As I opened the door, I caught sight of a shadow rushing towards me. He seemed deeply concerned that my father and I might have an unpleasant conversation leading to a fight. Teasing him, I remarked on how well his “daughter-in-law” was managing things, earning myself a playful punch to the chest. Seizing the opportunity, I reached for his hand, intending to plant a kiss, only to be interrupted by Ethan's untimely arrival. Yet, I couldn't blame him; after all, I had asked him to bring dinner to the room. No matter what, I couldn't let “my wife” go hungry.We seemed to have brushed off the incident from the dining room, thoroughly enjoying our dinner. Without waiting for him to finish his water, I whisked him into the bathroom for a relaxing soak, leaving his face flushed like a ripe apple before he reluctantly emerged from the bathroom. Unfortunately, as he stepped out, he was met with my beloved large bed. He seemed torn between wanting to escape and fearing to do so, his agitation r
I approached the castle main door and saw Neil still standing right where I had left him moments ago, his feet firmly planted. What could I do? The celebration at the castle was a must-attend; my sister's event, one I could perhaps skip, but leaving her standing and Neil stranded at home might lead to familial discord, with Neil bearing the brunt of it. Alternatively, could I simply disregard everything and take Neil away? Yet, that would invite pursuit by the wolf pack, akin to living the life of a fugitive. And there was something more crucial: preventing the opportunist from striking in my absence.As I pondered over these matters, Paul suddenly darted into my field of vision, moving towards Neil as if to assuage his nerves. This sight offered a glimmer of hope; I could entrust Neil to Paul for the time being, allowing Paul to take care of him temporarily, perhaps even spend time with him until I returned later that evening. Compared to my scheming relatives, those who ignored me,
It was the second day of the birthday celebration.In the morning, I had to practically drag him out of bed and handed him over to Paul before heading to the party. I still held onto the hope of leaving early, though it seemed unlikely. I couldn't help but envy Paul a bit - he didn't have to attend even though he was the grandson, while I, as the godson, had to, and for a whole seven days at that.The main guests of the day were the elders, both the patriarch and second elder. Alcohol flowed freely, and the revelry seemed to surpass that of the previous day. Neil called at some point, but not as frequently as the day before, and I didn't answer any of his calls. By the time I remembered to call him back, he didn't pick up - he was probably having a blast. I decided not to pursue it further; he could enjoy himself without me, and we could catch up later in the evening.Today I ended up even more intoxicated than yesterday. When I returned, Neil was still awake, sitting on the edge of t
Over the next two days, the fifth and sixth days of the celebration, I returned home early both times. I had intended to make it up to him, but the same issue resurfaced. However, this time it seemed more serious. He wasn't just timid or fearful; I sensed he was on the verge of breaking down, perhaps even disappointed in me.On the first day, I sat down, intending to have a serious conversation with him. I also wanted to tell him about Harry's persistent calls from the previous day. But he started crying, saying he wanted to go home. Before I could even try to soothe him or suggest we leave together in a few days, he said something that immediately angered me.“Ryan, if you don't want to go back, can I go back alone?”"What are you saying?""I'm begging you, let me go back, okay? I won't cause you any trouble. I'll go by myself and figure things out.""Neil! As I've told you before, I have only one request, and that's for you not to leave me. We need to stay together. You promised me
I slept until nearly noon, perhaps because I had been working too hard and felt exhausted. I suspected the person in my arms was still asleep. Turning him over, I prepared to give him a kiss on the forehead. As my hand touched his cheek, I felt as though I had grasped a hot water bottle."Neil, Neil, wake up!"I shook him for a while, but there was no response; he seemed to have lost consciousness. I quickly asked Ethan to call a doctor to check on Neil. I was uneasy about letting anyone else touch Neil and kept a close eye on the doctor's every move. Fortunately, they were professional and didn't get scared off by my vigilance.After the doctor's examination, he explained Neil's physical condition and carefully advised on what to pay attention to. Essentially, the main thing was to take a few days to rest and avoid exertion; absolute rest was necessary."The doctor said it's nothing serious, just that perhaps last night was too overexerted.""Mm.""Darling, I'm sorry, I was too rough
