Memento Scarlet: ripe

Kanoh is a man living under the weight of an unforgivable memory. Haunted by a consuming need for atonement for the former partner he killed with his own hands, his mind teeters on the edge of collapse. Kairi, by contrast, is an enigma—elusive, secretive, and honest only to his own desires. When the two are paired together, an improbable closeness begins to form between them. As their partnership deepens, their bodies come together as naturally as breathing, and the two drift into a relationship neither can bring himself to put into words. Then a new case shatters the fragile balance: a crime eerily reminiscent of the Maisie incident, its threads winding through the dangerous world of illegal drugs. Working side by side to untangle the connections between the cases and their victims, Kanoh begins to sense just how well he and Kairi fit together—their chemistry undeniable. He recognizes that what binds them has grown into something far deeper than partnership, yet he forces himself to remember that he must not reach for anything beyond what they already share.