Evening was creeping in when I glanced out the window and saw that Sebastian was still loyally stationed by Hannah's side, both of them refusing to budge from the front door. The air outside had grown bitter with cold, yet neither of them seemed willing to surrender. They were determined to prove to Lucas that they had done nothing wrong—that he was the one acting like an emotionless bastard.
I opened my mouth, intending to say something—anything—to make him see how absurd he was being. But before I could get a single word out, he raised a hand and pointed at me with disdain.
"Keep quiet," he snapped. "Unless you're hoping to end up next to a pile of dead fish."
I clenched my jaw but said nothing. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who couldn't stand his attitude. Felix, always the brave one when it came to confronting Lucas, stepped in.
"If you truly didn't care about me," Felix said with quiet rage, "then I'd say you're nothing short of a devil in the flesh. How can you look at them and feel nothing? How can you be so cold?" His eyes burned with emotion. "Why can't you just grow the hell up and accept that people care about you? I don't even understand how a girl like Selena fell in love with you. But I won't ask her, because frankly, I didn't deserve her love either."
Lucas narrowed his eyes, his tone sharpening like the edge of a knife. "Been to one too many psychiatrists, Felix? Their voices rattling around in your skull now? Trying to rewire me with their empty words?"
"No," Felix said, his voice steady despite the insult. "I just want you to be happy too. Stop hiding in the past. Stop building walls no one can climb over. Everyone sees it—Hannah matters to you. But instead of letting her in, you play these pathetic games. You're so afraid of happiness, you'd rather destroy it than face it. And it's not just about her," he added, his voice rising. "It's the same with Sebastian. Sure, he screws up—but he does it for others. This time, he brought Hannah here for you. Because even he wants you to start living again."
Lucas sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "Are you making excuses for him now? Will you still be able to 'live like other people' if it turns out your disease is so far gone you'll never be whole again?"
That hit a nerve—and not just for Felix. I felt something twist in my chest. Lucas had gone too far.
"I may be sick," Felix said, quiet but unshakable, "but I'm no fool. And I know you're hiding something from me. But I'm not prying—because right now, I'm happy. I don't know what comes next. I don't know how bad things will get. But I do know this—" He took a breath. "I have two people I care about. You. And Selena. And because of that, I've got a reason to fight. A reason to live."
I couldn't help but smile. Pride welled up in me. He was starting to think clearly again, not surrendering to despair.
I looked over at Lucas and caught the subtle shift in his posture. Felix's words had landed somewhere deep. Lucas leaned back on the couch, his hands braced behind him, eyes lowered.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean it like that. You know I'm glad if you're getting better."
Felix rolled his eyes but approached him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
"You're still hiding a lot from me. But I trust you. Because I see you're trying. You've changed, Lucas. I know you used to care about me too. But back then you were a spoiled brat, jealous as hell—and that's why your mom kicked you out."
Lucas's brow furrowed darkly.
"You remember why she kicked me out?"
There it was. A topic we had all danced around before. From Felix's version of events, Lucas had raped a girl at a party—but Lucas always denied it, claiming it had been consensual. Was that just a delusion Felix had spun in his head, poisoned by illness? Or had we all been too afraid to dig deeper?
"You've crossed a line," Felix said, voice almost a whisper now, unsure even of his own words.
"I slept with a hot girl and got her pregnant," Lucas said flatly. "She wanted it. Then she turned on me. That's why I stopped trusting women." He looked at me, his gaze hard. "She got rid of it. Our mother paid for it. So no worries—I've got no plans to reproduce."
"Thanks for the relevant information," I muttered under my breath.
Lucas ignored me, running a hand across his forehead, then directing his gaze toward the door.
"I don't want to become a monster like the people who raised me. So fine. Let them in. But keep them out of my sight—for now. I need time to think."
Without waiting for a reply, Lucas turned and ascended the stairs.
I moved to the door, opened it, and called out to the two frozen figures waiting outside.
"You guys are seriously insane," I shouted. "You could've gone to Sebastian's place to warm up!"
Sebastian's teeth were chattering as he crossed the threshold, but Hannah remained composed, defiant.
"I'll make this idiot warm me up," she said boldly.
"I'd advise against that," I told her. "Lucas doesn't want to see your face right now. Best not to poke the sleeping wolf. He's trying to work."
Ignoring me entirely, Hannah stormed into the living room and threw herself onto the pristine white couch, still wearing her shoes and coat. She looked smug—dangerously so.
"I never lose," she said with a grin. "I promise you—he's going to fall for me."
