaged everything. The injured persons list, renovation diagrams, risk assessment tables, and field assessment notes.

The director had sent an email this morning urging me to submit supplementary materials.

I uploaded the compressed file and wrote in the notes: The old building restoration plan can serve as proof of on-site assessment capability and may also be referenced for future assignments.

After sending successfully, a receipt quickly appeared in my inbox.

I picked up the last small piece of wet paper from the desk and threw it in the garbage bag.

Only half a line remained on the paper: Rehabilitation Center Preliminary Plan.

Upstairs came the sound of Xavier coaxing Mandy to rest.

I closed the rehabilitation room door and began organizing the remaining materials in the cabinet.

Charlotte's POV

At breakfast, Mandy cradled a mug of hot water, dark circles under her eyes.

"I couldn't sleep all night. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the old building collapsing."

Xavier had the servants change her to a guest room.

But Mandy shook her head.

"The guest room is too dark. That room at the end of the hall has good lighting and handrails by the door. I'd feel safer there."

That was my rehabilitation room.

I put down my knife and fork.

"There's rehabilitation equipment and old building materials inside. It can't be used as a bedroom."

Mandy immediately lowered her head.

"I was just making a suggestion. I don't want to make things difficult for you."

Xavier looked at me and said directly. "Move your things out."

I reminded him. "That room is where I practice with my leg every day."

Xavier set down his chopsticks.

"You've been practicing with that leg for three years and this is all it amounts to. Going without the room for a few days won't make it worse."

I got up and went to the rehabilitation room.

I dismantled the wall-mounted handrails. When I bent over, my side hurt so badly I had to lean against the desk edge to recover.

Mandy stood in the doorway, softly saying she could stay elsewhere, but her words never strayed from how this room had good lighting, was close to Xavier at night, and how someone could hear her if she got scared.

Xavier walked in and saw me moving slowly, frowning.

"Don't dawdle."

I put the braces into a cardboard box.

"These can't be touched carelessly."

Xavier didn't even look closely.

"Mandy won't touch your junk."

Mandy immediately said quietly. "I'm afraid of breaking Charlotte's things and having her blame me again."

Xavier immediately said to me. "Take the important materials too, so there won't be problems later that get blamed on Mandy."

I loaded the old building materials into boxes stack by stack without responding.

Adrian came upstairs from below, holding a package.

He saw me holding old building materials and stopped.

"Organizing that accident from three years ago again?"

Before I could answer, Mandy stiffened.

Adrian looked down and saw the old building floor plan peeking out of the file folder, his brow furrowing.

"I keep dreaming about that wall lately."

Xavier's movements stopped.

Adrian clutched the package, his voice hesitant. "I dream about someone pushing me out from underneath."

The hallway suddenly went quiet.

Xavier looked at him.

Adrian continued. "That person seemed to be..."

Mandy's cup knocked against the doorframe with a sound.

Her face went pale as she held onto the doorframe saying. "Xavier, I'm dizzy."

Xavier immediately went to help her.

Adrian wanted to continue but was interrupted by Mandy's gasping.

Xavier looked back, his tone dropping. "Don't bring up old matters here. Go back to your room and rest."

Adrian looked at him, then at me, and finally went downstairs clutching his package.

I pressed the floor plan back into the file folder and continued packing boxes.

The rehabilitation room quickly emptied.

After the handrails were removed, only a row of screw holes remained on the wall.

Braces, support bands, old building materials, and my computer were packed into two boxes that I pushed to the end of the hallway.

Mandy sat by the window wearing that heating blanket, saying softly.

"This room really is more comfortable than the guest room."

Xavier had the servants move a bed in and told me.

"Don't stand blocking the doorway."

I leaned on the boxes to drag them out, my left leg lagging several steps behind.

Xavier watched me, seeming like he wanted to say something, but finally only reminded me.

"Don't dirty the stairs."

I dragged the boxes back to the bedroom and opened the Rescue Research Bureau email page.

The official notice had arrived.

Supplementary materials approved. The next step required my current spouse to sign the family risk waiver.

After confirmation, I could enter closed review.

I sat on the floor and separated the two boxes of materials again.

Old building accident materials, rehabilitation records, and restoration plan backups on one side.

Marital property documents, old building compensation details, and family risk waiver on the other.

I tucked the risk waiver into the middle of the property settlement materials, then folded the pages so only the signature line showed.

Downstairs, Xavier had the servants change Mandy's bedding.

Mandy asked in the rehabilitation room. "Can the curtains be changed to a lighter color? I'm afraid of darkness."

Xavier said. "Change them."

I heard it.

I sealed the document envelope and put it in my bag.

Then I placed the rehabilitation room key on the desk.

Charlotte's POV

That night, I received a call from the Bureau director.

He said my old building restoration plan and field assessment materials had passed preliminary review.

Especially my assessment of changes in the west load-bearing wall before the second collapse. It was very useful for the dangerous building early warning model.

I glanced at the door and lowered my voice.

"What else is needed going forward?"

The director explained the process clearly.

After entering the Rescue Research Bureau, I would be deployed overseas long-term.

Mission sites would mostly be in collapse zones, post-disaster buildings, and overseas dangerous building sites.

Communications would be managed uniformly by the Bureau. Family members couldn't contact freely.

Once review began, personal itinerary and files would be protected.

I gripped the phone and asked.

"Will my leg be grounds for rejection?"

The other end paused for a few seconds.

"The Bureau doesn't only need people who can run into sites."

The director said, "We also need people who can assess before an accident happens. Where will collapse, how to evacuate, which routes to use for entry and exit."

My hand moved to my left leg.

That leg had hurt for three years. Finally someone was saying I wasn't useless.

The director continued.

"The next step requires your current spouse to sign the family risk waiver. After signing, family members have no authority to interfere with deployment during missions, nor can they demand termination of closed management based on marital status."

