The hospital smelled like antiseptic, but Elias barely noticed. Morning light sliced through the blinds, hitting his face in sharp lines. Everything outside was quiet—the steady beep of machines, nurses' footsteps floating down the hall.
But inside? His head was spinning. His chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing it.
He hadn't slept. Not really. The fight with Damien, Cassian getting hit, the assault—everything was a mess in his mind. And Damien's bombshell? Noah wasn't his brother. He was his father.
That truth was a weight, dragging him down.
Elias sat on the hospital bed, wearing the clean clothes Cassian had brought him. The nurses said they'd discharge him soon.
But Elias couldn't leave.
Not without seeing Cassian.
The door creaked.
A nurse peeked in, smiling gently. "He's awake."
Elias's heart slammed.
---
Cassian looked broken. Bandages wrapped tight around his head, pale skin stretched thin. His arm was in a sling, IV tubes snaking from it. But his eyes were open. Foggy, but open.
Elias stumbled toward the bed. "Cass?"
Cassian's lips cracked into a weak smile. "Elias… you okay?"
A laugh burst out of Elias—half cry, half relief. "I should be asking you that."
Cassian tried to grin. "Had worse days. Not many though."
Elias pulled a chair close, took Cassian's hand like it was the only solid thing left in the world. "They said the car came out of nowhere. Hit you full force."
Cassian winced. "Yeah. Someone didn't want me talking."
"Damien?"
Cassian shrugged. "I don't know."
Silence fell heavy between them.
Cassian broke it. "I heard about you… what happened. Damien told the doctors what he could. You okay?"
Elias shook his head. "No. Not really." He looked away, voice cracking. "Everything's hurting inside. I don't even know who I am anymore."
Cassian squeezed his hand. "You're still you. Still brave. Still honest. Still here."
Elias looked back, really looked.
Bruised and battered, Cassian had never seemed more real. No fake smiles. No walls. Just warmth.
Without thinking, Elias leaned in.
Soft. Shaky. Full of everything he couldn't say.
Cassian froze for a second.
Then kissed back—slow, careful, like he was afraid Elias might disappear.
When they pulled apart, Elias's cheeks burned. "Sorry, I—"
"Don't be," Cassian smiled weakly. "I've wanted to do that for weeks."
---
Later, Elias stood by the window, waiting for Damien to pick him up.
He hated being here.
They'd discharged him. Cassian was still stuck under observation, but stable.
Stable. For now.
Outside, the parking lot was bathed in gold and purple as the sun set.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: You really think he's safe now? Cute.
Elias's stomach dropped.
Before he could react, a screech of tires ripped through the air—
BOOM.
A car exploded in flames.
People screamed.
Alarms blared.
Elias's eyes flew to the fire—
Cassian's car.
---
Miles away, Damien Cross sat alone in his dark apartment.
Rain hammered the windows.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
One attachment.
He opened it.
A grainy photo.
Elias and Cassian.
Kissing.
His breath hitched.
The silence shattered—
CRASH!
A lamp smashed against the wall.
Another.
The glass coffee table splintered under his fury.
Bookshelves overturned.
Drawers ripped out.
Glass and ceramic shattered across the floor.
His cold, controlled mask broke.
He kicked a chair until it splintered.
His chest heaved.
Rage. Betrayal. Jealousy burning like acid.
The phone rang again. Same number.
He answered, voice raw. "What do you want?"
A slow chuckle echoed.
"You didn't think he'd stay loyal, did you? You're losing your grip, Damien. Walk away. Let him go. Or die trying."
Silence.
Then Damien, voice low and trembling, but fierce.
"I see through this. I know it's to make me jealous. To push me out."
He ran a hand through his hair, wild-eyed.
"I don't care who you send. How many lies you whisper. I will protect Elias. Even if it kills me."
He hung up.
The phone fell to the floor with a dull thud.
Outside, lightning cracked the sky.
Inside, Damien breathed hard, fighting a war inside himself.
And losing.
---
Just beyond the window, a shadow watched.
A camera recording every broken piece of Damien's rage.
The trap was closing.
Elias had no clue what was coming.