Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 82 - 77 — Aftermath & Escape

Chapter 82: Chapter 77 — Aftermath & Escape

The echo of the last month still haunted Aoi.

Though she smiled for Ren, ate meals with him, and wrapped herself around his arm at night like everything was fine, he knew better. She flinched when someone knocked on the door. Her eyes darted toward shadows too often. Her laughter didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Ren couldn’t stand it.

After what Naruse had done—what he almost did—it was a miracle Aoi still stood tall.

But when Ren reviewed Lucia’s full recording logs from the tower that day... his hands trembled. Naruse hadn’t just kidnapped Aoi. He had tried to violate her before Ren arrived—before the nanotech bracelet flared to life.

And if Ren had been even one minute late...

Ren stood on the balcony of their home that night, staring at the moonlit fields. Lucia hovered beside him silently.

"Sir. You seem... unsettled."

"I need him gone, Lucia. Forever."

"Define ’gone’?"

Ren didn’t answer immediately. He just looked out toward the trees, the distant cornfields swaying like whispers in the dark.

Later that night, Naruse’s holding cell quietly blacked out. All recordings were lost. The power flickered once, and then his signal was gone.

Ren never spoke of it to Aoi. And when she asked where Naruse had gone, he simply said:"He won’t bother us again."

Two Weeks Later — Paris, France

Aoi spun in circles on a quiet bridge over the Seine, arms outstretched, sunlight dancing in her hair. The glimmer in her eyes had started to return. Laughter now felt real again.

Ren, in a black turtleneck and trench coat, smiled gently from a café chair, watching her spin like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

They had left everything behind for a while.

Just the two of them.

No AI labs. No shadows. No threats.

Next Stop — Rome, Italy

They kissed beneath the colosseum lights, her lipstick marking his lips and cheeks.

They made love under marble ceilings and in hotel balconies overlooking the quiet Roman streets. Some nights were soft, healing. Others were desperate — a reminder that they still had each other, alive, safe, real.

One Month Later — Kyoto, Japan

They returned briefly to visit family. Aoi’s mother embraced her tightly, as if trying to protect her from the world itself. Ren’s father pulled him aside.

"She looks stronger," he said.

Ren nodded. "She’s everything."

Week 7 — Maldives

White sands. Crystal waters. Lucia left behind on purpose.

Aoi floated in the ocean, calling Ren to join her, while the sunset bathed them in gold.

"This," she said, "feels like our real honeymoon."

He swam to her and kissed her forehead.

"It is. And next time we return home... I’ll finish what I started."

"Your AI?"

Ren smiled faintly.

"No... our future."