"How long?"

"Three days. After that the slot moves to the next candidate."

I said.

"I'll handle it."

As soon as I hung up, the door was pushed open.

Xavier stood in the doorway.

"Who were you talking to?"

I minimized the email window.

"About the old building compensation."

Xavier's expression immediately turned cold.

"Mandy just moved in. The house should avoid mentioning the old building."

I put down my phone. "I'll handle it all cleanly as soon as possible."

Xavier walked to the desk and flipped through the stack of old building compensation details.

"Planning to use money to make a point again?"

I didn't deny it. "Some old debts need settling."

Xavier sneered. "You're best at playing the victim these years. If you really want to settle things, Mandy should get a share too."

I followed his lead. "That's fine. The compensation can be divided with her, she can keep using the rehabilitation room. As long as the documents get signed clearly afterward."

Xavier had been about to lose his temper, but hearing this he stopped instead.

He stared at me, as if trying to see whether I was making trouble again.

I handed him an ordinary settlement form.

"No rush. When all the materials are ready, we'll sign together."

Xavier glanced at it without looking closely and tossed the paper back on the desk.

"If you'd been like this earlier, there'd be a lot less trouble in this house."

After he left, I reorganized the documents.

On top I placed the old building compensation division form. In the middle I tucked the rehabilitation room usage confirmation, personal property transfer list, and family risk waiver. At the bottom I placed a draft commitment to no longer pursue the matter with the family after the old building accident.

Every page was real.

Xavier would just see the pages he wanted to see first.

I attached sticky note tabs to each signature line.

Downstairs, Mandy called Xavier, saying the rehabilitation room was missing a bedside lamp.

Xavier had the servants buy a new one.

I tucked the last risk waiver back into the envelope.

In the early morning hours, the Bureau sent supplementary mission details.

It listed several collapse zones about to be assessed, plus a risk sample for overseas old city renovation.

I read through it line by line, opened my field assessment notes, and marked several similar structures.

My left leg still ached, everything below the knee going numb in waves.

I didn't take painkillers.

I scanned my notes into the computer and put them in the same folder as the electronic copy of the risk waiver.

I renamed the folder: Materials Before Leaving.

Near dawn, the rehabilitation room door at the other end of the hall opened.

Mandy asked Xavier to watch the sunrise with her.

I closed the computer. The document envelope was already in my bag.

Charlotte's POV

On the third day, the rain fell even harder.

My leg started hurting early in the morning, and I couldn't straighten my back.

I'd planned to give Xavier the documents before he left for work, but Mandy was calling from the rehabilitation room early saying she was cold.

Xavier didn't go to the office and stayed in the room to keep her company at breakfast.

I stood at the top of the stairs and watched him cool Mandy's milk for her, then separate her pills one by one onto a tissue.

That desk used to hold my rehabilitation records.

Now it held Mandy's aromatherapy diffuser, cups, and snack boxes.

I didn't go in. I put the envelope back in my bag and turned to go downstairs.

The painkillers were in the living room table drawer, still several steps from the sofa.

I held the stair railing and went down. When I reached the table, my left leg suddenly gave out.

I braced myself against the sofa and bent down to pull the drawer, only to find it locked.

The key used to be right on the table.

Now it was gone.

I looked up and called to Xavier.

"Help me get the spare key."

Xavier leaned out from upstairs, his face full of impatience.

"What now?"

"The painkillers are in the drawer. My leg hurts badly."

In the rehabilitation room, Mandy coughed softly.

Xavier glanced back, then turned around again.

"Find it yourself. Mandy just took her medicine. Don't disturb her."

I said. "The key is missing."

Xavier's voice turned cold. "With so many people in this house, your medicine is the most troublesome."

I leaned against the table for a while, then went to the entrance cabinet to find the spare key myself.

Halfway there, my left leg suddenly seized up.

I crashed into the corner of the cabinet, my knee hitting the floor hard.

A dull thud sounded in the entryway.

Xavier finally came down from upstairs.

His first glance went toward the rehabilitation room.

"Did Mandy get scared?"

Mandy stood at the doorway wearing a cardigan, saying.

"I'm fine... Charlotte seems to have fallen."

Only then did Xavier see me kneeling on the floor.

He walked over, frowning.

"You can even fall looking for a key?"

I said.

"Leg cramp."

Xavier didn't help me up.

"Stop making yourself look like this, as if the whole family owes you."

I braced myself against the cabinet door and slowly stood up.

My knee was scraped, a bit of blood seeping through my pant leg.

I reached for the spare key.

Xavier saw the blood and his expression shifted slightly.

Mandy suddenly held onto the doorframe, her voice weakening.

"Xavier, I heard that sound just now and thought of the old building that day. My heart is racing."

Xavier immediately went to help her.

"Go back and sit down."I got the keys and opened the drawer myself, taking out the painkillers.

My hand wasn't steady when pouring water. The pills dropped onto the floor.

Xavier passed through the living room helping Mandy and saw me crouching on the floor picking up pills. He only said.

"Don't dirty the floor."

I picked up the pills into a tissue but didn't take them.

After the living room grew quiet again, I threw those pills in the trash.

I didn't treat the wound or look for new medicine.

I returned to my room and took out the envelope I'd prepared long ago.

The old building compensation division form was on top, the rehabilitation room usage confirmation and personal property transfer list pressed in the middle, and the family risk waiver tucked in the back half of the stack.

I rechecked each signature line, then placed the page showing Mandy could receive compensation in the most prominent position.

Upstairs, Xavier was coaxing Mandy.

"I won't let you hear that kind of noise again."

I fastened the envelope and placed it by the door.

When Xavier came downstairs, I would hand him this envelope of documents.

I could leave him soon.