Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday - Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Rune’s Half-Truth (III)

The confrontation between Grace and Rune was fruitless as the latter refused to reveal the truth that he was hiding, leaving Grace torn and frustrated.

In the end, she threw him out of her apartment with a clear warning – he needed to decide if he wanted to be her friend or enemy.

“What are you going to do if he refused to tell the truth?” Dr. Kian asked the next evening as he helped Grace with the preparation of dinner. Everyone was invited for dinner.

The living room had already been arranged for the dinner. The couches and tables were replaced with a long dinning table where about twenty-six people could sit comfortably.

Grace didn’t look up and continued to cut the tomatoes as she answered in an emotionless tone, “I will kill him since he knows too much about us. Living an enemy alive is the worst thing I can do in our situation.”

There was a long silence following her words before Dr. Kian finally spoke again – “I thought you two were close.” It was hard to tell what he was thinking just by his tone, and Grace couldn’t make herself look up at his face, knowing that she didn’t want to see him looking disappointed with her.

She inhaled deeply as she shifted her attention to chopping onions as soon as she was done with the tomatoes. “I’m close to no one, Doc. Every time I decide to trust someone, I end up regretting it.”

She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of response she was expecting from Dr. Kian, but she definitely didn’t anticipate him suddenly taking hold of her wrist and finally forcing her to turn to face him.

He was standing right there, towering over her as he looked down straight into her eyes. His deep blue orbs were soft as he spoke, “Don’t talk like that, Grace. It feels like you are giving up on the word ‘trust’, and doing so will only make it hard for you to continue living a peaceful and safe life in future. You can’t go around doubting everyone around you. That’s not how life works.”

Grace’s lips twitched slightly with a smile, but there was no humor in it. “My life works little differently, Doc. If I will go around trusting anyone and everyone, I will end up losing everything all over again.”

Silence once again settled between them, and she noticed his eyes softening even further. For a moment, it almost looked like he was staring right into her soul. And then, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

The knife, that she had been holding in her hand all this time, dropped from her fingers and landed on the cutting board. She, on the other hand, was too stunned to even react properly.

She just stood there while he hugged her as if she was some lost child and he couldn’t help but share some of his warmth with her. She wasn’t sure for how long they stood like that, but when he finally pulled apart and stepped back, she immediately felt the loss of his warmth.

After Rune and Davian, Dr. Kian was the third person who had hugged her in this lifetime, and just like the previous two, he too made her feel warm, safe, and at ease in his strong arms.

“Why did you do that?” She found herself asking, wanting to know exactly what was going on in his head that made him hug her all of a sudden.

“I just don’t want you to think of everything so negatively. Trusting people isn’t a bad thing, even when it ends up badly. Just because of one bad experience, you can’t stop trusting people. Maybe you can take your time, but you should give people the chance they deserve to earn your trust.”

“Do you think I haven’t given Rune a chance?” She asked, tilting her head to the side to look at him.

Dr. Kian smiled softly and slolwy shook his head before answering, “Considering he’s a member of our team, I’m sure he has long received his chance. It also means that something about him made you show some level of trust in him.”

He stopped to take a deep breath. At the same time, he reached out to take hold of one of her hands, his gaze shifting to their joined hands as he continued, “All I’m saying is that since you once thought that he’s worth trusting, don’t give up on him this quickly. I know that you are rethinking your choice because of his recent action and his choice of keeping things secret from you, but…”

When he trailed off and appeared thoughtful, Grace was forced to press him to continue. “But what, Dr. Kian?”

He finally looked up, his gaze once again locking on hers as he spoke, “But maybe he has his reasons to stay silent this time. I’m not asking you to trust him blindly, I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be too quick to discard him.”

Grace was surpised to hear him speaking in favor of Rune. She wasn’t sure why, but she never expected anyone to speak in favor of him, let alone Dr. Kian all of the people.

For a while, she said nothing, but then she inhaled deeply and slolwy nodded her head in understanding. Thinking about all that he had told her, she found herself asking, “Why are you speaking in his favor? As far as I know, the two of you are barely on talking terms?”

Dr. Kian chuckled softly, his smile growing a bit warmer as he released her hand and leaned against the kitchen counter. “You are right about that. Rune and I don’t see eye to eye on most things. He’s brash, reckless, and keeps way too much to himself. But… that doesn’t mean he’s untrustworthy. Sometimes, people carry burdens they aren’t ready to share, even with those they care about. And while I haven’t interacted with him much expect for during the training sessions, I can’t ignore the fact that he’s been loyal to you and the team.”

Grace narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to decipher his words. “You think he cares about the team?”

“I think he cares about you, Grace,” Dr. Kian said in matter-of-fact but gentle tone. “I have seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one’s watching. There’s more to his silence than just secrecy – it’s fear. Fear of losing whatever bond you two have created over the past two months.”

Grace frowned as the weight of his words settled uncomfortably in her chest. She wanted to dismiss the idea outright, but a part of her hesitated. Could Rune’s actions really stem from fear rather than deceit? Was it possible that his silence was really a misguided attempt to protect her?

Before she could respond, the sound of voices drifted in from the living room. The rest of the team had started to arrive, their laughter and chatter echoed through the apartment.

“We should finish up here,” she muttered, turning back to the cutting board to resume chopping vegetables. “I don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

Dr. Kian watched her for a moment before he nodded and stepped back to his own task. “Of course. But think about what I said, Grace. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is also the right thing.”

The dinner that followed was lively, with the team sharing stories, jokes, and updates about their conditions. Grace was sitting at the head of the table, lost in thoughts. Her gaze kept drifting toward Rune, who was sitting near the end of the table, quiet and withdrawn. He had barely touched his food and his eyes were fixed on some distant point as he looked lost in his own thoughts.

Dr. Kian’s words echoed in her mind, mixing with her own doubts and frustrations. She couldn’t deny that Rune had been a valuable member of their team so far, always stepping up when they needed him most. But his refusal to share the truth still felt like a betrayal, a crack in the trust they had worked so hard to build.

As the dinner came to an end, she finally made her decision. She rose from her seat, drawing the room’s attention with a sharp clearing of her throat.

“Thank you all joining me for dinner,” she began in a steady voice despite the turmoil in her chest. “Before we call it a night, I need to say something. To Rune.”

The room fell silent and all eyes turned to the man in question. As for Rune, he straightened in his seat with an unreadable expression on his face as he met her gaze.

“I don’t know what you are hiding,” Grace said in a firm tone but still not sounding unkind. “But I’m giving you one last chance to come clean. Not for me, but for the team. We deserve to know what we are up against. And if you can’t trust us enough to share the truth… then maybe you don’t belong here.”

The words hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, no one moved or spoke. Then, slowly, Rune stood with his gaze locked on hers.

“I’ll think about it,” he said simply before turning and leaving the room.

The door closed behind him with a soft click, and Grace exhaled, feeling a mix of relief and regret. Both Davian and Dr. Kian caught her eyes from across the table, offering her small nods of encouragement.

For now, all she could do was wait.