Sebastian groaned. "You'll lose your head before he falls for anything, especially if he comes downstairs and sees the couch ruined." He shook his head and muttered, "I wouldn't want to be you right now."
*
From Felix's perspective
It was late evening when Selena and I walked along the beach. The icy air brushed against our faces, but I barely felt the cold. Her arm was wrapped around mine, her body warm against my shoulder, and for the first time in ages—I felt completely happy.
"Do you think they won't kill each other while we're gone?" she asked with a teasing smirk.
I chuckled. "I'm mostly worried about Hannah. That girl doesn't know the meaning of backing down. She and Lucas? A ticking time bomb."
Selena laughed softly, her breath fogging in the night air. "You're probably right. I'm worried about them too. Sebastian at least is helpful—he was still scrubbing the couch when we left. I think he'll win Lucas over pretty quickly."
I turned my gaze toward the ocean. In the distance, the lights of a lone sailboat flickered over the dark water. Something about that view triggered memories—sharp, scattered flashes from my past. I didn't understand why, but suddenly everything came rushing back: my childhood, my illness, the chaos, the peace... and her.
I wondered what my life would've been like if I'd never gotten sick. Would anything have been different? Would I still have met Selena? Was she always destined to be part of my story? Or would we have already married and had kids by now, living some normal life that no longer felt meant for me?
"Are you cold?" she asked, her voice gentle with concern.
I shook my head. "No. I could sit on this sand for hours and just stare at the ocean. I love it here. The cold doesn't bother me."
Suddenly, she beamed. "I just thought of something!" She kissed my cheek, then unlinked her arm from mine. "Wait for me here, okay? I'll be right back—I need to grab something!"
Before I could even ask what it was, she was running back toward the house.
I watched her disappear into the distance, smiling to myself. I could only imagine what she was up to—probably something thoughtful, something sweet. That's just who she was.
Then my phone buzzed.
I pulled it from my pocket, frowning when I saw an unknown number flashing on the screen. My first thought was Mike—maybe calling from a different phone.
"Hello?" I answered cautiously.
"...Son."
The voice stopped everything.
It was like stepping straight into a fire. My blood surged, burning hot beneath my skin, only to be chased by a wave of icy dread. I broke into a cold sweat, the phone trembling in my hand.
"Who is this?" My voice cracked as a lump formed in my throat.
"Son, it's me. Your mother."
I went numb.
No. No, no, no—this couldn't be happening. She was dead. I killed them. I buried them both in the woods. I remembered it.
I dropped to my knees on the freezing sand, my whole body shaking.
"You're not real," I whispered. "You died. I saw it. I remember it."
"I know it's hard to believe," she said gently, her voice too familiar. Too human. "It took me so long to find your number. Lucas swore he'd never let me talk to you again. And Selena—she stole you from me, just like she did before."
My breath hitched. I clutched the phone, panic overtaking me.
"This isn't happening," I muttered. "This can't be happening."
"You've been getting better, haven't you? That's why I'm calling now. I had to wait until your mind was clearer. I've missed you so much, Felix. I left you in the hospital so you could heal. Your father and I moved to Canada. We never died. We're alive. I love you so much, baby."
I started sobbing. The tears came fast, uncontrollable, as I looked around me, convinced I had slipped into a different reality.
"I don't know what's real anymore," I whispered. "All this time... I thought..."
"You were lied to, Felix. They've manipulated you. Lucas never told you the truth—he's my son from my first relationship. He's your brother. Did he ever mention that? Of course not. He wanted to keep you for himself."
Her voice turned sharper now, edged with something sinister beneath the soft tone. My breath hitched. I was no longer sure who I was talking to. Was this truly my mother? A ghost? A hallucination? A demon?
"I don't believe you," I croaked. "Show me. Show me you're real."
I switched to video call with trembling fingers, and her face appeared.
Flesh and blood. Alive. Smiling.
"Do you believe me now, my sweet boy?"
I dropped the phone onto the sand as if it had burned me. I stared at the rolling ocean waves, my heart hammering against my ribcage, my chest tight with a crushing weight.
Everything I knew, everything I believed—it all felt like a lie.
I kicked off my shoes, barely aware of the movement. My legs moved on their own, shaky and unsteady, as I walked toward the water. I couldn't feel the cold anymore. I couldn't feel anything.
Somewhere behind me, the phone still buzzed. Her voice carried through the air, sweet and poisonous:
"Come home, Felix. Come back to me."
But I knew now. She never wanted me to get better. She didn't want me happy. She wanted me gone.
Forever.