After applying the medicine and helping him into his basic underwear, I covered him with a blanket and then stepped out. Let it be like this, just wait for three days, just three days, and after that, we won't need to worry anymore. I'll wait until that midnight of the third day, not even to delay one more minute, then I'll hold him and leave this place forever.With Neil's phone in hand, I returned to the bar. Judging by how clean it was, I knew Ethan had already arranged for someone to clean up. I poured myself a whiskey and unlocked Neil's phone to check. Unfortunately, I stumbled upon something I didn't want to see. There were fifteen missed calls and unread messages from a new number."Neil, it's Harry. Are you okay?""Are you alright?""Are you too busy to read my messages?"These were all messages from three days ago, the night he had nightmares. He hadn't checked his messages all day, he must have been really exhausted that day. I continued scrolling down..."Neil, I'll be hon
I regained my composure, though it was less of composure and more of speechlessness, powerlessness, and hopelessness. Kneeling beside Neil, who appeared devoid of any color, I found myself devoid of any coherent thoughts, only the desire to fill every moment and every second with him. As I observed the bloodless figure before me, an unconscious question slipped from my lips."How could someone suddenly start bleeding without cause?""Perhaps it's due to internal injuries," Ethan responded naturally, unaware of my murmurs."Internal injuries?" The words stirred something within me. "Neil mentioned being attacked, injured, but I couldn't see any wounds. I even accused him of fabricating it.""Wounds that couldn’t be seen?""Yes, even the vampire claimed Neil was injured.""Master, may I examine Mr. Neil?" Ethan's request triggered a realization. "I've heard of a magic that conceals surface truths, masking external injuries while internal ones persist. Without prompt treatment, these int
In one hand, I held Neil's diary, and in the other, Ethan's USB drive, handed to me personally. As I delved into the diary, I discovered Neil too had fallen for me at first sight, but his self-doubt clouded his feelings. Many times, his thoughts and emotions mirrored mine, only he was more naïve, yet all this was before my transformation. I never noticed my own change, let alone its downward spiral. Initially, to win Neil over, I resorted to deceit and manipulation; once together, driven by my possessiveness, I controlled and punished him. Returning to the castle, I felt I had veered further off course, and the damning truth lay on the next page of the diary: the second day at the castle. No one admonished me, not even Neil, and it was only after his passing that I found my faults within his diary.Turning to the last seventh page of Neil's diary:"On the second day at the castle, I anticipated it to be a splendid one, with breakfast followed by a leisurely stroll. But then I saw him,
I stared at him, unwilling to waste words. Instead, I asked directly, “Where’s Neil?” The question was like a weight pressing on my chest, and this man before me was the only one who could answer it.Ken Yimo’s expression was one of indifference, as he replied coolly, “Neil? He’s resting. He’s very simple-minded. As long as I tell him to stay put, he won’t wander off. So, unlike with you, I don’t have to keep him chained up.” His words dripped with a detached cruelty, as though Neil were nothing more than a toy he could control at will. My fists clenched involuntarily, and a simmering anger began to burn within me.I knew then—Ken Yimo must have done something to manipulate Neil or force him into submission. I wanted to press him further, but Ken spoke first, a sly smile twisting across his face. “Ah, but it seems that when kids grow up, they’re not so easy to keep
“I’ve had enough.” Finally, my patience wore thin. Soft tactics weren’t working, so it was time to be firm. I stood up, bundled Neil up tightly in his blanket, ignoring his struggles or pleas. Before long, Neil was sitting at the small table, his head poking out from the blanket while the rest of his body was wrapped up snugly—held there by my bear hug, replacing any other form of restraint.I should have done it this way from the start. It saved time, kept the food warm, and, most importantly, even though he was wrapped in a blanket, I could still hold him close, care for him, protect him—letting him sit on my lap and lean against me.“Wow.” Seeing his eager expression, I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. “I know you love these dishes, so I made them just for you. What do you want to eat?”"My favorite pasta.""My favorite pancakes."
I rambled on while watching the stars twinkle silently in the night sky. The breeze caressed the woods outside the tent, and the night was as gentle as a dream. Unconsciously, fatigue crept into my eyelids, and finally I fell into a deep sleep in the stillness of the night.I didn't know exactly how long I slept until a beam of morning light shone through the transparent tent roof and shone on my face, waking me up from my slumber. In a daze, I blinked, as if last night's worries and hesitations were still swirling in my mind. But the scene that came into my eyes next completely turned all my imaginations upside down.“Neil!!! what are you doing?!” I instantly came to my senses and sat up with a jolt. Right in front of me, Neil was kneeling beside me, head bowed, with a serious look on his face as he tried to help me with my natural morning reaction. He didn't look hesitant at all, as if it was a matter of course.
