Episode 36 — "The House That Can’t Be Rebuilt"

Episode 36 — "The House That Can’t Be Rebuilt"
"Miss Rae, are you sure you want to go out this early? Aren’t you still sick?"

The voice came from the kitchen, soft and polite, as if afraid to disturb her. A woman in her fifties stood at the doorway, wearing a grey apron and holding a small towel in her hand.

Rae didn’t answer right away. She was tightening the laces of her shoes, then stood up and took a deep breath.

"My body feels a little better now… maybe I’m getting well," Rae said quietly, her voice respectful toward the older woman.
The maid looked unsure. “But… the air is still cold, Miss. I can make you some warm milk first, or—”

“It’s okay, Ma’am,” Rae cut in gently, though her tone was flat. She pulled her hoodie up, covering her neck and part of her face. “I just need… to move a little.”
“At least take this scarf with you. Morning air can be unfriendly, Lady” the maid said, offering her a thin cream-colored wool scarf.

Rae looked at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Thank you, Ma'am.”

She took the scarf and wrapped it once around her neck. The ticking of the wall clock seemed louder than usual, like it was the only reminder that time was still moving....

Her steps were slow, as if she was just learning to trust her own body again. As her foot reached the bottom step, the morning wind greeted her like something unfamiliar. Cold, but not cruel.

"If I stay still for too long, I’ll drown… But if I move, can I still find my way home?"

That question echoed in Rae’s head. She didn’t expect an answer. But this morning, she decided to just walk anyway.

“Miss Rae!” the maid called again, gently, before Rae fully stepped out of the house.
Rae turned from the doorway.

“I don’t know what you’re fighting, Miss… But I hope, whatever it is, you win....”

Rae didn’t reply. But she looked at the woman, and her eyes slowly softened. She gave a quiet nod.



She walked through the neighborhood, past the gates of Kenny’s house, out of the circle of tight security. The streets were wide, clean, and empty. The trees were trimmed neatly. The air was fresh, but felt too clean. Too… artificial.

A security guard stood near the gate. He bowed his head as Rae passed, saying nothing. Rae nodded slightly.
A soft tune played in her mind like a background score, but the sound of her footsteps was the only thing she really heard. The world felt quiet....

She kept walking. Slowly, it turned into a light jog. Her body still felt heavy, but she didn’t want to stop. Every movement was an act of defiance.

She passed a small garden with wooden benches and a fish pond. When she first arrived at Kenny’s house, she had sat there once. Now, that spot felt like a mirror, reflecting a more fragile version of herself.

“I’m not going back to that version of me,” she whispered to herself, breath short.

At the end of a quiet corner, she saw someone standing.
Tall. Still and Strong.

NATHAN....

He didn’t move. He just watched her. His eyes were full of things, pain, longing, uncertainty. Like someone lost in a place that used to be home.

Rae stopped walking....

Her breath caught in her throat. The world seemed to slow down. It was like a camera had switched to slow motion. 
Their eyes met. No words. No wind. Just the look between two broken souls who were still connected....

“Nathan…” The name barely escaped her lips.

Rae stepped forward.
One step. Two. Then faster. An unseen gravity pulled her toward him. She broke into a small run and fell into Nathan’s arms.

Her tears made no sound. But her body trembled. Her hands gripped Nathan’s jacket as if she was afraid everything would disappear again.
Nathan said nothing. He just held her. His warm arms wrapped around Rae gently, like they were telling her, 'I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.'

Rae rested her face against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. It was real. Not a dream. Not an illusion.
"My home… it’s gone, Nathan..." she whispered softly, barely audible.

Nathan lowered his head, his lips brushing against Rae’s temple.
"I know, Rae..." he said gently. "But now, you have a home inside of me."

Rae closed her eyes. Her tears still came without sound, but they were calmer now.

After a while, Nathan added, “We… Vina and I… we tried to reach you when your house was about to be torn down. But all access to you was blocked. We couldn’t call, we couldn’t find you...”

Rae took a slow breath. “I thought… back then, I was alone.”
“You were never alone, Rae. Sometimes… we’re just hidden from each other.”

Rae gave a small nod, her cheek still resting on his chest. “Are you still the same Nathan?”
“The one who stood and waited for you, even when you disappeared. So… maybe yes,” Nathan replied.

They stood there like that for a moment longer. Then slowly, Rae let go of the hug. Her eyes were still wet, but her face didn’t look as heavy as before. There was color on her cheeks. There was life again in her gaze.

“Thank you, Nathan… for always there for me.”
Nathan nodded. “I didn’t know where else to go either. So I came back… to the last place I had hope.”



Far down the street, a black car had stopped. The engine was off. It sat still, hidden between the quiet trees of the morning...

The front window was rolled down just a little. A small dashboard camera was on, its tiny lens pointing at two figures in the distance, Rae and Nathan. Still standing too close. Too long.

In the back seat, a man leaned into the shadows. His face didn’t show. Only the faint reflection of his outline was visible on a tablet screen. 
His fingers were long and calm, and on one of them, a dark ring with the Blackwood emblem quietly shined.

There was no sound. No sudden moves. Only stillness that was too perfect, like a hunter waiting, calculating before the strike.
He looked at the screen and typed one short message:

“Sir, the same person has returned...”

The message was sent.
No reply came.

Because the man they called “Sir”… was already watching from his own balcony.

Kenny Blackwood...

He stood still, his eyes fixed on the street below, where Rae and Nathan stood together. His hand gripped the edge of the glass railing, not moving at all.
The wind pushed his hair slightly, but his body remained steady. Hard. Like stone. His eyes were cold, not with anger, but with sharp calculation.

He had known Nathan would come back. He had even guessed when. But what caught Kenny’s attention was the way Rae leaned into that man’s chest. 
Not with fear. Not with hesitation. But… as if she had given in.

And that could not be allowed.

Not because Kenny was jealous.
But because it broke the order.

The order he had built so far...

He took a sip from the matte black mug in his hand, then said something under his breath. No sound, just the slight movement of his lips:
“If that boy keeps disturbing Rae’s peace… then it’s time he remembers who owns all of this.”

Stillness. Silence. His eyes returned to the screen inside the room, where the signal from the black car’s camera still showed.

Kenny didn’t tell anyone to act tonight.
Because men like him… don’t react.

They set the reaction.....