Red Hood stepped closer, drawing Leila’s attention.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3FfUExecV
His figure, cloaked in red and black, stood out starkly under the warm, dim lighting. The moment he entered the restaurant, the atmosphere shifted—no longer a quiet, elegant dinner, but something heavy, almost suffocating.
Leila looked up, her eyes as calm as always.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXX6TInbef
No surprise.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KPI3DGRZf
No joy.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uIT0oB4O5
No accusation.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KmjN6GwFe
She simply rose to her feet and, with one precise, wordless glance, scanned him from head to toe—as if seeing through everything.
She didn’t speak. She never needed to. Just a nod, a small gesture—an invitation to sit.
Red Hood’s back tensed instantly.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUen5AGPFIY
That expression—he couldn’t read it.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61xRTOkUmf
And when she was calm like this, she was more terrifying than any enemy.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjSu8htRge
He sat down, hesitant. Beneath the helmet, his eyes flicked around like he was looking for an escape route.
Leila opened a small box beside her. Inside were several thick cards, edges neatly pressed—clearly prepared ahead of time. She pulled one out and handed it over.
Red Hood reached out, almost reluctantly. The card felt heavier than any bullet.
"What do you think of me?"
A simple question.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ471Cu5FRfa
But it hit like a meteor.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigYiNN9KO8
He nearly bolted from the table.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE5a5z5lKW
Was this a trap? A test? An emotional ambush?309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOIoTbaOiQ
His mind scrambled for the right answer—too perfect? not worthy? you’re too good, I’m too broken, we’re from different worlds...
He looked up, voice shaky. “Um… you… uh… I… you…”
The card still burned in his hand, but not a single proper sentence came out.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYKbrYz3lY
He didn’t even know who was supposed to answer—Red Hood? Jason Todd?309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcm5gr3uS4c
Who was she asking?
Leila didn’t rush him. She just looked at him quietly—then slid him a second card.
Red Hood flinched.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ydMLi5hD6
Another one?309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6utiwLu5B
This wasn’t dinner. This was a psychological interrogation.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIRgTKzXrM
He forced himself to stay calm and took the card.
"What do you think happiness is?"
His breath caught.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmExRtrml2y
All he could think was: What kind of poetic trap is this?309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4szQ9DEuxF
This wasn’t like her—she was always steady, composed.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDSmpKIr5A
Tonight, she came prepared.
He swallowed. “Happiness is… living with someone you love… I guess.”
He immediately regretted saying it—was it deep enough? too cheesy? did it reveal how insecure and unworthy he felt?
Leila nodded.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzujyLrbW7P
Not praise.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVexfjymKpg
Not forgiveness.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflMg0f04Y8
Just a quiet, neutral: “Okay. Passable.”
Then she reached for the third card—slowly, deliberately.
Red Hood nearly flipped the table.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGurLVwc4Yx
He didn’t want to take it.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tykdctfq6
But his body moved anyway.
He looked down.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Mqc8YRBfl
Froze.
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJyquJvYhS
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdVisuzJFf
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidtQ6FL0G5
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxrBYyJomw
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnCDtzpZMJ
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEP1ZKVFb7
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikgDTGD7ug
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s7fhihWyL
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCge2A4xLW
"I feel the same way. Let’s get married, Jason."
Jason’s head snapped up, as if struck by lightning.
Across the table, the girl smiled—a soft, warm smile.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgaffgLsNq
She reached into her bag and pulled out a white rose and a simple yet dazzling ring, gently sliding both toward the center of the table.
She didn’t speak. She never needed to.
Under the candlelight, her face looked like the only sunlight in a cold winter afternoon—gentle, not blinding, but enough to make your eyes sting.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiVCyphvAC
She sat there, like the only right answer he’d ever had in his life, waiting quietly for his reply.
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3qZEFsyve
Leila now sat on a soft couch, a light knit throw over her shoulders, gently cradling a glass of red wine. The deep red glinted under the light, rich like blood. She swirled it slowly, thoughts drifting back to that quiet, burning dinner.
The moment Red and Black walked into the Iceberg Lounge, she had already figured it out.
How could she not?
She was the one who had helped Jason pick his clothes.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuyyGhoWuB
Every jacket, glove, and boot—she knew his size and taste like the back of her hand.
Six feet tall.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tbb7y2TyL
Two hundred and twenty-five pounds.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAsXvUeAQW
That cut of coat wasn’t for just anyone.
The posture.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlb0EIFqCF
The gait.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkJAA69D8W
Even the slight forward tilt of his shoulders when he walked—everything about Red Hood matched the man she knew far too well.
Red Hood was Jason Todd.
And once that puzzle clicked into place, the rest followed.
