Chapter 12

The countdown is almost over.

Two days

Fall is here. The air is crisper now, with a freshness that wasn’t there before. The sky is weighed down by thick clouds, and drizzle begins to form fog on the streets, making the sidewalks slippery.

I wrap my shirt tighter around me, the thin fabric doing nothing to keep out the cold. I slip on my slippers and walk downstairs slowly, carefully, as if delaying my final routine here.

And then-

A black umbrella tilts toward me, shielding me from the rain before I can even notice the drops hitting my skin.

“Always walk in the rain.” comes a low, familiar voice. “Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

I pause.

He holds the umbrella handle tightly–too tight. The tendons in his fingers stand out, and his knuckles pale from the

pressure.

Pax Brown.

No more pretending.

No more wearing faded hoodies or worn sneakers. No more carefully crafting an image of a struggling man. He stood before me now, radiating the quiet, gaily–bred wealth that had always been second nature to him.

But his face–his expression-

That hadn’t changed.

He smiled.

As if nothing had happened.

wasn’t standing before someone he’d been deceiving for two

we weren’t in the midst of a slow, inevitable collapse.

voice was light, nonchalant. Detached, as if he’d shown up at my doorstep to sell me a subscription

instant. “Do you have to

I almost laughed.

Chapter 12

he always decide the rules of

know, how much I could see,

just a few days ago, stood in that hospital

walk out that

And yet

He’s here.

I’m sorry. Let

I didn’t answer.

explain.”

Nina –

was low and careful, as if he thought it could be redeemed, as if he thought the right words could

have been inappropriate

I didn’t move.

of guilt and sincerity,

time, I’ve been playing two

and arrogant. They expect me to be Pax

voice softened. “When I was with you, I was just a boy. A man with

at him.

like I was split in two. I didn’t know which version of me

truth, I panicked.” His hands clenched into fists at his

me should react.”

All

explained

he was warm, patient, and

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