"I’m leaving! I’m going to see Julian. I’ll ask him myself if he said something!" Karl announced, storming out as he yanked the door open.
Ruby watched his retreating figure and sighed, rubbing her forehead. Her body felt heavy with exhaustion. She hadn’t slept all night, and at some point, without even realizing it, she drifted off into a deep slumber.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, Julian sat in his room, surrounded by the others.
"Tell us, Julian!" Adrian demanded, frowning deeply.
"Yes, yes! What happened? You have to tell us!" Karl nodded rapidly, his impatience showing.
Julian fell into silence, lost in his thoughts. If Ruby had really cheated... it wasn’t just him she betrayed. It was also Adrian, Milo, and Karl.
Adrian and Karl were already ready to divorce her.
But Milo... how could he tell him? Milo was too innocent. Too pure. How was he supposed to break the truth to him?
Maybe it was time to say it. Maybe he should just tell them everything.
But as he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. The words refused to leave his throat.
Julian swallowed hard, clenching his fists. Finally, he muttered, "Brother Adi... I don’t want to talk about this right now. I’ll tell you everything when I’m ready. Is that alright?"
Adrian studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Alright," he said quietly. He reached out, giving Julian’s head a brief, reassuring rub before standing up to leave.
Milo smiled faintly and patted Julian’s shoulder before walking out as well.
Only Karl stayed behind.
Without a word, he climbed onto Julian’s bed, settling beside him with a small gap of space between them.
Then, he reached out and patted his lap.
Julian looked at him, his lips parting slightly before he let out a quiet, painful smile. Without hesitation, he turned to his side, resting his head against Karl’s lap.
A familiar peace settled over him.
Karl ran his fingers through Julian’s soft blue hair, his touch light, comforting. "I know you’re hiding something... but if you don’t tell us, how are we supposed to fix it?" Karl murmured.
Julian closed his eyes. "I feel suffocated, Brother Karl..." he whispered.
"Then take a deep breath," Karl said simply.
Julian let out a weak chuckle. But as he did, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye, disappearing into his hair.
Karl said nothing. He just continued running his fingers through Julian’s hair, offering silent comfort.
Julian’s breathing evened out as he drifted into sleep, his body finally relaxing against Karl’s lap.
Karl let out a slow breath, his gaze dropping to Julian’s bandaged head. His fingers hovered over the injury, his brows furrowing in concern. There were also scratches on Julian’s hands..fresh ones.
Something had happened.
And Julian wasn’t telling anyone about it.
Julian never kept secrets from them. He had even told them about how Levi used to torture him, something deeply personal and painful.
It had to be something emotional. Something that cut so deep, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud.
And then there was Julian, acting distant toward Ruby, ignoring her completely. That stupid wife of theirs probably thought he hated her now.
Karl clicked his tongue in frustration.
His mind worked overtime, trying to piece together the clues. It all led back to that shithead. That much was certain.
But what was he missing?
He rubbed his temples, feeling his brain slow down as exhaustion finally caught up to him. He let out a deep sigh, leaning back slightly.
’My brain has reached its limit... It’s officially stopped working.’
He’d have to figure this out later. But one thing was clear Julian wasn’t just hurt.
And Karl would find out who did it..
Ruby groaned as she woke up, her head pounding like a drum. She blinked a few times, trying to shake off the dizziness. The room was dimly lit, and judging by the golden hue outside, it was already evening.
She had slept the entire day?
Her stomach growled in protest, reminding her of how she had skipped lunch. With a tired sigh, she dragged herself to the dining table, rubbing her temple.
Milo, who was already sitting there, looked up with a bright smile. "Hey, wife! We tried waking you up for lunch, but you wouldn’t budge," he said, handing her a warm cup of tea.
Ruby gratefully accepted it, taking a small sip.
Something was... different.
She took another sip, her brows knitting together. "Why does it taste different today?"
She wasn’t complaining, exactly. It wasn’t bad—just not what she was used to. Her tea was always made exactly how she liked it, to the point that skipping a day felt impossible. But today...
Milo scratched the back of his head shyly. "Actually... I made it today, wife," he admitted. "Since Julian is injured, I decided to take over the kitchen so he can rest." His voice was soft, sweet, and filled with sincerity.
"Alright," Ruby said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "It’s not bad. I just asked because it tasted different."
Milo grinned. "No worries, wife! I understand. Julian makes tea every day, so you must’ve noticed the change."
He cheerfully took her empty cup and headed back to the kitchen.
Ruby sat there for a moment, staring at the table before standing up. Her steps felt heavy as she made her way toward Julian’s room.
The door was slightly open.
Her eyes fell on Julian, sitting on the bed, gazing out the small window, lost in thought. His expression was unreadable, but something about his posture felt... distant. Cold.
Karl was rummaging through the wardrobe, searching for something, muttering under his breath.
Should she talk to him?
Would he even listen?
Before she could decide, Julian’s gaze shifted, and his cold eyes locked onto hers.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them was heavy, filled with unsaid words and something deeper...something Ruby couldn’t quite grasp.
She let out a quiet sigh and turned away.
There was no point forcing a conversation if he didn’t want to talk.
Walking back to her room, she picked up her notebook and flipped it open, staring at the designs she had drawn.
Her eyes scanned the lines, the patterns, the tiny details she had once put so much thought into.
But today, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus.
Julian’s cold stare wouldn’t leave her mind.
—To be continued...🪄