After saying this, he didn’t give her time to explain but abruptly lifted the sheet covering the sofa. Khanyi knew that underneath lay a black uniform coat, his coat, which he hadn’t worn because the weather was warm.
This discovery clearly surprised the tall policeman; perhaps he had initially thought something unspeakable was hidden beneath. He instinctively grasped the collar of the finely crafted uniform, looking at the black trench coat in his hands with a puzzled expression.
The straight shoulder lines bore two shoulder insignias, with golden threads and shiny stars, so obvious. A look of disbelief flashed in the man’s eyes. Above the left b****t of the uniform, there was also a unique eagle emblem.
The main body of the badge was the same as what every soldier wore—a single eagle—but the two crossed golden arrows on either side of the oak leaves below were different. After clearly seeing these details, the tall man’s expression finally changed dramatically. Another police officer, equally serious, stepped forward, glancing at Khanyi while whispering a few words in his ear.
“I’m very sorry, ma’am, for disturbing your rest. We are currently on a mission; please understand,” the man said, his tone shifting from unusual to humble, as he carefully placed the uniform on the table.
Khanyi didn’t want to waste more words with them. She stood there for a long time in her knee-length lace nightgown, feeling the coolness between her bare legs.
“Gentlemen, what do you want?” Khanyi turned to see the plainclothes officer who had been guarding her door all day. She didn’t know where he had gone just now, but it was clear he had arrived at the right moment. He seemed to have sensed the situation’s development. His right hand, which had been buried in his coat, didn’t pull out a gun but instead produced a similar round badge, confronting the few men in black inside the room. The guard’s gray eyes fixed on them, raising an eyebrow, and he asked with some dissatisfaction, “Are you from Division V? I’m from Division I…”
Khanyi stepped back a few paces into the bedroom, tightly closing her legs and sitting on the sofa, not wanting to listen to their quiet murmurs.
“I think… there’s been some misunderstanding, but it has been resolved now,” the tall policeman said with an awkward smile.
“I’m very sorry, sir, for interrupting your official duties. I apologize, ma’am.” They were completely different from the aggressive pack of dogs they had been when they entered, now moving lightly like docile kittens, politely taking their leave and quickly exiting the room, softly closing the door behind them.
“Miss Gianna, I’m very sorry. I just heard some commotion downstairs, so I went to investigate. I didn’t expect you to be disturbed,” the guard said, diligently holding the door for her, even more seriously than the previous one, almost not leaving her side. She didn’t know if the person named “Ethan” had been replaced because he hadn’t stopped her from buying a bag of gingerbread across the square in time.
“It’s okay, thank you for helping me out,” Khanyi forced a smile at him, glancing around at the mess in the room.
“I’ll help you clean up,” he quickly offered.
“No need, I’ll do it myself.” She bent down to pick up the scattered sofa cushions on the living room floor.
“But… what about this?” He wouldn’t leave, standing at the door and looking at her.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him,” she looked up at the guard’s gray eyes, stepped forward, and gently closed the door to the room.
After washing his clothes and hanging them out to dry on the balcony, she climbed back into bed, continuing to stare at the television, munching on the remaining half bag of gingerbread. It was still a music program, and the soprano singer was performing energetically, but her gaze was vacant.
That night, he returned late again, as he had been these days. He was busy until after 9 o’clock, never having the chance to have dinner with her. He kissed her on the lips briefly before putting down his briefcase and heading into the bathroom. She took his heavy black leather bag and placed it in the cupboard in the inner room, then found a clean set of clothes from the wardrobe. She could hear the sound of water splashing in the bathroom. After a while, he emerged shirtless, and she stood by, handing him the clothes. He smiled and asked, “Did you wash these?”
“Mm.” Her face unknowingly turned red as she buried her head and softly replied.
“You could have had Kevin take them to the laundry; you don’t have to wash them yourself.” He was drying his hair with a white towel in front of the mirror, his golden hair still damp, appearing a bit darker. Once it dried, it would turn into that light golden color reminiscent of a summer beach.
“There wasn’t much to do…” She stood on her tiptoes, helping him wipe the droplets of water that dripped from his hair onto his neck.
Turning her head, she pinched the sleeve of his uniform hanging on the hanger, checking the collar and cuffs. “I just finished it off.” On the black fabric of the right sleeve, there were some dark stains that were hard to see unless looked at closely. She scratched at them with her finger; the few spots of dirt had seeped into the fabric. “The uniform is a bit dirty; this probably needs to go to the laundry. It won’t be smooth without an iron.”
“No, no need; there are professionals for that.” He held her back, snatched the uniform from her hands, and hung it back on the hanger, then leaned down and captured her lips, pulling her into his arms.
