CHAPTER 3: THE BOY WHO STOPPED SPEAKING
The next morning, the mansion felt different.
Quiet.
Heavy.
The boy sat by the window, clutching a small toy car.
Adrian approached carefully.
“Can I sit with you?”
A small nod.
That was all.
Minutes passed.
No words.
Just silence.
Then Adrian spoke softly.
“You don’t have to compete with anyone for my love.”
The boy’s fingers tightened around the toy.
“I didn’t know,” Adrian admitted. “And that’s my fault.”
A long pause.
Then, barely audible—
“She said you’d forget me.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
Pain flooded through him.
“I could forget how to breathe before I forget you.”
The boy looked up.
May you like
And for the first time…
He moved closer.
