After their evening meal, Elise assisted James with his bath routine as she always did.

She gave him a storybook to read independently while she went to take her own bath.

Undressing, she caught her reflection in the mirror and noticed an extensive purple bruise marring her hip.

Every slight movement sent sharp twinges through her body, but she clenched her teeth and completed her bathing ritual.

Changing into sleepwear, she retrieved a medicinal cream from the emergency medical supplies.

Positioning herself before the full-length mirror in the living area, she lifted her shirt and slightly lowered her pajama bottoms.

She exposed the injured area to make the application process easier.

Just as she prepared to administer the treatment, her eyes widened in surprise.

The mirror reflected William approaching from the living room shadows.

He seemed to have been observing her for some time without her awareness.

Elise immediately pulled down her shirt and adjusted her trousers, her expression darkening.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded sharply.

She distinctly remembered changing her door's security code specifically to prevent his unauthorized entries.

His presence here defied all her precautions.

"James let me in," William stated simply.

Elise pressed her lips together.

She had prepared for countless scenarios, but never anticipated her own son's betrayal.

Still, she forced herself to maintain composure.

"Why are you here? To take James home? He's preparing for bed, and tomorrow's the weekend—I think he should stay."

William had closed the distance between them until he stood mere inches away, looking down at her with intense focus.

The lighting in Elise's residence remained deliberately soft, with only the area around the tall mirror brightly illuminated.

With William standing with the light source behind him, his presence seemed particularly ominous.

"What do you want?" Elise asked warily.

Without warning, William lifted the edge of her sleep shirt.

"William!" she exclaimed sharply.

"I thought you claimed you weren't injured," William murmured, his gaze fixed on the swollen, discolored bruise covering her hip.

The injury looked truly severe.

"It's nothing compared to Victoria's—"

"Do you genuinely not know how to admit when you're in pain?" he interrupted.

"It's just a minor impact. The appearance is worse than the actual—Ah!"

Elise gasped suddenly as William's fingers pressed directly against the bruised area.

The unexpected pressure made the pain unbearable.

Even as she gritted her teeth and shot him a venomous glare, he told her, "When something hurts, say so. Stop pretending."

Elise remained silent.

"Now lift your shirt," he instructed.

"William."

"Don't concern yourself. I maintained self-control even when you were under medication's influence. Do you truly believe I'd lose control seeing you like this?"

Elise decided not to argue—not because William's apparent indifference upset her, but because he examined her body with such casual familiarity.

Victoria was supposedly his fiancée, while they were essentially strangers.

As always, William read her thoughts with unsettling accuracy.

Shrugging, he remarked, "I've already become acquainted with every part of you anyway."

Elise refused to continue this exchange—or more accurately, she never could match him in verbal sparring.

She simply turned her back toward William, watching through the mirror as he focused completely on applying the medicinal cream to her injury.

His movements were exceptionally gentle, clearly concerned about causing her additional discomfort.

She could barely feel his touch.

The room descended into complete silence, neither of them speaking.

Elise continued restraining her reactions as much as possible, while William remained entirely focused on treating her wound.