My heart sank, realizing that it wasn’t just innocent childish behavior—it was a desperate search for affection, a need to please, a struggle to win more care and love from Ken Yimo. In that moment, I suddenly understood that Harry's words might have been true—their relationship was far beyond a typical father-son bond.I struggled to steady the emotions stirring within me, and looked up at Neil’s innocent face. He probably didn’t recognize the true meaning behind those gestures—their intent was not simply familial love, but a deep, almost physical craving for attention, a kind of dependence on being favored. A quiet ache settled in my chest as I wished with all my heart that he would never be caught in that dark emotional whirlpool again.I smiled softly, gently steering the conversation back to where it had started. "So, to get back to the point, I am your one and only, aren't I?" On this quiet night, I
"Yes, every day." Neil nodded firmly, his tone pure, almost childlike."Then, is this kind of missing me something unique?" I pressed on, as though I were hoping to hear a one-of-a-kind answer from him."Unique?" He blinked, looking as though he didn’t quite understand the meaning of the word.I patiently explained, "What I mean is... is this something that only I experience? Like, the way you miss your dad—does it feel the same as the way I miss mine?"Neil shook his head slightly, his voice soft as he replied, "It's different. I miss Ryan more."A flicker of delight stirred within me, but I kept my expression neutral and asked, "What about compared to your elder brother and your little brother? Is it different with them too?"Neil thought for a moment before nodding with certainty. "Yeah, I miss Ryan the most.""So, only I,
As I processed Harry's bombshell, I turned to Ethan and asked, "Have you checked if Fred Yimo is really Ken Yimo's biological son?"Ethan's expression turned serious as he pulled out his phone. "I'll have someone look into it now."Peter furrowed his brow, clearly skeptical. "You suspect Fred Yimo might be adopted too?""I actually hope so," I replied firmly. "It's a lot less messy than the unethical theory.""Ken Yimo really isn't simple," Harry remarked on the phone, sounding almost impressed. "When I was around, Fred was a bit more relaxed. But the moment I left, he turned into a mouse—didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, but a little bit “sticky” though."I let out a cold laugh. "Doesn't that completely clash with the surveillance cameras he set up at home?"Peter nodded thoughtfully. "You’re right. Which of these sides is the r
As Peter and I sat off to the side, watching them laugh and chat, a tangle of emotions stirred within us. The scene was heartwarming, yet there was an undeniable sense of loss. Here we were, two grown men, holding our glasses, sitting on the fringes of this cozy gathering, as if the world had forgotten about us.Peter let out a heavy sigh. "Why does it feel like I'm drifting further away from my own precious one?" His gaze lingered on Nick and Neil, a hint of sadness in his eyes.I took a sip of my drink, my voice low. "It feels like everyone else is getting closer to Neil than I am." The words left a sting in my chest, as though something inside me had been pierced.Ethan, overhearing our conversation, smiled softly and leaned in to offer a quiet word of reassurance. "Don’t rush," he said gently. "You’ll grow closer in time." He set down his soup spoon, his demeanor calm and wise. "When the bond is strong, n
I paused, surprised that Ken Yimo had informed Neil so quickly. I had been ready to carefully persuade him to come along, but it turned out I didn’t need to—the door was already open, and Neil knew he’d have some freedom. My plan could move forward seamlessly.I smiled, leaning down with a hint of excitement in my voice. "Neil, how about a trip to the amusement park?" My gaze held a playful glint, eager to see his reaction.As expected, Neil’s face instantly lit up with an incredible smile, like sunshine breaking into the depths of his heart. "Really?" His eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, his voice brimming with barely-contained excitement."Yes!" I nodded, continuing to paint an exciting picture for him. "We can even go see a movie, and then camp out to watch the stars. How does that sound?"Neil’s face flushed with excitement, and he practically burst out, "Y
He helped Neil over to a nearby tatami mat, his expression so gentle that it seemed impossible he’d been the same man furiously smashing things just moments earlier. Watching him carefully tend to Neil with such tenderness, I couldn't help but marvel at how masterfully this man could wear different masks. One moment, he was consumed by rage; the next, he’d transformed into the image of a devoted father. No wonder Neil felt uneasy around someone like him—such volatility would be terrifying for anyone.Ken Yimo picked up his phone and answered in a low voice. The moment he murmured, "Ah, Harry," I instantly understood—the next phase of the plan was in motion. Harry had successfully intervened to stop Fred Yimo from causing more trouble at the hospital, and this call was to inform Ken Yimo, urging him to hurry over and manage the aftermath.After hanging up, Ken Yimo returned to Neil's side, gently stroking his hair. In