Depression

Knock.

A single, loud knock echoed resoundingly through the spacious mansion. The grandfather clock's chimes a moment earlier seemed weak and timid in comparison.

Quiet scurrying seemed to fill the otherwise silent manor as Veronica tiptoed down the stairs to the door.

She didn't respond to his knock for a moment as she tried to calm her furiously beating heart.

'Ooh, I need to calm down.' She shook her hands and her head, trying to ease her tension.

'I don't know for certain, but it can't be anything else, can it?

'What else could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until the morning?

'He must have been overcome by his love for me and been unable to wait any longer,' she swooned internally.

Immediately after hanging up with Roland, Veronica had dashed to her bedroom to ready herself for his visit.

She'd opted to not apply any make-up, keeping her face au natural. Instead, she'd readied herself by perfecting her long, glossy, blonde hair and changing into a fresh tighter-fitting nightgown.

That night, she truly was the personification of innocent, untainted beauty.

Knock.

Another loud, sharp knock shook the door and stirred Veronica from her reverie. She quickly glided across the room and turned the handle.

As she gracefully opened the door, the moonlight fell on her voluptuous body, concealed only by a thin nightgown.

She expectantly looked up at Roland, only to find that, in sharp contrast to herself, Roland cut a sorry figure as the moonlight fell on the back of his head, casting his face in a dark, depressing shadow.

The radiant smile on Veronica's face faltered when she saw this sight, and her mind fell into disarray. The previously happy, joyous thoughts quickly dissipated, only to be replaced with worries.

'That is not a happy face…

'He looks devastated by something.

'Argh, it doesn't look like this will be good news. Tsk, I got my hopes up for nothing…'

'Unless… could it be that he's overcome with anxiety at his upcoming proposal? He's simply nervous about what he's about to say.'

As expected on Veronica, the expert hacker who was stalking her lover, her negative thoughts only lasted for a moment before the optimistic hopes returned.

Before Veronica could revel in her thoughts any longer, Roland dragged her back to reality.

"Hello…" His tone was heavy, and his voice was dripping with sorrow and depression.

That one word struck fear into Veronica's heart; this definitely wasn't a proposal. Her brows furrowed on her otherwise perfectly smooth face as she fell into a moment of thought.

'Seriously, what could it be? Why is he here?'

As she thought that, she seemed to remember something. 'Ah, when I was changing a few minutes ago, the light seemed to be flickering. Now that I think about it, my computer was most likely flashing, trying to alert me of something, could it be that…'

Despite that sudden worrying thought, Veronica quickly recovered her smile and returned the greeting. "Hi, Roland. Come in. What are you doing here so lat—"

"… Nightingale."