Kieran abandoned everything he's doing at the office. He's hoping the doctor is mistaken. "Caelum will come back to me. He said he'll be with me forever!" He said while fighting back tears.
He rushed into the car. He's driving like he has nothing to lose. He gets to the address and starts screaming downstairs. He's broken. He breaks down and starts crying. It felt like his whole world just paused and gradually collapsed.
The doctor came out. "I'm Dr. Charles—" he's interrupted by Kieran. "Please, where's Caelum? WHERE'S MY CAELUM!" He began yelling and crying again. The doctor let him cry a bit then walked him in. Even this is too much for this man.
He walks in only to see a body . That thing wasn't Caelum. It couldn't be. The body on the table wasn't a human anymore, just blackened bones remained.
Kieran's knees buckled. "No, no, never! That's not him!"
His chain and ring—charred but unmistakable.
Kieran slowly looked at his shaken hand. They were both matching... It can't be him.
But it was.
He identified the body, and it was in his custody. Something felt off about this.
He tried to call Caelum's mom since she was sick the last time he spoke about her, but there was no information about her. Kieran began searching for his family to plan a befitting burial for such a wonderful soul. It's the only thing he could do to take his mind off everything, but nothing worked. He still silently cried alone. This burden was too heavy for one man.
Kieran checked Caelum's file at the office to find his past experiences and offices he had worked. His smile on the passport photograph made Kieran burst out crying. "How'll I go on?" he kept asking.
He had worked at an organization. Kieran prepared to leave. He drove there while listening to Caelum's favorite playlist and crying his eyes out. When he arrived, they weren't friendly in the office—neither was he, the boss.
He walked in and let them know what was happening, and they didn't seem to care less.
"Attend his funeral. That's all?" Kieran was outraged. Why aren't they sad? What kind of people did Caelum work for? He sent the date he had in mind to them and began preparation to lay his love to rest.
After a stressful day, he prepared to leave . All the activities helped him take his mind off the truth—he was gone and wasn't coming back.
"I thought you'd never leave." Tears rolled down his glittering blue eyes, and he remembered when Caelum said he didn't look pretty when he cried. He cried more. Kieran was hurting. It was too much to bear.
He had his bath. Caelum's presence was there. In the kitchen, the same. In the study, it was there. It was heavier in the bedroom. Kieran was going crazy. He couldn't take it. He cried to sleep. Clinged to his pillow while calling out Caelum's name. He was in a horrible state. He thought he had ran mad.
He got to the office the next morning and officially informed the workers about Caelum's death, and they were shocked. He was too happy to kill himself, and Kieran thought the same. "Why would he kill himself when he said I make him happy again?"
Kieran said while tearing up again. He let the staff know he'd be unable to attend to any office work and handed over the company to his secretary for six months. He needed the break more than anything.
He kept feeling Caelum's presence around the office. It was a really bad time for him. He drove home while listening to some of his recorded calls with Caelum. He was hurting himself.
"I'll be home soon, my sweet..."
"You miss me so much, I'll be back..."
"You looked amazing today, babe. Look that good for me tomorrow..."
"I'll be here forever."
He lied.
There was no tomorrow.
He wasn't staying forever—Kieran thought.
He's at home, and he doesn't go straight into the shower. He bought alcohol on his way home. He needed it. He didn't even wait to get home before he started drinking. Kieran was a hot mess. He got home drunk. No one to help him to the door. He crawls inside his house—their house—and no one is inside. He gets so drunk, hallucination kicks in. Either that or Kieran had already gone crazy.
He sees Caelum sitting on his couch. He struggles to get to him but can't touch him. Like a distant memory.
"Why did you leave me?" Kieran asks. Tears effortlessly roll down his cheeks but Caelum holds him and says something... it's distant. Kieran doesn't hear what he says before Caelum walks away.
"Don't go!" Kieran yells, but it's too late. He was only a fragment of his imagination. Kieran falls asleep on the couch, unable to reach his room.
He feels a warm touch while he sleeps, and he hears, "I'll never leave you. Never! No matter what they threaten to do to me, I'll never leave you. Not even in death." Kieran jumps out of sleep. What was that? he thought. It was Caelum's voice. Who are they? Was it murder? Did they kill my love? He was enraged and confused.
Kieran was still handsome, no doubt, but he was looking worn out now. He still hadn't cut his hair. He wasn't working out anymore. His body was still amazing. But he wasn't doing his exercises anymore. He wasn't eating, and he was on antidepressants to manage his mental health. Kieran felt like he had lost everything. Because he had. He felt like there was nothing else. Because there wasn't. The poor Kieran was sitting there alone with nothing once more.
He thought more about his dream and decided to go to the police, but they were uninterested. It was going to be a dead end. Kieran had no clues or anything. Everything linked it to suicide, but Kieran couldn't bring himself to believe. He mentioned his dream, and the officers burst out laughing.
"A dream, Mr. Kieran? Have you been drinking?" all the officers laughed—except one. He was standing at the back, and he was still, avoiding eye contact. What is he feeling? Guilt? Recognition? Every time Kieran turned to look at him, he looked away hurriedly.
He knows something, Kieran thought.
What happened at the station was very embarrassing. How dare they laugh? Kieran decided to find clues himself. It would be hard, but very much possible. He had only gone to Caelum's house. It was time to retrace his steps around the house and find clues to bring justice to Caelum.