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.
As if he wasn’t standing before someone he’d been deceiving for two years.
As if we weren’t in the midst of a slow, inevitable collapse.
“What honor do I have that Pax Brown came to me personally?” My voice was light, nonchalant. Detached, as if he’d shown up at my doorstep to sell me a subscription I had no interest in.
His jaw set, the casual mask slipping in an instant. “Do you have to talk to me like this?”
I almost laughed.
Chapter 12
Didn’t he always decide the rules of our conversations?
Who decided how much I could know, how much I could see, how much I could believe?
Wasn’t it him who, just a few days ago, stood in that hospital room, looking at me with cold, distant eyes, and said-
“If you walk out that door, we’re really done.”
And yet
He’s here.
“Cecilia, I’m sorry. Let me
I didn’t answer.
explain.”
“The bag I bought Nina – it was a return gift.”
His voice was low and careful, as if he thought it could be redeemed, as if he thought the right words could reshape the past.
Their families have always been close–it would have been inappropriate not to give her gifts.
I didn’t move.
He exhaled and pressed his fingers to his temple. His expression was a careful combination of guilt and sincerity, so close to believability that he might have succeeded if I hadn’t seen him lie so easily before.
“Cecilia, all this time, I’ve been playing two roles.”
“With my friends, I’m reckless and arrogant. They expect me to be Pax Brown.”
“But with you…” His voice softened. “When I was with you, I was just a boy. A man with nothing but heart.”
I stared at him.
“Sometimes, I felt like I was split in two. I didn’t know which version of me was real.”
“So when you found out the truth, I panicked.” His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I didn’t know which
version of me should react.”
All
So that explained everything.
Why some days he was warm, patient, and gentle.
And other days he was cold, distant, and cruel.
Why he whispered love one day and turned away the next.
23:07
Seven Years of Love. Seven Minutes 40–h
19.0%
Chapter 12
“But I’ve been thinking about it for the past two days,” he said, his eyes firm and unwavering. “I love you. I’m willing to change.”
Put aside the arrogance, put aside the bravado.
Be your Pax Brown.
I was silent for a moment.
Then, slowly, I held out my hand. Palm up.
“Your phone.“He blinked in surprise.
But he didn’t hesitate. He handed me the phone without hesitation. “You are”
I entered the password.
The password was incorrect.
There was silence.
I tried again.
Still wrong.
Chapter 13