Nightwing was Dick.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7NYGc8ftw
That smile-with-a-furrowed-brow gave him away long ago.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTMVGlhGbq
Robin was Damian—his teenage pride and prickly defensiveness couldn’t be hidden if he tried.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTO2gjjE1n6
Batman was Bruce Wayne—that one had been obvious for a while; she just hadn’t wanted to admit it too soon.
But the biggest surprise was Tim.
Red Robin was Tim.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYJOPuDX3n
Her adorable little brother.
The kid who used to worship Batman like a god.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAXeZdOpMg
Who once made a “Gotham Night Patrol” schedule and stuck newspaper clippings of Batman all over his wall.
She remembered him, eating cereal and muttering, “If I had a cape, I’d fly even higher.”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQ0S5HGIi8
Looking back now, he wasn’t trying to fly high.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHQCIhnqUD
He’d just been looking for a reason to fly.
Becoming a fan.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGZLyXYSeO
Then a helper.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1UsUkZVK0
Then a vigilante.
That path was reckless and dangerous in Leila’s eyes—but for Tim, maybe it had never been a choice.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR3IR7ZVRv
Maybe it had always been destiny.
She took another sip of wine. Warmth spread through her chest.
These idiots.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQKVEF3p5e
Out every night in this city’s shadows, fighting danger, chasing leads, risking everything.
They weren’t normal.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYy60JxKe3C
They searched for meaning in chaos, for answers in despair—yet when it came to honesty, they chose silence.
She understood their intentions.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvxcoHRPX6
But still… she was angry.
Angry they didn’t trust her.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD18vgktLhP
Angry they built a wall of silence around their world—as if deciding she didn’t belong in it.
So she decided to punish Jason.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mGEjAIxwI
He wasn’t allowed to say anything.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieR7I1HiUJ
Let the vigilantes stew in their own mess.
Then she picked up her phone.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXosJ77cls
Texted Tim:309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fXhBeviSB
“Jason and I are ending our relationship. Just letting you know.”
Cold.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rmYQzp6X7
Flat.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHrOdqZLmf
No emotion.
She sent it, took a deep breath, and stared at the ceiling.
A few hours later, she was on a plane to Europe—ready to dive back into recording sessions and concerts, the world she knew best.
She didn’t say goodbye.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVfiLxOBcG
Not even a word.
She knew the Batcave was probably imploding.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIcUjc5z91
The thought of their faces in full panic mode?309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUzTNga6GA
She smiled. Took another sip of wine.
309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkvlw8SOze
The Batcave felt like a funeral.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEymk4HxOx5
Even the air was heavy, like lead.
Tim was slumped over his workstation, face buried in folded arms, unmoving—like a sculpture of despair. His voice was muffled:309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK12Z0azS7d
“Maybe it’s a curse… maybe we’re all meant to die single.”
Dick paced endlessly nearby, his footsteps echoing like a broken metronome.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqsOc7gk9Y
“How could this happen…? She loved him. He tried so hard…”
Damian sat on a chair, arms crossed, brow furrowed so deep it could crush a fly.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFfeqLqBdk
For once, he didn’t insult anyone.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5LcEkBICJ
He just watched the others fall apart.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVi3ZCnFw8T
His expression said: These birds have lost all their feathers.
Steph leaned against the wall, holding a glass of ice water like it might cool the sob in her throat.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYOxvWd0yJ
“This is our fault… such a beautiful love story… ruined by us…”
Barbara sat in the corner, tablet playing Leila’s music video—but her eyes weren’t watching.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTerlu2GO8b
She mumbled:309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarQHIPn4FX
“Jason… that was probably his one chance at happiness… but his temper… his pride… he’ll die alone, won’t he?”
The Batcave was drowning in sorrow.
No one dared contact Jason.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiXDP9oMay
No one dared ask if the message Tim received was true.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡornLKPIElw
They were too afraid—afraid that asking would make it real.
So they said nothing.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrbeyXh1j0
Let silence punish them all.
Only Bruce sat quietly in the corner, unmoved.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbdkOHf8hH
But unlike the others, his eyes weren’t lost.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSebfMXfd9
He didn’t say a word—because he already knew the truth.
His phone had buzzed a few seconds before Tim’s.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFLqQlVSRq
The message was from Leila:
“Don’t worry. Jason and I are getting married.”
Short.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehqguEdafC
Clear.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRKNc7iuAE
No room for doubt.
Bruce stared at the message.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdgKUnuubf
For a brief moment, the corner of his mouth lifted.
He knew.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemXJZNDoA9
Leila had seen through their secrets.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7FH2o9aup
And she was punishing them—this overprotective, self-righteous flock of children—in her own quiet, elegant way.
So he said nothing.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuuJmkzXLG
Let them drown in regret.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX59Zp5ZpMe
Because these little birds—
They had to learn not just how to fly in the dark,309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqomUwvZJDv
But also how to face the consequences in the light.
and then Add to home screen.